{"id":2153,"date":"2017-01-08T04:00:44","date_gmt":"2017-01-08T09:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?p=2153"},"modified":"2016-11-03T16:46:45","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T20:46:45","slug":"magnolia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/","title":{"rendered":"Magnolia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Geographic Distribution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The tree commonly known in its native area as Magnolia is properly known as Magnolia grandiflora<\/em>.  The Magnolia<\/em> genus is quite large, containing about 210 different recognized and classified species.  The range of the Magnolia<\/em> genus is also large, with a main center in east and south-east Asia and a secondary center in eastern North America, Central America, the West Indies, as well as having some species represented in South America.<\/p>\n

The specific range of M. grandiflora<\/em> however is much more limited.  The range extends from eastern North Carolina, south along the Atlantic Coast to the Peace River in central Florida, then westward through roughly the southern half of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, and across Louisiana into southeast Texas.  M. grandiflora<\/em> is most prevalent in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.<\/p>\n

M. grandiflora<\/em> has been planted as an ornamental as far north as Pennsylvania in a swath northward from its native areas through Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland. M. grandiflora <\/em>has also be introduced into Puerto Rico. While M. grandiflora can be grown on the west coast of the United States, its growth is considerably slowed due to the cooler weather. It also is grown in Mexico, Central, and South America where the climate is suitable.<\/p>\n

While I have written about working with M. grandiflora<\/em>, in the past<\/a>, I did not include all the usual details.  This post corrects those earlier omissions.<\/p>\n

For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to M. grandiflora<\/em> from this point forward simply as Magnolia.<\/p>\n

\"Magnolia

Magnolia Interior<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

General Characteristics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Magnolia features a very wide band of sapwood that is of a creamy white to grayish color.  The much more narrow heartwood ranges in color from a medium to a dark brown.  It is not uncommon for the heartwood to feature green, purple, or even black streaks.<\/p>\n

The grain of Magnolia is straight.  The texture is uniform and described as medium to fine.  Once properly surfaced, Magnolia shows a moderate natural luster.<\/p>\n

The endgrain of Magnolia presents as diffuse and porous.  The pores are small and in so specific arrangement.  The growth rings are distinct and the rays are visible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n

Magnolia is rated a non-durable to perishable in terms of resistance to decay.  Magnolia is also quite susceptible to insect attack.<\/p>\n

Working Characteristics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In general, Magnolia is considered easy to work with both hand and machine power tools.<\/p>\n

Magnolia is reported to glue, stain, and otherwise finish quite well.<\/p>\n

Of most relevance for our purposes, Magnolia is also an excellent turning wood, if fairly soft.<\/p>\n

Magnolia is not reported to have any specific odor when being worked green or dry.<\/p>\n

\"Magnolia

Magnolia Side View<\/p><\/div>\n

Pricing and Availability<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some sources claim that Magnolia is readily available and in the low end of the price range within its natural area, but that it is difficult to find and\/or expensive outside of its natural area.  While I agree that Magnolia wood can be obtained cheaply, compared to many other woods, I don’t necessarily find it easy to obtain.<\/p>\n

In this blog, I almost always recommend several vendors with whom I have done considerable business and in whom I have great confidence.  These vendors are: West Penn Hardwoods<\/a>, Bell Forest Products<\/a>, NC Wood<\/a>, Got Wood?<\/a>, and WoodTurningz of Indiana<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, of these fine vendors only Got Wood? currently sells Magnolia turning stock in three sizes, ranging from 8” x 2” up to 10” x 3”, all cut round.  The most expensive piece sell for a bargain price of $17.71.<\/p>\n

I find that this rather clearly indicates limited availability even within the natural range of the wood (I am located in northwestern Georgia).<\/p>\n

\"Magnolia

Magnolia Reverse<\/p><\/div>\n

Woodfinder <\/a>is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers.  In your search for Magnolia, this can be an invaluable resource provided you use multiple search terms to capture all the possible listings.  I can’t speak to the quality of any of the listed dealers, but Woodfinder does have the advantage of allowing searches to be performed based on location which might allow an interested buyer to visit a listed wood dealer in person to hand pick pieces at a comfortable price.<\/p>\n

A significant problem with using Woodfinder is that many vendors are listed for woods that, upon further investigation, they do not offer.  I don’t know if perhaps once they did and they didn’t update their listings or if some vendors use a standardized list of woods that include most everything conceivable with the idea that once you land on their page you will find something you want to buy even if you didn’t know it beforehand.  It happens to me all the time!<\/p>\n

Uses<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Magnolia, within its natural area, is pretty firmly an utility type wood.  Its most common uses area as plywood, interior trim, upholstered  furniture frames, and other general utility applications.  In addition, if the wood I particularly well colored or figured, it may be used as veneer.  And, of course, Magnolia can also be used to make turned objects on the wood lathe.<\/p>\n

Sustainability<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Magnolia is not listed as being in any way threatened or endangered by the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices<\/a> nor does it appear on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To the best of my knowledge, Magnolia is not subject to any special restrictions by any United States government agency.<\/p>\n

I realize that inherent in working with wood is the killing of a part of the natural world that may be slow to return and if I become deeply concerned about this fact, I will have to find a new hobby.  I hope that such a time does not come to pass or at least not any time soon.  In part because I am concerned about legally and responsibly obtained wood, I am reluctant to buy from sellers outside of well-established and known vendors.  I am highly unlikely, for example, to purchase any wood from auction sites, such as Ebay<\/a>, because of uncertain sourcing and documentation, as well as the potential, even likelihood, of material being misidentified in order to achieve a higher selling price.<\/p>\n

\"Magnolia

Magnolia Interior Second View<\/p><\/div>\n

However, due to the commercial scarcity of some domestic woods, resorting to auction sites such as Ebay or Etsy <\/a>may be the only way to obtain some desirable domestic, or in some cases exotic imported, species that are not routinely commercially harvested.  The potential risks of buying in these marketplaces have to be balanced against the desire to work with a specific species of wood.  That is inherently an individual decision.<\/p>\n

I also realize that many, if not most, wood workers do not have endangered species lists memorized, therefore I think it worthwhile and important to do even a small amount of research before purchasing any lumber, domestic as well as imported, to be certain of the potential impact you are having, even in a small way, on threatened or endangered populations.  This information is easy to come by and takes only minutes to locate through any Internet search engine, including those you can access on your phone as you are standing in the lumber yard or store.  Unfortunately, you simply cannot count on a vendor to tell you a product they are selling is endangered.<\/p>\n

Health Hazards<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Magnolia has been reported to cause asthma-like symptoms and runny nose in some sensitive individuals.<\/p>\n

In addition, the long-term negative effects of exposure to sawdust of any species are well documented.<\/p>\n

It is important to remember that although many people may, or may not, be sensitive to any given wood, the only experience that truly counts is your own, so use reported side effects as guidance but not as a substitute for cautious and safe practices.<\/p>\n

Appropriate protective equipment is therefore always recommended when working with this, or any other, wood, exotic or domestic, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it.<\/p>\n

Complete information about health hazards<\/a> associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database<\/a>.  Additional information about how to best use a dust collection system and personal protective equipment, such as respirators, can also be found through this excellent and comprehensive resource<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, I experienced no negative side effects when working with Magnolia.<\/p>\n

My Personal Experiences<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In general, I find Magnolia to be a very easy wood to work with.  The wood is quite soft and therefore it cuts incredibly easily although you should expect fuzzy surfaces whenever you work with a wood this soft.  I do find that it is relatively easy to achieve quite smooth edges by the careful use of a sharp bowl gouge for the final cuts.<\/p>\n

I find the distinct growth rings add a bit of interest to a otherwise fairly pale and potentially uninteresting wood.  In all the pieces I have worked with I have found some degree of spalting or other discoloration and my belief is that this is essentially impossible to avoid with a wood this soft and prone to rot and decay.<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t attempt to store Magnolia, even if well waxed, for a long period of drying time.  Instead, I would green turn it and then allow the rough turned forms to season in whatever manner you prefer.  I have even found success with simply sealing rough turned blanks in a paper bag with their own shavings and no further treatment.  This soft wood will dry quickly and in my experience at least with little deformation and no checking.  But every piece of wood is different and my experiences are no guarantee of your success or equivalent experience.<\/p>\n

I think it is safe to say that I will work with Magnolia again because despite its relatively plain appearance, it is so easy to work with, it is very forgiving, it dries easily, and it is a traditional symbol of the southern United States.  I intend to take advantage of my relatively easy and affordable access to this wood before I relocate to the western United States in the next few years.<\/p>\n

As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever their wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Geographic Distribution The tree commonly known in its native area as Magnolia is properly known as Magnolia grandiflora.  The Magnolia genus is quite large, containing about 210 different recognized and classified species.  The range of the Magnolia genus is also large, with a main center in east and south-east Asia and a secondary center in eastern North America, Central America, the West Indies, as well as having some species represented in South America. The specific range of M. grandiflora however is much more limited.  The range extends from eastern North Carolina, south along the Atlantic Coast to the Peace River <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":2155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,128,129,138,139,130],"tags":[154,171,181,183,200,204,210,217,239,240,241,247],"yoast_head":"\nMagnolia - Wood Turning Pens ..<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Magnolia is one of the signature woods of the southern United States that is easy to work with, fairly soft, plain, but distinct growth rings for interest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Magnolia - Wood Turning Pens ..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Magnolia is one of the signature woods of the southern United States that is easy to work with, fairly soft, plain, but distinct growth rings for interest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wood Turning Pens ..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-01-08T09:00:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-11-03T20:46:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/Magnolia-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Wood_Pens\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Wood_Pens\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/\",\"name\":\"Magnolia - Wood Turning Pens ..\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-01-08T09:00:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-11-03T20:46:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47069a73b7e6a2ceecce4976634520fe\"},\"description\":\"Magnolia is one of the signature woods of the southern United States that is easy to work with, fairly soft, plain, but distinct growth rings for interest\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Magnolia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/\",\"name\":\"Wood Turning Pens ..\",\"description\":\"Wood Turned into Art\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47069a73b7e6a2ceecce4976634520fe\",\"name\":\"Wood_Pens\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/author\/wood_pens\/\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Magnolia - Wood Turning Pens ..","description":"Magnolia is one of the signature woods of the southern United States that is easy to work with, fairly soft, plain, but distinct growth rings for interest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Magnolia - Wood Turning Pens ..","og_description":"Magnolia is one of the signature woods of the southern United States that is easy to work with, fairly soft, plain, but distinct growth rings for interest","og_url":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/","og_site_name":"Wood Turning Pens ..","article_published_time":"2017-01-08T09:00:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-11-03T20:46:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/Magnolia-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Wood_Pens","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Wood_Pens","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/","url":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/","name":"Magnolia - Wood Turning Pens ..","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-01-08T09:00:44+00:00","dateModified":"2016-11-03T20:46:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47069a73b7e6a2ceecce4976634520fe"},"description":"Magnolia is one of the signature woods of the southern United States that is easy to work with, fairly soft, plain, but distinct growth rings for interest","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/magnolia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Magnolia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/","name":"Wood Turning Pens ..","description":"Wood Turned into Art","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47069a73b7e6a2ceecce4976634520fe","name":"Wood_Pens","url":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/author\/wood_pens\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}