Hard, fine textured, and closed grain woods turn amazingly well and I think that I should focus my attentions there but then I feel guilty since I most likely bought the wood, or someone I care about gave it to me, so I really should turn it no matter what. But at some point the cost to me in frustration and expendable supplies (sand paper, disc holders, finish, some of which are quite expensive when quickly and frequently destroyed) seems just too high.
For example, I turned two different Mesquites yesterday and the results were amazing. Today I turned Sassafras and Kentucky Coffeetree, which are quite similar in behavior although not exactly the same color and not the same hardness, and it was struggle upon struggle. And let’s face it, neither wood is winning any beauty contests and that’s probably why they are utility woods. I went ahead and finished both but I am not sure that I will continue to make these tradeoffs.
Kentucky Coffeetree Side View
I’m sorry to say that Kentucky Coffeetree, in my opinion, just isn’t worth the effort it will take to sand it smooth nor is the finished result worth the cost of peripherals especially since it only measures 5″ x 2.5″. The wood looks meh, very much like Ash but with more orange color, but we are not talking bowl you over color like a Padauk just more colorful than Ash, Oak, or Sassafras. With so many brilliant hardwoods to turn out there, domestic and imports, spend the time on Cherry, Walnut, Maple, or one of dozens of hard, fine textured, and tight grained imports. Unless you have a compelling relationship with the Kentucky Coffeetree I don’t see the point. And if your issue is nostalgia for Kentucky, lots of decent hardwoods grow in the state, including Cherry and Walnut, so source a decent wood from the state and make the best of both worlds.
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!