Spunky wood

[louis pittman]

can you mix pva glue and water to spunky & soft wood for turning

[Scott Hackler]

About any type of glue will stiffen up soft fibers, but true punky wood will need something that will soak in and penetrate all the way through. Some folks use products like Cactus Juice or some other band of stabilizing fluid and a vacuum camber. For small areas, I regularly use CA glue and an accelerant. Sometimes, the wood is just too far gone and not worth the hassle and possible danger of it exploding while turning.

[Michelle Rich]

what scott said and you can use shellac if the area is not too large

[Thom Sturgill]

I've used sanding sealer and also thinned brush on lacquer (3 or 4 parts thinner to 1part lacquer), since lacquer is my finish of choice. Mixed results. I haven't tried Cactus Juice or any other commercial product though as I tend to avoid punky wood. Very sharp tools and still be prepared to do a LOT of sanding. :eek:

[Bill Boehme]

Punky wood may not be worth messing with except in special situations and only if it isn't extensive AND the piece isn't large. Otherwise, you are asking for trouble. I've used Minwax Wood Hardener, but it can make the wood too hard and respiratory protection is mandatory when working with that or similar products. For small spots of soft wood, a tiny bit of CA works well, but be careful. Soft wood is often moist and there can be some serious fuming. I only use CA outdoors because of the noxious fumes.

John Jordan says that life is too short to turn crappy wood -- good words to live by.