Oak beam from 100yr. old barn

[Donny Lawson]

A friend of mine has torn down an old barn and I was offered some of it.It has 6x6 oak floor beams.I brought some of it home tonight and noticed the extreamly tight grain pattern.I hope to make a small bowl and a few more items from it.Any idea of how hard this will be to turn?He said the barn was over 100 yrs old.
Donny

[Steve Schlumpf]

Sounds like you probably stuck gold! You could have the makings for some real nice bowls, hollow forms and boxes! Have no idea how hard it will be to turn but being that old - and most likely very dry - it may be a challenge but worth the effort. Just remember to take your time and use sharp tools!

Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of it!

[Dick Rowe]

About 15 years ago a friend I worked with gave me an old oak barn beam he said was more than 150 years old. Over the years I really didn't know what to do with it (I wasn't a turner then) so it just sat in my shop collecting dust. Very recently I decided I wanted to learn wood turning, bought a small lathe, and while looking for wood to practice on remembered that old plank and figured (like an idiot) that I could use that 'junk' wood and I wouldn't be out any real money if I screwed up.

It was obviously dry, and relatively easy to turn. It had a lot of cracks and 'bad' pockets I had to deal with using CA or just learn to live with, but below are a few of the things I was able to get out of that old oak beam in my attempt to teach myself turning.

I apologize for the picture quality ... I'm working on getting better at photography also :)

This first pic is literally the first thing I made on my lathe that actually turned out well enough that I wanted to admit to someone that I was turning wood. It isn't much, but I was proud of it ..
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This was my first attempt at a lidded bowl ..
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This was a small bowl I made at my wifes' request to replace a plastic one she had for many years. She liked the ceramic top, hated the plastic bowl it covered ..
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Finally, a couple Civil War bullet pens from PSI. I thought the old wood might project a 'period specific' feel to these ..
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I really like the look and patina of this old oak and now wish I had a bunch more. I have a couple chunks remaining which I am now 'guarding' and will use for some special projects in the future as my skills improve. All of these pieces were finished with Minwax Antique Oil .. some were eventually Beall buffed .. others I simply used Renaissance wax on.

As a long time lurker, but first time poster in the turning forum I want to say thanks to everyone here. As I was preparing to get into turning I absorbed everything I could from this forum. Made life a LOT easier getting started for an old flat work guy!! I think I am in the vortex ... since I started turning the only flat work I have done is to create jigs and fixtures for my turning work!

[brian watts]

hey DONNY donot use it.. JUST sent it my way ..lol

[Donny Lawson]

When I went over to his house yesterday he is trying to burn alot of it.:(. He said he has been burning it for over a week now. Most of it is already gone.He promised a few beams to some guy to help clean up the mess.I wish I had run up on him sooner.I may swing back by there on Saturday and see what few pieces are left.
Donny

[charlie knighton]

way to go...

[Ken Hill]

Just be sure to check for nails!

There is a few local barns that are almost down from old age and wind but the owners wont come off the wood:( Instead they let it rot:mad:

[curtis rosche]

i have made a few things out of old wood of that age and possibly older. it will make your tools very hot, it will take the grit off of sandpaper no matter what you do. it will generally be a pain in the ass to work with. but the finished product looks so nice that it is worth it

[Karl Card]

I had gotten some free quarter sawn red oak that had been a boat way back in the day.. I like it, glad i got it but man the nails almost make it not worth it.. I dont see how this boat floated..

[Cody Colston]

I turned a hollow form from a 6" x 6" x 6" piece of 100+ year old oak that a friend gave me. I gained about 2" in height while roughing it out just because the resin-filled chips were sticking to the bottoms of my shoes...notice I said chips, not curls. It had to be the hardest wood I've ever tried to turn and I've turned lots of OO. I finally gave up hollowing with the side walls still about 3/4" thick.

The grain was beautiful and it had a rich patina without any finish. It smelled wonderful, too, but I have since turned down the offer of some more. Once was enough for me.