I purchased a large piece of kiln-dried Ambrosia Maple from a favorite supplier recently. I wanted something kiln-dried so that I didn’t have to worry about drying the piece after rough green-turning. It is rare to find a piece this large, 10″ x 2″ in the round that is kiln-dried. Drying such large pieces is time-consuming and difficult so I was lucky to find it. This particular supplier, GotWood?, located nearby in South Carolina, offers a very wide range and selection of species and sizes, all cut to round, of domestic hardwoods native to the southern United States. Like most wood suppliers, the majority of their stock is sold green, but practically unique to them as supplier, they also sell a nice selection of kiln-dried woods as well. I highly recommend them.
Turning this platter presented no new challenges aside from the sheer size of it. But, even though the size was considerably larger than the work I have done before, the only different technique required was to move the tool rest back and forth a bit more because it was too small to reach all of the piece. And, the height of the piece meant that I couldn’t always move my tool rest in as close as I would like to because the base of the tool rest would come into contact with the blank that was reaching so much further down towards the bed of the lathe than is usually the case.
Ambrosia Maple Platter
As is usually true with Ambrosia Maple, the piece turned easily, quickly, and cleanly with the use of my Easy Wood Tools. There were a few rough spots in the darker grey areas of the wood, and this too is not unusual with Ambrosia Maple as these areas are on the verge of being punky or rotten, a side effect of the damage caused by the beetle infestation and the fungal growth that causes the Ambrosia effect. But light passes will help clean these areas up easily. The platter required little sanding to be completely smooth and for that purpose I always use Hi-Per Green Wave discs, except for the final 800 grit pass for which I use the Hi-Per Gold Wave discs because 800 grit is not available in the green version. I find the green version to be better wearing and they provide a better cut, in my opinion, than the yellow as well as being much less likely to gum up over time.
I applied the paste version of Shellawax to the final sanded piece. While I have, and use, both the liquid and the paste formulations of Shellawax, for a larger piece I prefer to use the paste formula because on large projects it can be difficult to achieve as an even an application with the liquid formula. However, on small bowls or pens, and such, the liquid provides a reliable and quick finish every time. It is really a matter of personal preference, which I think is true of which finish to use in general. Everyone has their favorites and it requires experimentation to discover what works best for you in each situation.
Ambrosia Maple Platter Reverse
The platter was then reversed off of the Super Nova2 Chuck, 50mm size, and remounted to remove the rear divot. A small bit of sanding and finish there and all done.
I am very pleased with the finished piece and I especially enjoy the wave-like figure of the Ambrosia Maple that seems to ripple across the width of the finished platter.