I'll never turn Oak again!!!

[Dennis Nagle]

When I first started turning, I picked up a load of oak and rough turned bowls. when green they where easy to turn, but after a couple years I took one off the shelve to finish yesterday. What a pain. That stuff is like iron. I had to use three pieces of 80 grit just to get one very mild radial scratch out. I was going to give a couple of the dried rough bowls to my nephew to finish (new turner) but I wouldn't with those things on anyone. Done with rant for the day.

[Michael Mills]

I haven't had that much trouble with oak except for the mess it makes when green (that is why I gave up on it).

If you don't like oak stay away from pecan for sure (aka pecrete to turners).:D

[Thom Sturgill]

Only way I turn oak, is green to final thickness and let it warp.

[Roger Chandler]

Never say never! ;):D

[Steve Doerr]

Dennis, as the saying goes, "You just haven't found the right piece yet." :D

[Brad Adams]

It must be just like the ash rough out I just re-turned to final thickness. Man was that stuff hard, and hot when the chips hit my hand. I think I resharpened my Thompson gouge three times while finishing it.

[Dennis Nagle]

I like the suggestion of turning one time to final thickness and final surface finish, but I am still listing all my oak logs on CL Free.

[Alan Trout]

I turn lots of live oak pieces that I incorporate into my Acorn Cap Series of pieces. Dry it is hard as nails and quite challenging to turn but the grain structure in live oak is beautiful and makes for wonderful accents. I have turned a bit of white oak and it gets pretty tough as well when dry. Pecan which I to call "Pecancrete" is the same way when dry. It will kill the edge of a tool faster than anything.

[Reed Gray]

Could it possibly be harder than black locust? For me, oak never sold well. I would have some on the shelf, people would pick them up and say, 'these are nice, what kind of wood are they?' and I would tell them oak, and they would let out a disappointed 'oh' and put them back on the shelf. I can't say that I have ever done a twice turned bowl.

robo hippy

[Dennis Nagle]

Could it possibly be harder than black locust? For me, oak never sold well. I would have some on the shelf, people would pick them up and say, 'these are nice, what kind of wood are they?' and I would tell them oak, and they would let out a disappointed 'oh' and put them back on the shelf. I can't say that I have ever done a twice turned bowl.

robo hippy

See! nobody likes oak☺

[Robert Henrickson]

See! nobody likes oak☺

No -- I do. I prefer it over many other woods, though it is better turned wet or half-dry rather than fully dry. Spalted oak can be quite striking.

For me it is certainly preferable to walnut, let alone cedar, since I am seriously allergic to both of them.

[Steve bellinger]

287744287742287743Dennis I don't know about plain oak, but the burl is well worth the work IMHO. Some stuff from white oak burl

[Steve Kennedy]

I think Oak is great!!! In the fire place! I'll take all I can get:)

[Lee Watermann]

I have a whole forest of it in Wi. and that's where it's staying.

[Dennis Nagle]

That is Beautiful work Steve. I'm not saying it can't look wonderful, it just beats the crap out of me when turning.

[Larry Cutlip]

When I started turning about a year ago, I had some red oak boards that I glued together to make bowl blanks. I didn't seem to have a problem. Might have been because I didn't know better. I also found out I was using a spindle gouge to make the bowls. I still use oak, but I do have bowl gouges now. Larry

[Jack Mincey]

I don't really like turning green oak because it rust everything it touches, but have turned a good bit and find that some of it is worth the trouble to turn. I turn most of it to finial thickness green but have turned a number of them twice turned and never really found it that bad dry. I much prefer turning woods that are hard as compared to very soft woods.
Here is an open bowl turned to finial thickness green and a vase twice turned.
Jack
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/flyrod444/IMG_2395.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/flyrod444/media/IMG_2395.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/flyrod444/IMG_2489.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/flyrod444/media/IMG_2489.jpg.html)

[charlie knighton]

great pieces Steve and Jack

[charlie knighton]

Bay of Fundy

oak......the sapwood spaulted while in my barrels

[charlie knighton]

Leapfrog

my first small foot hf

[Dennis Nagle]

Maybe I'll try turning it to finish and letting it go at that. Before I turn any green wood, I douse my lathe and tools in WD-40. I clean up RIGHT after I am done turning and douse it again. you can't use too much WD!

[Steve bellinger]

Charlie thanks and you have a few really cool pieces there yourself.

[charlie knighton]

another.....all heartwood

[Dennis Nagle]

Beautiful work Charlie.

[Chip Sutherland]

I'm thinking that I hate hickory more (then palm). I have only turned hickory dry and it was no picnic. I have turned both red & white oak numerous times. All were successful. End grain tear out is pretty normal but solved with the usual techniques. All the red oak sold but it was heavily spalted so they were rustic attractive. White oak is not particular pretty to turn quartersawn or otherwise. The only piece of it that I have left is so embellished no one would know that it was white oak.

Luckily there are a hundred species of wood more fun to turn than oak.

[Dennis Nagle]

THe Hickory here in Michigan is easy to turn, but it smells like horse dung for a year or two after it is turned.