How about a thread/sticky for the turning properties of different woods?

[dannytreacy]

I am always coming across different woods for my lamp making business. My ethos is to use trees that have already been felled for forest management programmes, or from friendly tree surgeons, or windfall.

 

I am a designer not an arborist so my knowledge of which trees have the best properties for turning are something of a mystery. Properties I require are for the wood to be heavy when seasoned, not brittle, not prone to cracking or splitting.

 

It struck me that there doesn't appear to be a resource on the different good and, from the perspective of someone who may wish to create something in wood, the undesirable woods. It could also mention those woods that have interesting mould patterns, isn't it called spalting?

 

For example I only found after asking on here that eucalyptus is not good at all as it splits and cracks severely.

 

So how about someone lists the common uk found woods and people add their experience of the wood under the particular type of wood?

 

I think it would be a very interesting sticky.

 

Atb,

Danny.

 

Ps I'm not sure 'turning' is the best phrase, I just mean working with the wood to make something with it.

[slackbladder]

Black Locust/False Acacia , turns beautiful even when wet and moves very little as it dries

Spalted Beech is best when there is still colour in the wood as well as the spalting, The paler the wood usually the softer it is

Yew is great so long as the moisture content isn't too low. When its really dry it is very brittle and hard to turn. 12 to 15% moisture content seems ideal

Laburnum is still one of the best woods for turning but is very difficult to dry in larger sizes

[se7enthdevil]

if you can find eucalyptus unsplit then there is nothing wrong with it. i have a dry 7" branch that will be quartered and in that state could be used for lamps.

 

other timbers are field maple, mulberry, douglas fir, walnut, ash, hornbeam, sycamore, cherry, catalpa, birch, beech, sweet chestnut, oak, elm and plane.

[Woodworks]

My bible for finding out about properties of woods is this [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Hardwoods-Building-Research-Establishment/dp/0114705410]Handbook of Hardwoods: Amazon.co.uk: Building Research Establishment: Books[/ame]

 

It gives likely dry weight, sawing and planing properties, traditional uses and lots more on each species.

[dannytreacy]

Great info!

 

Plus that book looks like a great resource.

[devon TWiG]

This is a very large and far reaching subject with so many variables . Far too complex to put in to print on here ! It takes a lot of experience ( and mistakes !) to be able to assess and judge the potential of a bit of wood especially from arb arisings !! If you use woods from a regular supplier / merchant sawn and kiln / air dried then things are more predictable , do not be afraid to experiment but accept disappointment as learning !!

[dannytreacy]

What are Willow logs like?

 

Cheers.