Worth saving or firewood

[Brian McInturff]

I bought a couple pieces of NIP about 6 years ago. They seemed dry at the time and I didn't really look at them. Never had a chance to turn them mainly due to the size and the amount of time it would take. Last night I decided to get one out of the shed and turn it. I saw a crack had developed on the top but couldn't tell how bad it was going to be. Once I got into it it looked much worse than I expected. Also found some more around the knots. Now, the question. Is it even worth trying to save or should I give it to the neighbor for the fireplace. The other piece I have which is larger has cracks on it too.The big crack in the pic appears to go 3/4's the way to the middle.
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[Dick Wilson]

Brian, DON'T THROW IT AWAY!!!!! IT IS BURN BARREL OPPORTUNITY.:eek::D What I would do is set them out of the way and keep looking at them. Sooner or later something will come to mind as far as design, etc. PS - It looks like you have not taken out the inside. With those large cracks I would turn the outside like you want and duct tape the begibbers before turning the inside. The wood itself makes me drool:)

[thomas prusak]

If it were me I would fill the cracks and turn that piece. Or maybe use a water/wood glue submersion. The latter I have not tried. Keep in mind that the knots run towards the center on an angle and you should design your piece accordingly. If youre not familiar or just want some artistic ideas, do a google image search for nip wood turnings. If all this info is extremely obvious and well known by you I apologize in advance. I just started turning 6-8 months ago.

[David E Keller]

I have a hard time giving up on anything, so I'd be tempted to save it. Have you ever wanted to do butterfly type inlays/patches? If so, this would be a great piece to try it on. There was a thread here recently suggesting a soak in diluted dishwashing liquid as a way to lubricate dry NIP… It seemed to have made the turning quite a bit easier. Here's the first thread in the three thread series by Bill Donahue:

www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?178883-Experimenting-With-Norfolk-Island-Pine-1-of-3#post1841592

[Jim Burr]

I'm just getting to the point where I can toss something out:o...With thousands of pen blanks, I have a tendency to hoard:eek:;)
I'd hang on to it and see what you feel about it in a few weeks.

[Dennis Ford]

I have saved pieces in worse shape and burned a few that were not that bad. Choosing has partly depended on how many other pieces I had going at the time. If you have plenty of wood and all the projects that you can handle, this piece looks like more trouble than it is worth. If you have more time than nice wood, this could turn into something very interesting.

[Doug W Swanson]

I'm more of the saving type. I'd fill the cracks and give it a shot. It might turn into something beautiful!

[John Keeton]

...If you have plenty of wood and all the projects that you can handle, this piece looks like more trouble than it is worth. If you have more time than nice wood, this could turn into something very interesting.I fall into this camp. Cracks and I don't get along.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Brian - I am going through the same thought process with 3 large HFs that I roughed out a couple of months ago. I knew that they had some checks when I turned them but hoped they would make it through the drying process. They did not. One of them was in two pieces when I unwrapped it!! Never had that happen before! I am thinking about epoxy and using a bunch of it to fill in the cracks but have to wonder if it will be worth the additional time and expense. So, instead of throwing it out in the snow... I will give it some time and see if I can come up with something or some way to save them.

Meanwhile, I am turning something else! No sense wasting time!

[Brian McInturff]

Thanks for the advice guys. I went ahead and took it off and set it aside. I've got plenty of wood to turn so that isn't the problem. I 'll post pics of the Brown Mallee bowl and Manzanita dish I turned today hopefully tomorrow. Taking pics is the worst part of turning for me.
as for the NIP I'll hold on to this one but I'll probably post the other blank tomorrow as a give away. It's got a significant crack in it but someone may want it.

Dave: thanks for the link to the article on the dishwashing liquid. I never experienced tear out like I did when I was turning this. I had to use my large spindle gouge at an acute angle to finally get a decent cut. I'm pretty sure it was because of how dry it was. The dishwashing liquid is one I will definitely try.

[Sid Matheny]

I would have to be awful cold before I would burn it. Set it aside and see what happens later.


Sid

[Ken Glass]

Brian,
Even though this is telling on myself, I must admit that the last elevated HF I posted had actually come apart in two large pieces. I glued them together overnight and returned it to the lathe in the morning and filled the cracks with saw dust I had kept from the re-turn and CA glued it into the form. I then sanded through all grits and Dyed the form and shot it with several coats of Lacquer and you can't even tell they were cracks,. It just looks like part of the natural wood. Here is a link to the post. You will always gain great knowledge when you save a form or two. My vote is to go for it, but protect your head well in the process. Good Luck http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?181755-Tall-HF-of-Quilted-Dunno-Wood-w-finial-and-stick