I recently green turned five Camphor pieces and they are still in the, what I expect to be, lengthy drying process. This was my first time turning and finishing dry Camphor and I am delighted with the experience and the results.
The Camphor scent is one that either you like or you hate, I don’t think there is a middle ground. I knew that the wet blanks were incredibly scented and that scent lingered in my shop for literally weeks, even after the shavings were cleaned up. I didn’t expect the dry wood to be fragrant but I was in luck! Even just drilling the holes for the face plate released fragrance.
Camphor Platter Interior
But it was more important that Camphor turn well in addition to smelling nice and it certainly did turn nicely! Camphor is relatively soft so it cut incredibly easy and fast, but unlike lots of soft woods, it also cut cleanly and required only a very small amount of light sanding to make it silky smooth. The Camphor also shows some nice figure and grain patterns that add interest to a piece that is plain in color, although some Camphor pieces have quite a bit of streaking color, usually red.
Camphor is native to Asia but this piece came from a tree that was felled in Florida. Camphor is widely planted as an ornamental tree in the tropical and subtropical worlds.
The finished piece measures 11″ x 1.5″. And I cut it very thin as well so the whole piece only weighs 8.5 ounces.
Camphor Platter Side View
I just loved turning this platter and to be completely honest I raced into the house on a break and checked to see if the vendor who sold me this blank and the blanks that are drying, Woodturning Blanks 4U, had anymore. They do, up to a 16″ x 4″ monster. I was so tempted to clean them out of 12″ sizes and above but turns out that the shipping from Florida to California would be more expensive than the wood! That’s just not a bargain I can make. And, I have so much wood already.
I can’t recommend Camphor enough as a turning wood. If you haven’t tried it buy some today. Just don’t buy the really big blanks…I’m not sure yet that I won’t buy them in the end!
All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool system on my Robust American Beauty lathe. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks. Final finish is Shellawax.
As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever your wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!