Plum?

[Mike Svoma]

Has anyone turned plum wood before? What can I expect. Thanks for your input.

[Gary Herrmann]

Plum turns like and looks similar to pear - so it is very workable. The only thing I don't like about plum is that it tends to crack rapidly and badly if you haven't removed the pith from the stock your storing. I found that out the hard way.

[Mike Svoma]

Thanks Gary.

[Jim Underwood]

I have turned some ornamental plum that is just gorgeous. It's a fairly hard wood with nice close grain, and a nice variable brown color.

I have a couple of stumps still sitting out under the shed. It's all cracked up, but I may still make some boxes or something else out of it.

[Jim Sebring]

I've rough-turned several bowls in the last two months from wet plum wood. The stuff cuts nicely, just like other fruitwoods. I Anchorseal my turnings the moment they come off the lathe. I do the same with bowls roughed from Silver Maple. I expect to have some loss due to cracking, but I'll just let the roughed bowls sit for a year or so before I try to finish them.

[Jarrod McGehee]

I cut a few branches off an ornamental plum and it turned quite nice green but it split on me immediately thereafter so you'd want to get a finish on it quickly

[alex carey]

just expect it to crack.

[charlie knighton]

my brother-in-law gave me some damson plum, very hard, cuts good, the piece i have is only 5 inches across so only make very small things

takes oil or poly well, nice colors