Woods You Hate to Touch

[pssmith]

Working on a box last night using what I believe to be pecan, I came into a great deal of frustration when it came time to core out the inside. It milled pretty well on the outside but I couldn't even get a Forstner bit to drill this out. Needless to say, I was a tad bit, face shield throwing-frustrated (good thing they are plastic). I've concluded that this type of wood would make a great walking stick, tool handle, etc.. where only outside shaping is done and durability is a key issue.

I mention this because, as a young woodturner, I'm curious if any of you others have run into wood that has either been labeled as minimal usage such as that which I've labeled above or downright off limits. I'm a big avocate of always trying to raise the bar even if it means having to trash the object afterwards, but also leery of frustrating myself to the point I don't want to turn (is this possible ?) although yardwork will bring me back rather quickly

At any rate, I'm curious to see what some of you have run into and what were some of the problems in turning the wood. Thanks.

 

[Gynia]

I have turned some Pecan that had a good bit of silica in is. That silica sure does dull tools fast. I have several 1/2" bowl gouges and I found I had to shapen them all several times on a modest size (12"x4") pecan bowl.

I am not a fan of butternut. It is soft and I find it tears out a lot. I much prefer the pecan to butternut.

Good Luck

 

[kwgeorge]

I have found that your techniques have to adapt to the different kind of woods you are working on. I work with exotics a lot and with there different densities and characteristics I am learning what works with what wood. Some of the more dense woods will scrap better than they will cut. Once while working with a particularly dense wood I dulled out a forstner bit to the point of being unusable within the first quarter of an inch.

What works well for me on these types of woods is to drill a depth hole with a ½†brad point drill bit and then use a side box scraper to remove the wood. I also have found that the strait bit on my Kelton Mini Hollowing tool works great with these types of woods for hogging out the inside.

Don’t give up! Just try something different.

 

[Steve Worcester]

I turn Pecan quite a bit but you just have to sharpen more often. If it was end grain, that would explain alot of your frustration. I have found rocks, nails, chain, cable, concrete and even a live skink once.

As far as no touch wood, willow. Too soft, too stinky. Cottonwood is in the same category.

 

[Wilford Bickel]

We all find woods that are difficult. My wife begged me for a cocabola salt shaker and pepper mill set. I had worked with cocabola before making pens and agreed - bad mistake. The wood turned great but I cannot tell you how many times I had to pull the fostner bit out and take files and sharpen it. When I finished I told her she had a "One of a Kind" as there would never be another set made from cocabola in my shop!!!

Wilford

 

[Mike Schwing]

I won't touch any species to which I'm not already certain I have no allergies.

I also don't like oaks and walnuts because it turns everything black when wet. I won't touch wet red oak because it smells like urine, or vomit, depending on the moisture content. Same with beech.

That means I stick to cherry, maples, apple, pear, and ash, pretty much. I'm ok with that.

 

[Wally Dickerman]

I've had my share of difficult woods. A "friend?" gave me a 12 x 4 blank of dry wenge. Terrible stuff to turn. No shavings, just shoots bullets. I use wenge quite a bit for collars etc., but no more hollow forms. Quite some time ago, I obtained 2 fairly large blanks of purpleheart...bone dry. I turned one of them with a lot of difficulty. The other remains in my shop. Maybe I'll turn it some day, maybe not. I turned cocobolo for years with no difficulty. Then problems started...the last time I turned some, I broke out in serious hives. That's it for cocobolo. I had some large mesquite root blanks. That dulled tools more than any wood I've encountered. I have four 1/2-inch bowl gouges. I lined them up, turned and sharpened, I don't know how many times. Beautiful figured wood, but I don't want any more.

 

[devonpalmer]

Stickey Pine

I'm not a big fan of green pine. The pieces I have turned have spewed sap like cotton candy over me and the lathe. I spent more time cleaning than I did turning. It doesn't seem to be as bad if you totally de-bark the blank. You still have to watch out for the sap veins that run through tho.

 

[arbud]

Yikes!

Have you ever tried to turn a birch limb? It's not too bad to turn if you like catches, tear-outs, and bad grain. Finishing is a different story. It's nearly imposible to obtain a smooth surface.

I will subdue this wood if takes the whole, bloody, tree! :mad:

 

[Erwin Nistler]

I have a chunck of wood , about 5''dia. x 20' long,from the Arizona desert. Very dark brown wood.
I cut off a chunk with a large saber saw. I ruined the blade. Put the chunk in water and it sunk like a rock. Can't cut it with a knife.
I haven't tried turning it. I don't have any tools with diamond points.
Bark was long gone. This is a very dry old piece. A friendly fellow, in an
rv park, brought it to me so I know very little of where it come from.

Anybody out there know what kind of tree this wood comes from.

 

[dkulze]

Well, dry pecan is known at peconcrete. Osage orange (burdock) is known to reach the consistency of pig iron after a few years. Cocobolo was referred to above. I haven't had any problems with hardness but some folks react to it like poison ivy. My personal favorite wood I love to hate is Box Elder. It it beautiful. Great figure and, when infested with beetles, gets a beautiful candy red stain. And it smells like really old gym socks. I mean, really, just like the men's locker room. and, once it is dry, it tears out soooooo easy. I still turn it and love the consistancy and color but I have to fumigate the shop aftewords.

Dietrich

 

[WeeWilly]

for bowls and large objects the woods I dislike most are dry honey locust and osage orange. The are great when they are still a little wet, but once that have been drying for a while they can be a real bear. Though the dry stuff does make nice small objects that don't have lots of detail work like pens or jewelry.

 

[Craneman54]

Pat,take a ride on over I have a bunch of pecan to share with ya.Some is still kind of green, and I also have some wormy,really punky pecan also.

As far as the piece your turning,I would'nt use a forstner bit,use that drilling tool you made to drill out to depth then shear cut the inside.It works for me.

Like others have said,sharpen often and use lite scraping cut to finish.

 

[Wally Dickerman]

I have a chunck of wood , about 5''dia. x 20' long,from the Arizona desert. Very dark brown wood.
I cut off a chunk with a large saber saw. I ruined the blade. Put the chunk in water and it sunk like a rock. Can't cut it with a knife.
I haven't tried turning it. I don't have any tools with diamond points.
Bark was long gone. This is a very dry old piece. A friendly fellow, in an
rv park, brought it to me so I know very little of where it come from.

Anybody out there know what kind of tree this wood comes from.

What you're describing is desert ironwood. Very hard, very dense, usually full of cracks, difficult to turn, and it smells bad when turned. Otherwise, it's a nice wood.

 

[WeeWilly]

Pat,take a ride on over I have a bunch of pecan to share with ya.Some is still kind of green, and I also have some wormy,really punky pecan also.

As far as the piece your turning,I would'nt use a forstner bit,use that drilling tool you made to drill out to depth then shear cut the inside.It works for me.

Like others have said,sharpen often and use lite scraping cut to finish.

something else to do with really hard particulate filled wood to save on sharpening is to get a good bur on your scraper with a lee valley burnisher which can be quickly retouched without resharpening the blade as often. This is a technique that seems to work fairly well for me when I turn drift wood that gets sand and silt filled.

 

[KEN RIEDEL]

sunk like a rock?

if it sunk like a rock I bet it was petrified wood

 

[Craneman54]

Ken, wood does not have to be petrified to sink.

Allot of dense wood will not float.

Look at all the timber that was lost in the rivers and streams long ago.

I have some Japanese pear that is still green that sinks like a rock.

Not being snotty or anything just stating facts.

 

[woodwish]

I make a lot of large kaliedoscopes, and the first step is drilling a 1 1/16" hole about 8" deep. I usually use a forstner bit (wish I could find a carbide one but that is another story) and extenders. Drilling a hole that deep in anything is a challenge but the worst I ever use is purpleheart. I have two large 8/4 pieces about 8" wide and 8' long. I have succesfully managed a few k'scopes out of it but I still hate doing it. Much prefer maple or cherry, and I also have a bunch of pecan that is even easier than p'heart.

 

[Steve Worcester]

It doesn't havew to be carbide. Try these from woodcraft

http://www.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/product_family.asp?family%5Fid=1917&gift=False&0=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D10000%26Tree%3D%2CDepartments&1=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D1044%26menu%5Fid%3D%26Tree%3D0%2CWoodboring&2=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D2143%26menu%5Fid%3D%26Tree%3D1%2CForstner%20and%20Multi%2DSpur%20Bits&Gift=False&mscssid=0037FA30925574D3592C5B6556AEAE66

I have been using this kind for some time to drill out oil lamps inserts and they work phenomenal.

 

[woodwish]

Steve,

I have been using a few real cheapos that I bought at a tool show, and they need sharpening often. Sharpening forstner bits is not all that hard but is hard to do right, and mine aren't right it seems, plus it's time consuming. I thought about ordering one of the ones from woodcraft that you gave the link to, but all the extenders are for 3/8" shanks and these are only 5/16". I don't really know if it would make any difference since it would in reality only be 1/32" off center. Any thoughts on this?

Ray

 

[PapaDoc]

I have not had the same problem with pecan, as I am finishing three bowls currently. I am sure there is a difference in the amount of silica. These three are particularly nice but I have found most pecan as a little uninteresting.
I am still laughing about Steve's live skunk. I thought that was in mineral poplar!
David Galloway

 

[Kenny]

I Love to Turn Black Walnut

Black and English Walnut turns very nice- Nasty Tanin Acid though and will rust equiptment overnight if you don't clean up. Hard to turn when dry though. Olive wood is beautiful as well but give it a year and you got rocks!!! Otherwise turns well without much tear out. :cool2:

 

[eganfire1]

Erwin, sounds like old growth mesquite .. stuff is like iron wood , ive made gun handles , tool handles and carved small things from this .. sounds like what you have.

 

[Tom Lewis]

Erwin, if it came from Arizona, then based on your description, it's almost certainly ironwood. I have turned green ironwood, but wouldn't attempt dry ironwood without using carbide tools.
Some ironwood is highly figured and much sought after by knifemakers.

 

[TurningDog]

I dislike turning osage orange, honey locust and moraine locust and the varietal hybrids of each, but I do it anyways because no one else in the area does and it sells very well partly in response to its beauty and unsual color and partly because I amthe only one offering it. Givien my choice I would rarther feed it too my stove