I turned a 9″ x 3″ Sassafras bowl today. I have written about Sassafras in general elsewhere. This blank was a good deal larger than the one I turned in the past but the general experience was the same. Sassafras is brittle and it has a rough open texture that makes it difficult to sand it to a fine finish. The smell remains wonderful though, very much like old time root beer.
Sassafras Interior
This piece does show some fungal staining that is blue which occurred while this piece dried in block form, i.e. not green turned, from 2014 to 2020. It is not as pronounced as might be seen in another wood such as Holly but it is still clearly visible.
Sassafras Side View
I am most pleased with the shape of the piece as I am trying to make my bowls in a more stackable shape than I have in the past.
All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool system. 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.
I took delivery of about 100 pounds of green Camphor wood today and I will be processing at least some of it tomorrow in a green turn process. I expect the 16″ x 4″ to take years to dry! Stay tuned.