Woodturning Materials
So, what can you use as a wood turning material? The better question is, what CAN’T you use! The wood lathe can certainly be used to create objects from most any wood you can imagine, and probably a fair amount of woods you have never heard of much less imagined. But the possibilities don’t stop there. I also use acrylic plastics, deer antler, water buffalo horn, off-cuts from Corian counter tops, corncobs (no, really, I swear), wood composites, and even custom made pens with items encased in special polymers that allow you to do decoupage-like items. One can even rescue the shavings from today’s bowls to make tomorrow’s pens through a process named by its creator, Phoenix Pens. Really, the only limitation is your imagination.
I was excited to work with Jobilo as I thought it was a new wood with which I had not worked before, but, alas, I have come to discover …
The first unknown is a rich chocolate brown color. It is relatively soft and cut very easily. It also cut surprisingly clean for a softer wood and it sanded …
It turns out that "Guapinolillo" is a synonym for Jatoba which is properly known as Hymenaea courbaril, a hardwood found from southern Mexico through Central America into northern South …
The irregular shape of burls and the many voids can make them challenging to work with but they also often yield stunningly beautiful and unique pieces which makes it …
The second unknown wood is EXTREMELY hard and it burned up my bandsaw blade, which was new silicone steel from Timberwolf Blades in New York. Hidden under dark red …
Cherry is one of my favorite materials to work with. It turns beautifully, cuts relatively cleanly, sands out easily, takes a nice finish. Plus it has a …
In writing about my experiences with Walnut in the past I noted that it required a great deal of sanding, but I think my skill levels in cutting have …