What's a good "practice" wood?

[Josh Reet]

So I've finally dusted off the gift lathe that I got the other year and am messing around with it a bit.

Is there such a thing as a "cheap" practice wood? I've just been beating up pieces of fir scrap that I had kicking around the shop. But is there a less expensive hardwood, perhaps even from the BORGs, that I could try out as well. That way, if I was actually successful at something like a handle or a bottle stopper, I could finish it up and actually use it. A fir bottle stopper isn't really worth much.

Apologies if this is a lame question, I'm really on the "newbie" end of anything having to do with turning.

[John Shuk]

If you can get ahold of some 2x2 inch maple you can play and still have a nice project in the end. Tree branches can be really fun as well. Make some snowmen and let them check. I think they still look good. Turning stock literally grows on trees.

[Clint Baxter]

If you can find some poplar, it is a nice wood to learn on. Relatively soft, but not bad to work with. Cheap too. Don't know if you'd be able to find it in some thicker pieces to work on.

I got some good sized chunks from a lumber supplier that were used as stickers on some of their palleted wood. Might be an option to look for.

Clint

[Alan Trout]

For spindle practice I have a neighbor that makes wood screens and doors and uses a lot of Spanish Cedar. he gives me all of his cutoffs. It is soft but cuts well with very little tearout and the tool edge holds up very well. I also find that poplar has many of the same attributes. The Spanish Cedar also smells pretty good. I love free wood and am I am sucker that will try anything.

Alan

[Tim Rinehart]

Take a look around and see some of the stuff recently posted that was from a firewood pile!
Whatever you pick make sure it's free of checks/splits/etc as you start playing around with learning cuts. You DON'T want to have a piece fly apart on you, but you may want that kind of stuff later for artistic reasons.
For now...anything solid.

I had a poplar tree that went down and I used wood from it to learn on, but I've heard people say to take a 2x4, cut it down to 2x2's and turn spindles till you're using gouges AND the skew.

I would try to avoid buying anything, unless you just really have no hardwood and want something 'hard' to practice on.


Good luck and be safe. Get in contact with a local club too, thats the best resource.

[Wally Dickerman]

Depends on where you live. Several have mentioned poplar. If you live in the west where poplar doesn't grow, then it would have to be something else.

You say that you've been turning fir. Fir isn't one of the choice woods to turn.

Wally

[Jim Burr]

Almost anything but pine Josh. I called the city public works dept and asked who did tree work for them. Got the address, walked in and said "Hi, I'm a wood turner, here's a pen. Can I have some wood?" They tossed 5-6 pieces of something in my truck and I drove off happy. If it's free...it's me! :D:D

[Josh Reet]

Almost anything but pine Josh. I called the city public works dept and asked who did tree work for them. Got the address, walked in and said "Hi, I'm a wood turner, here's a pen. Can I have some wood?" They tossed 5-6 pieces of something in my truck and I drove off happy. If it's free...it's me! :D:D

That's a great idea Jim! Sadly, I don't have a nice pen to smooth the way. Perhaps a six pack.

[Josh Reet]

Thanks for all the info so far everyone. Good stuff.

[Larry Marley]

The first day with my first lathe I was turning 2 x 2 fir.
I am with Wally, This is probably the last wood to turn.
just about any domestic hardwood is nice for spindle turning.
otherwise you listen for the woodturners call to the wild (chainsaw).
follow the sound and offer to help remove some of that wood.

[charlie knighton]

If it's free...it's me! :D:D

ditto Jim's

[Josh Reet]

Just to be clear, I'm aware that turning Fir scraps is less than ideal for the lathe. That is why I posted the question. I'm hoping to move away from "playing around" and more towards "working on learning". I figured a real hardwood of some sort would help a lot with that.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Josh,

Anything hardwood....limbs...anything can be used.

It will be hard but initially concentrate on learning tool control and sharpening.

Turning with dull tools is the pits. It can be no fun.

Learn to "ride the bevel"......IMHO the first major lesson for using all turning tools......ride the bevel.

pine and firs tend to have a high amount of pitch/tar and thus gum up your tools making them cut less efficiently.

After some hours of just turning and getting comfortable with tool control, then worry about your first project.

Turning is a constant learning and relearning process. I suspect it's never ends from that respect. To me it is a source of joy. Turning projects are the closest thing to instant gratification in the woodworking world.

Have fun!......above all....have fun. Be safe! Have fun!

[Reed Gray]

Don't know where in Washington you are, but there are several AAW clubs up there. Go to a meeting. Most have a wood raffle, and tickets are a dollar. Not to mention seeing things being done, and being able to ask questions. Mentors also available.

robo hippy

[Michael Mills]

Another possibility is the folks who sell firewood. Most allow it to season at least a year after they split it and will have a variety of hardwoods. If you tell them what you are looking for (cherry, walnut, etc) some may save you sections whole for bowls. The price is very cheap since a cord of wood (around here) is about $110.
Also check your local Craigs List and Free Cycle for people giving away wood where trees were taken down in their yard. If you can find where the local power company is trimming trees back from lines that is another good source. Locally they only remove (chip) limbs less than four inches and the rest the homeowners have to dispose of.

[Wally Dickerman]

A good place to find very inexpensive local wood is a place that sells firewood. Someone mentioned that you live in Washington state. In Western Wash. most firewood is alder, some will be maple. Not much character in alder but a very nice wood to turn. In eastern Wash. you might find fruit wood. Apple, cherry etc.

Here in Arizona if I go to a firewood sales place I'll find mesquite, pine, juniper, citrus and palo verde. Prices are very low because it's priced by the cord. A pile of wood 4 x 4 x 8 ft.

On Del Stubbs advice, I once went to a fireplace wood lot in Chico Ca. where he lived. Most of the wood was walnut. I even found some claro walnut.

Wally

[Josh Reet]

That's a very good point about the firewood. I had never thought about that.

I know for a fact that my step father has a stash of applewood firewood for his woodfired oven that I could swipe from.

I'm up in the northwest corner of Wa state in between seattle and vancouver.

[David Hostetler]

Not sure what grows up that far north except apple. Which you could try to chuck up. Around here I tend to grab pieces of Mesquite and Pecan out of the smoker wood pile and have a good go at it. Sometimes it works well, others not so much, but the learning is priceless...

I have also had scraps of oak, lots of Cedar, etc... Yeah, just about anything but Pine / Fir. Tried that at first, and gave it up REAL fast...

[Lee Koepke]

I just started turning too, and my first turn was a 2x2..... 2 minutes later, I took it off and replaced it with a limb from an oak tree that fell in a storm a year ago ....

One thing none of these guys warned me about was now I look at every limb/tree/firewood pile ..... knowing theres something in there that could end up beautiful (if I knew what I was doing ..haha)

Even my wife is now pointing to trees .... "hey, if THAT one falls in a storm, you could use that 'lump' .... :D "

[Wally Dickerman]

That's a very good point about the firewood. I had never thought about that.

I know for a fact that my step father has a stash of applewood firewood for his woodfired oven that I could swipe from.

I'm up in the northwest corner of Wa state in between seattle and vancouver.

Hey Josh, we must have been neighbors. Before moving to Arizona I lived in Anacortes. Spent most of my life in Puget Sound country.

There is a woodturning club that I used to belong to in that area. They used to meet in Mt. Vernon but I think it's Snohomish now.

Wally

[Josh Reet]

Hey Josh, we must have been neighbors. Before moving to Arizona I lived in Anacortes. Spent most of my life in Puget Sound country.

There is a woodturning club that I used to belong to in that area. They used to meet in Mt. Vernon but I think it's Snohomish now.

Wally

How funny! Small world sometimes.

[David Woodruff]

Josh, Go to one of the BORG's and have a look at the scrap pile of skids out back. The runners are usually hard wood of some sort in 4"x4". Take a big hammer and knock off the boards. Sometimes they are free, sometimes a few bucks. Good Luck

[Tim Thiebaut]

This was a good question, thanks for posting it. As a newbie myself I kind of have the same issue, I want something cheap and affordable to practise on before I spend a lot of dough on good wood for projects. I did trim my peach tree last summer, and in anticipation of getting my lathe this winter I saved a few of the limbs to practise on when I get it, wish I had saved more now though. It seems to have dried nicely, the ends have just a few little checks on it and thats all, and it was in my HOT garage drying for 4 months before it turned cool this fall, overall has been drying for about 6-7 months now, so it should give me something decent to mess around with. I am also going to have my Uncle box me up and ship me some wood from his firewood pile back home in Maine, it is full of maple, alot of it sugar maple, I hope that is good to turn? Anyway, sorry for being long winded here, I will go and try and get some poplar as was mentioned here and use that to practise on as well.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Josh, you live in Washington and you can't find free wood? Contact your local tree trimmer and tell him what you need. You'll have more in an hour than you can turn in a month.:D

[Rodney Walker]

I'm new to turning and this is my first post here. I live south of you in Centralia, WA. Hope this helps. Keep your eyes open as you drive around. Storm damage and tree trimming operations will often leave a few pieces behind that you will be able to use. Native hardwoods here in the western half of the state include alder, maple, dogwood, madrone, wild cherry, cottonwood and up north where you live, maybe some birch. Also look for recent logging activity where hardwoods are growing, you may find a few pieces laying around those areas as well. If you find some maple that has been on the ground a year or two, even better. You may get some good spalted wood out of it. You'll probably find yourself looking to acquire a small chainsaw if you decide you like turning.
Rodney