Looking for Cost Effective Practice Wood Ideas

[Lewis Elliott]

To practice push, pull, and scrape cuts, I want to use less expensive but readily available kiln dried wood. Would the following work? A 2x8 pine stud cut into 8” lengths and sawn round on the bandsaw; an 80” long board giving me 10 cheap practice blanks. A concern I would guess would be grain orientation; what should I look for there, or will a very sharp edge negate that concern?

 

[Rip Littig]

My educated guess is there are several turners within an hour of you who have dry/stabilized but small once turned bowls/platters they'd give you. I probably have ten myself lying around. Fairfield, CT is 3+ hour drive for you however. In terms of size I'd say most available will be or 7 to 9 inches in diameter or the smallest core from a large bowl.

 

[Rip Littig]

PM me if you want to discuss shipping as an alternative.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, firewood is usually available for just picking it up if you know where to look. Some cities have log dumps. Any arborist will have stuff that they have to haul to the dump. Even firewood companies will have stuff they don't want to mess with. Any sawmill will have off cuts that can be great for bowl stock. You will need a chainsaw to process some of it. Green wood is far easier to turn than kiln dried wood.

robo hippy

 

[hockenbery]

To practice push, pull, and scrape cuts, I want to use less expensive but readily available kiln dried wood. Would the following work? A 2x8 pine stud cut into 8” lengths and sawn round on the bandsaw; an 80” long board giving me 10 cheap practice blanks. A concern I would guess would be grain orientation; what should I look for there, or will a very sharp edge negate that concern?

What we use for practice wood is small green cut logs.
Tree trimmings can be big enough.
Firewood that hasn’t split too much will work well to

Certainly any construction lumber will work and because of its softness be more demanding that you keep the bevel floating over the wood as you cut.

If you have a lumber mill anywhere close they oftentimes have scrap bins.
Ours has two 1 for dumpster divers which sometimes has a few nice pieces in there and one with consistently good wood where they charge by the Pound

If you can connect with a local club, most turners have extra wood that needs a new home.

 

[Doug Freeman]

I still use construction lumber for practice, but only spindle orientation - if you can make a fine finial in that stuff, other woods are a breeze.

For bowl cut practice, bark on “green” logs (doesnt have to be fresh, just not dried out and cracked). Get a chainsaw if you dont have one (I have a 16” craftsman electric I use inside the shop, $80 a few years ago, gas one for outside). After I started looking for logs they became readily available from many sources. Chainsaw can cut blanks close enough, I dont use a bandsaw for them. Free logs etc are my sole source for turning wood - I dont buy blanks.

 

[Mike Johnson]

You can practice with construction lumber without cutting it round, just cut it into a square, you can always cut the corners off on a saw to speed up the process of getting it round. If you mount the 8" x 8" piece of pine on a face plate you can start cutting it round on the flat face and avoid trying
to cut the 4 corners off with a roughing gouge which will usually not work. If you cut the 4-corners off and start with an octagon you can usually use a roughing gouge and turn it round from the edge without chunks of wood tearing out. If I have a large "square" on a face plate I can use a parting tool
to cut a round slot into the face of the board and approach it from the front side and the back side of the board to get it round. I will stop the lathe right before it cuts loose and break the pieces off of the square blank.

 

[GRJensen]

Please ... don't use a spindle roughing gouge on face grain. Use a bowl gouge.

 

[hockenbery]

For facegrain work use a bowl gouge. Do not use a spindle roughing gouge,

This is a 7-8” poplar 1.5” thick

I Set the tool rest so the tool is cutting at center when it ie level to the ground

Then the roughing cut toward the headstock

 

[Darryl Fective]

Instead of cutting up framing lumber, I think your better practice would come from green logs. Check with local tree service companies or watch for utility/municipal crews removing trees. Green wood is a joy to cut and probably easier on your hands, tools, and lungs.
.
If you really are stuck on kiln dried, check with local lumber mills. We have a smaller place here that specializes in sawing up and drying local hardwoods and just inside their door is a big scrap bin of cut offs. A place that does doors and other millwork might have some pieces as well. Poplar would be a better choice than framing lumber.

 

[robo hippy]

You can also check custom cabinet shops. If they use solid wood for anything, they can have very nice scrap bins.

robo hippy

 

[Reto Gallati]

To practice push, pull, and scrape cuts, I want to use less expensive but readily available kiln dried wood. Would the following work? A 2x8 pine stud cut into 8” lengths and sawn round on the bandsaw; an 80” long board giving me 10 cheap practice blanks. A concern I would guess would be grain orientation; what should I look for there, or will a very sharp edge negate that concern?

Lewis,
I always practice and use scrap wood. Keeping a sharp edge is key. Working on a project that takes longer I sharpen the tools as I work on it. In addition, a sharpe tool keeps you from making errors. I notice that I become more "pushy" with my tools as the tools get dull, and than I take more chances, and ... than I make more errors.
With regard to grain orientation, it is a great way to practice scrape cuts, holding the tool in different ways, use different tools etc. The fibers of a pine stud are pretty soft and long, so you will see a big different between a nice sideways cut at a 45 angle compared to a scraping cut.
I receive cheap wood from neighbours and sometimes find wood dumpster-diving when I walk my dog. And some of the big suprises are the beautiful pattern you get from a scrap piece !
It is all about practicing, and going through all kind of wood allows you to experience the different woods.
Keep turning, make dust and have fun, stay safe!
Reto

 

[Tom Gall]

Keep turning, make dust shavings and have fun, stay safe!
Reto

A better approach.

 

[Reto Gallati]

A better approach.

yup, better to cut (shavings) than to sand (dust)

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Look for a local club to join. At our club a few of the guys core out larger bowls and bring in the cores to sell. They donate them to the club and the club sells them for $5.