Practice wood

[Colin Macqueen]

Any recommendations for economical wood to practice on? I've been using 2 x 2 furring strip and generic 4 x 4 "white wood" from the local hardware store, but both seem seem quite coarse and tend to have cracks running through.

Thanks,


Colin

 

[Odie]

I guess that all depends on what you intend to practice doing.

Bowls?

Spindle?

Pens?

Boxes?


Tell us, and I'm sure you'll get some good suggestions on this forum.

otis of cologne

 

[Owen Lowe]

Any recommendations for economical wood to practice on? I've been using 2 x 2 furring strip and generic 4 x 4 "white wood" from the local hardware store, but both seem seem quite coarse and tend to have cracks running through.
Thanks,
Colin

Colin, I can't imagine a more frustrating material than what you're using - though maybe pressure treated 2x4s could surpass...

The best practice wood is free, green (as in freshly cut in the last couple months) yard trimmings - though I'd recommend staying away from the firs, spruces and pines. Even hardwoods from the firewood pile are way better than furring strips and soft pines from the hardware store.

Ask a neighbor, follow the utility company's trimming crews, listen for the call of the neighborhood chainsaw - all can yield great practice wood.

Happy Turning!

 

[MichaelMouse]

Found wood of any sort. Uncured is fine for practice as long as you rough oversize, allow to dry and practice on the hardened product too. Don't do any turning with the center of the wood in it unless you're studying radial checks. Later on as you get a handle on how wood shrinks you'll be able to get around even that in certain cases.

For some reason "If I can make it there I can make it anywhere" keeps running through my mind. If you can cut Fir or spruce cleanly, you've got all the knowledge you'll need for any wood. When there's noting else around, have at it.

 

[Rob Wallace]

Hi Colin!

In addition to "found" green wood to practice on, I often recommend a 'low' grade of kiln dried poplar for practice on spindles. This is a stable wood, fairly easily turned, and holds detail better than the softwoods you are using.

Also, if you're willing to work a bit, the thicker parts of shipping pallets can also provide some interesting wood - just stay away from any metal that might be in it (i.e. ......do a good job of dis-assembly of the pallet).

Good Hunting!

Rob Wallace

 

[Joe Greiner]

Roadside orphans, firewood piles, cut-your-own trees, etc. Sometimes local exotics, in fact.

Get a small chainsaw. Electrics can often be found at garage sales, cheap as, that only need sharpening. Practice cutting blanks on free scrap. Bowl blanks can be cut 8-sided - don't need to be round first.

Avoid the centers (pith). For long-grain turning, use the parts between splits for weed pots and such.

And be sure to have fun with it all.

Joe

 

[Jake Debski]

My practice wood came from lumber yards and trucking(freight) companies. They use all sorts of pieces approximately 3-1/2" sq. X 3' and up to space loads and make room for the forks of materiel handling equipment. This lumber is any specie from pine, poplar, oak, you name it. A quick trip around the outside any Home Depot, Lowes, etc. often yielded a couple pieces of usable wood.

 

[Colin Macqueen]

Thanks to you all. I've been turning for some years (correction, I've been hacking and sanding for some years), but decided to start from scratch using Keith Rowley's book. I'm trying to unlearn my old habits and pick up some new ones and I'm finding I benefit from just practising on junk rather than thinking that everything has to be of gift quality and made from 'nice' wood.

Right now it's spindle turning, in a few weeks I'll get onto bowls.

Cheers.

 

[MichaelMouse]

My practice wood came from lumber yards and trucking(freight) companies. They use all sorts of pieces approximately 3-1/2" sq. X 3' and up to space loads and make room for the forks of materiel handling equipment. This lumber is any specie from pine, poplar, oak, you name it. A quick trip around the outside any Home Depot, Lowes, etc. often yielded a couple pieces of usable wood.

Or on Guam the dunnage was any kind of tropical wood common in the place the shipment it contained originated. Not that I'd care to go back to get more, you understand, but it was a frequent "cargo" on redeployers back when.

 

[Jake Debski]

Or on Guam ................ Not that I'd care to go back to get more, you understand, but it was a frequent "cargo" on redeployers back when.

Wasn't there long, but long enough to understand the motto;

"In God We Trust in Guam We Rust"

Way cool beach though.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Any recommendations for economical wood to practice on? I've been using 2 x 2 furring strip and generic 4 x 4 "white wood" from the local hardware store, but both seem seem quite coarse and tend to have cracks running through.

Thanks,


Colin

Collin, where are you located? Maybe we can get you hooked up with some club members who can get you some wood.

 

[Colin Macqueen]

Collin, where are you located? Maybe we can get you hooked up with some club members who can get you some wood.

Fort Wayne, Indiana. If I want to turn corn stalks I'm all set!

I can get "good" wood from several sources so I wouldn't want anyone to go out of their way, but if there's anyone out there who knows about some throwaway material...

Thanks.

 

[Richard Baker]

Farming country? Check out behind the local tractor and farm equipment store. Some farm equipment is shipped with pallets or various crates. Thin pieces can be laminated into useable bowl blanks and the like. Keep your chainsaw behind the driver's seat of your pickup. That's where mine is. My truck will veer toward the sound of another chainsaw.

 

[Odie]

Fort Wayne, Indiana. If I want to turn corn stalks I'm all set!

I can get "good" wood from several sources so I wouldn't want anyone to go out of their way, but if there's anyone out there who knows about some throwaway material...

Thanks.

Well......ok

I was going to suggest some inexpensive "good wood"......but, since this isn't really what you're looking for, the pallet woods are a good suggestion. I've seen some domestic pallets with some usable 4x4 pieces of oak. Some of the pallets that originate from overseas have some interesting hardwoods in their manufacture.

good luck in your search......

otis of cologne

 

[Ken Grunke]

Good woods to play around with and learn tool technique are Box Elder (top of my list for practice wood), Willow, Poplar, and Cottonwood.
I recently had a Lombardy Poplar topple over and have 3 more to go so I'm all set for that. The chunks I cut and are in a pile out in the yard have no end checking (cracking) whatsoever that I can see. It's supposed to be one of the more stable woods, once it dries.

 

[Colin Macqueen]

Thanks again to everyone who responded. I've picked up a half-rick of firewood that looks like it'll include some usuable stuff - and we'll burn what's left.

Well stocked for a long weekend's turning, Happy Thanksgiving to all.

 

[Steve Worcester]

My sage advice is if you have a way to cut it, bandsaw or chainsaw, turn anything you can get in log form. Once you turn it and later you can identify the species by bark and maybe leaves, you will know which is a good wood for you.

Also, here is a club in your area and contact info

Meetings
Meeting Location:
Sheriff's Reserve , Easterday Rd
Fort Wayne, IN

Meeting Info: 1st Sunday 1:30pm.September Through June
Contact Information
Robert Bahr
5130 Forest Grove Dr
Fort Wayne, IN 46835-3710
Phone: 260-485-2117
Email: bigbob36@verizon.net
General Information
Number of Members: 62
Service Info: Northeast IN

 

[Wyatt Holm]

Good woods to play around with and learn tool technique are Box Elder (top of my list for practice wood), Willow, Poplar, and Cottonwood.
I recently had a Lombardy Poplar topple over and have 3 more to go so I'm all set for that. The chunks I cut and are in a pile out in the yard have no end checking (cracking) whatsoever that I can see. It's supposed to be one of the more stable woods, once it dries.

I agree, I would say Box Elder as the first choice for a practice wood. I would recommend looking in the yellow pages for a tree removal/landscaping company. They usually have a yard where they dump the trees that they remove, and they will usually let you have it.

 

[Dick Hines]

Tom Crabb, one of the members of my club uses gum when he working on something new. He likes the way it turnes while wet. If you are just doing practice pieces gum whould work good.