Crazy oak heavy as lead

[Eric Gourieux]

I just saved a large load of oak from a friend's burn pile. This tree was huge! When I got home, I cut it up into turning blanks and logs, sealed with 2 THICK coats of the crappy Anchorseal 2. I left one blank out to rough turn. What a tool shredder! I started with sharp tools, including my new Thompson 58V, and had to stop and sharpen mid way through the roughing process. I even used a square carbide cutter to do some of the roughing out process. There were a lot of branches and a lot of figure. This made the roughing out process more difficult. I have not turned oak before, so this is a new experience. I applied anchor seal to the roughed out bowl, so we'll see what happens. This wood is surprisingly heavy. Other than some exotic woods, I've not experienced something this dense and heavy. This is a surprise to me, because it has such wide rings







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This is the rough out. 13" x 6"




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These are a few logs that I couldn't fit into my truck. They are about 3-4' tall and 2.5 - 3' in diameter. I cut 4 or five up and took them home.
As always, C & C welcome

[BILL DONAHUE]

There are several articles on the web about using a solution of concentrated dishwashing detergent as a soak before final turning. I've tried it on Norfolk Island Pine, Kentucky Coffee Tree and a few others with good results. Makes the turning go smoother and it may be worth a try on this. That's going to look fantastic when it's turned.

[Fred Perreault]

That looks like what we call "white oak" out this way. It seems to be much more dense than even red oak, and can show some fine figure at the crotches and such. It turns with great difficulty when on the dry side, and tortures the tools in any case. Trees grow slowly around our part of the Cape due to poorer soil quality, and as a result they usually have a tighter grain, and denser quality. It looks like you will get some fine looking items from your save. Of course, it may not be white oak as I am not familiar with the flora in your area. Good luck.............

[Roger Chandler]

Nice stuff........have your ways on the lathe bed rusted yet? The combination of the tanins in the wood and the moisture will rust your lathe in minutes! Only thing you can do is clean and heavy wax application.......then repeat when done! Good luck!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Eric,
Whatever wood it is, it has a bit of spalting. The zone lines are barriers set up by fungus to keep another fungus from invading it's territory. The zone lines contain something that is really abrasive to the cutting edge. Having to sharpen any tool including a hi tech tools like the "v" steel is not unusual for a hard wood like oak. I keep four 5/8" gouges including a Glasser 15V sharpened up and might still have to touch up a couple during the rough out process. Even more sharpening needed for the second time around. Aren't you concerned that the branches and pith left in a thick rough out will shrink and crack?
faust

[Bob Bergstrom]

Between being oak and having the pith in the blank the chances of not cracking are nill. Oak blanks are challenging to dry. Beatiful wood. Hope it is the exception.

[Jim Burr]

I think you've stumbled on a new variety Eric...Tuffus oakalyptus!!

[Richard Coers]

Get that thing is a paper bag, pronto. I use landscape paper bags because they are double thick. The paper lets out a little moisture, but slows the drying. The walls of the bowl may be too thick for an oak rough out too. I agree with the other guys, she's gonna crack. Bark can be very abrasive too. Not unusual for dirt or sand in it.

[Robert Henrickson]

My experience with fresh oak is that turning to final thickness is by far the best bet. I like oak and have turned quite a bit which is recently cut. Even if turned to final thickness, you have to control drying and monitor cracks. I put on at least a coat or two of lacquer or sanding sealer, bag it, and check twice a day for cracking for up to a week. I don't do rough-outs with oak. And I would agree that this is 'white' rather than 'red' oak.

[charlie knighton]

the sapwood will spault, with the heartwood not, pretty piece you showed, enjoy

i do not anchor seal, cut into blanks day tree cut down, put in cardboard barrels with lid, wait 3 months or more, turn to finish then, wood may or may not still be moist inside of blank, but anything that did not crack is good to go, a bowl may still warp but usually does not crack, will not rust your tools or ways either this way

i wear the blue nitre gloves, any cuts on hands will get infected, use dust system even if wood is green, bad news stuff but with preconditions well worth turning

[Eric Gourieux]

Thanks for your suggestions. This is my first oak to turn.

Roger, I made sure to clean up after I finished roughing this one. It's really wet, and I've had the ways rust badly with wet walnut before. I hope I prevented too much rust with the elm. Steel wool and wax helps.

Faust, Yes, I expect that there will be a lot of cracking with the pith and branches. I did apply CA in the suspect areas in an effort to reduce it. If the inevitable cracks aren't too bad, I see them as a "design opportunity" for inlay. You're right, there is some spalting throughout.

Richard, Robert, Charlie, I Anchorsealed the rough out immediately. I'll watch it over the next few days and finish turning if it starts splitting. As I have a bunch of this stuff, with and without branches and crotches, I suspect I'll learn quite a bit with the first few pieces. I may try a combo of turning thinner that 10%, Anchorseal double dose and bagging. We'll see...