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What's your favorite wood to work with?

Joined
Jan 19, 2010
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Anything with color and character - which includes most of the exotics, all burls, and anything spalted.
 
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
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Location
Tallahassee FL
Free wood, of course - more challenges.

Aside from that, podocarpus/yew (resistant to splitting), chinaberry (nice grain pattern), almost any root ball (for wild and crazy grain).
 
Joined
May 16, 2005
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I'll second Joe but call it firewood. I use quite a bit each winter, so I get a lot of looks as I prepare the stacks. The stuff that looks most interesting gets a turn. I like form over species, but for all-round cooperation and good looks it's tough to beat cherry.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
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Location
Eugene, OR
I would say Pacific Madrone. Smooth even grain so it cuts like butter, and it warps insanely, and the more it warps, the more I like it. Add to that lovely pinks and purples running through it. Fruit woods are all nice, cherry especially. Love osage for the color. Mountain Mahogany for the deep red color, and the silky feeling of a wood that is so hard and dense. People who come into my booth and have a 'Wood' thing start to purr when they pick up a Mountain Mahogany piece. Some one gave me some coconut palm once. Never again.

robo hippy
 
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
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Location
San Antonio Texas
Website
www.tobinhillturning.com
Of course being I live in the southwest it has to be mesquite. Mesquite has a rugged beauty, Depending on where it was grown the same species will have a wide variation in color and between species can very pretty dramatically in grain patterns as well. Burls are common and beautiful as well. Its stability is legendary and turns very well wet. If I was limited to only one native wood it would be mesquite.
 

odie

TOTW Team
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Dec 22, 2006
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Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
Anything with color and character - which includes most of the exotics, all burls, and anything spalted.

I was thinking along the same lines as Frank.......

Nothing to add, but I'll clarify that a lot of the domestics will fit the description as well. :D

ooc
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
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Location
Denver, Colorado
Favorite wood

I was asked this question at a demonstration last week. I couldn't answer it. For found wood-apple. For purchased wood-osage orange, -American, not the Argentine stuff now coming in. My least favorite wood, which would put it at the top of the unfavorite wood class would be purpleheart. Working seasoned ash is a pain but some of my best turnings are of ash. A good billet of ash is worth its weight in gold.
 
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Joined
Sep 10, 2010
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Location
Ohio
Ambrosia Maple, Lignum Vitae, Desert Ironwood, and a new favorite Eastern Red Cedar. Just got a bunch of blanks off Ebay, my wife says they look like cupcake batter with blueberry filling swirled in!!!

Least favorite would be Wenge. Had a bowl explode on me while turning. That was my first and last try!
 
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
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Definitely persimmon. It cuts like butter and has a lovely gray/brown/cream color. Carves well, too. The odor is a bit musky--like a lot of woods, distinctive.

A second would be pear. And Osage orange is lovely, too.


Betty Scarpino, editor, AW
 
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
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Location
West Palm Beach , Florida
Florida Mahogany and Norfolk Island Pine are great and I do like Cherry and Maple
 

John Van Domelen

Retired Forum Admin
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
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Location
Houston, TX
First Choice - FOG (Found On Ground) wood - its free
Any Burl
Mesquite - can't ask for a better wood for boxes and lidded things
Holly - easy of cutting - moves like Madrone
Olive and Lignum for nice clean cutting and the fragrance is nice too, turning Olive always has us eating brouchetta later... :)
 
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
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Mesquite has alot of wonderful colors and I have turned alot of it - very strong wood and dries very well. Recently I got ahold of some Iron wood also called Mountain Mahogany from someone that lives up in the mountains - it has alot of colors and natural voids and holes etc......very beautiful when finished
 
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