Shopsmith Forums

Can I get the opinions of all you turners out there please.
I've been doing a project with red cedar, super awesome to work with.
Tried oak--no
Tried a white maple is what the guy called it--same kind of result
Tried black walnut--with a ton of sanding, it's not too bad-

What I've been working on is handles, wanted to make a chisel set or screwdrivers set, awl ect.

Please rate your top 5 favorites maybe.

mrhart wrote:Can I get the opinions of all you turners out there please.
I've been doing a project with red cedar, super awesome to work with.
Tried oak--no
Tried a white maple is what the guy called it--same kind of result
Tried black walnut--with a ton of sanding, it's not too bad-

What I've been working on is handles, wanted to make a chisel set or screwdrivers set, awl ect.

Please rate your top 5 favorites maybe.

I have turned several hundred pens and pencils and on occasion nifty bowls . Maple, Walnut, Hickory, Apple, Cherry, Olive from Bethlehem (not my favorite it's oily and makes me itch), a wide variety of Hawaiian woods and many other varieties. I often receive gifts of sections of hardwood tree trunks and branches from fallen trees from friends yards. Yes it's true I am a wood scavenger. I purchase many blanks that please me then I give them a significant time to dry. Low moisture content is crucial. My favorites are black walnut and more exotic looking Maple. The bottom line with turning no matter which wood is sharp tools and many fine grits of abrasives. Most of what I turn I sand thru 3,600 grit prior to applying a liquid polish and wax. Last week a Maple bowl I turned was donated and sold at a church relief sale. The gentleman who purchased it at auction approached me wearing a huge smile this morning. He was blown away at the finish and the way the grain of the wood shown thru. Incidentally that 7 1/2 inch bowl sold for $30.00. I suggest mastering sharpening and deciding which abrasives will best serve you. I have found that most of my abrasives come form Penn State. I hope you will enjoy turning as much as I do. Fjimp

I have some hedge (Osage orange / Bois de arc) stashed back that I want to use for tool handles. Its really really hard. I have pulled hedge fence post here on the farm that have been in the ground 100 years and are still good both above and below the ground. Black locust (or even honey locust) is a good hard tool handle wood. I have also had good luck with mulberry. Beech does nicely too. I have used a little sycamore but it is kind of bad at drawing moisture and warping even after being well dried. Elm is a good tough wood for something that you are going to be hammering on.


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I've used Burmese Rosewood on handles for some screwdriver and awl kits I got from PSI, and the rosewood turned great, and looks BEAUTIFUL.

Check out this web page for info on selecting wood for turning -- http://www.turningblanks.net/servlet/th ... part4/Page

With the proviso that I take care for a dust-mask and dust-collection, I've tried a lot. Some favorites have been:

Cocobolo
Rosewood
Bocote
Ebony
Maple
Cherry
Applewood
Black Walnut
Goncalo Alves

As a rule, the smaller the piece I'm making, the more I look for a fine-grained or fine-patterned wood. Larger pieces look nice with almost any wood.

Oak is a great wood for turning. At least I think so I've done many pens and several bowls using Oak.

For handles, the old stand bys of Hickory and ash are good bets. Tight even grain and typically quite hard as well.

I second the comments on sharpening. No matter what material you are turning, you have to have sharp tools. It doesn't matter what sharpening system you use (and there are a lot of opinions on sharpening and sharpening systems) as long as you are efficient at it and have sharp tools to work with.

I love turning mesquite. It feels good on the lathe. It smells wonderful, and it is beautiful. Yeah, it's not always easy as the wind-stressed wood can occasionally fly apart, but I still love it.

Cherry seems to turn nicely. I like cocobolo (just deal with the potential dust/lung irritation issues and make sure it doesn't trigger an allergic reaction.)

Kingwood, if you can find an affordable chunk. Gorgeous stuff.

I'm sure there are others I've enjoyed in the past, but those come to mind first.

I'm surprised no one (including me previously) has used the most obvious answer.

The best material for turning is the one you can get your hands on. Usually found wood in my case.

If you're having problems with oak and maple, I think you have some underlying issues. You need to make sure your tools are good and sharp, this is my first thought as it was my biggest problem when I was first starting out. Also, basic technique counts a lot (but you may have that if your cedar is turning well).

Is there a local turning club you can attend? Most have very helpful and smart people who can give you so much information in minutes that will boost your quality immensely that you'd be amazed. Some also offer various levels of classes that can be helpful for beginning to intermediate turners.

Happy turning,
Roy