4 different woods for a Sunday casual turning morning

[Raymond Tourneaux]

4 different shallow bowls demonstrating variations in wood species
From left to right:
- Osage Orange (https://www.wood-database.com/osage-orange/)
- Padauk (https://www.wood-database.com/african-padauk/)
- Etimoe (https://www.wood-database.com/etimoe/)
- Black Limba (https://www.wood-database.com/limba/)
First time turning Padauk, wow amazing grain, color and ability to get a brilliant finish with homemade friction polish. Nice wood from discount section at https://www.turningblanks.net/

 

[John K Jordan]

Nice spread! Could you describe these and what you think of each?

I love Osage (have a good supply), don't much like Padauk (because it always changed color quickly), never heard of Etimoe, and find Black Limba a little too soft for my tastes.
I'll look up Etimoe. (Nice to see others making good use of the Wood Database!

JKJ

Edit: hey, I just noticed we have the same kitchen countertops. My wife picked that when we bought this place in '03.

 

[Raymond Tourneaux]

Thanks for your comments Gerald. I was not intending to do a comparison at all, it just turned out that I had worked on the small burl from the osage and a small shipment of discounted blanks arrived from turningblanks.net. I just wanted to try wood that I had never purchased as all my turnings are found timbers. The etimoe was nicer than black limba. Because they were small and 2" tall I just made the most convenient shapes. I really like the padauk but ill see how it colors, i guess something like purple heart browns up with time. So I am going to look out for more paduak on sale at various outlets and try a more ornamental shape, perhaps a hollow form.

 

[John K Jordan]

.., i guess something like purple heart browns up with time…

Thanks, II did look up the Etimoe and read that it has one of highest strength-to-weight ratio of nearly any wood in the world! but most commonly sold as veneers. Interesting.

I agree that most purpleheart doesn’t stay purple. Years ago I did a year-long test and came to the conclusion that, at least with the specific pieces I had, both sunlight and oxidation contributed to the color change. So a good air-tight finish and keeping it off a sunny window sill might help!

However, some time ago I discovered that purpleheart, apparently from certain locations in Mexico, retains it’a color for a long time. For example, I have planks of purple heart and those I got from one source have stayed purple on the surface while the others have turned brown. And things I made years ago from the Mexican purpleheart remain a vibrant purple.

Since you use the wood-database.com you’ve probably read the article about how to keep exotic woods from changing color, but in case some haven’t, it’s I think it’s worth reading (along with some of their other great articles!

Preventing Color Changes in Exotic Woods | The Wood Database

www.wood-database.com

If you ever find yourself wandering around East TN (I’m not far from Knoxville), look me up - I may have some species for you to add to your small bowl collection! (Last time I did an inventory I had over 125 species in the shop. A friend of mine said I was just getting started - his list has over 300 species. He must be crazier than me if that’s possible)

I particularly like turning olive, holly, cocobolo, black&white ebony, african blackwood, mahogany, sapele, ERC, black cherry, figured walnut, goncolo alves, dogwood, and almost anything highly fugured!

Besides padauk, another least favorite is wenge.

JKJ