uninteresting wood

[Bob Bachynsky]

Hi all,
Relative newbie when it comes to turning as such I'm just learning how to identify wood that will look interesting when turned. My question is what sort of finishes or techniques do you guys use when you do turn something rather bland? I had a few pieces from an Ash tree I helped a friend cut down. I have them roughed in and drying but when I look at them I'm not overly impressed. The ash is pretty light and there isn't much grain showing through, knots or any other real interesting features. I want to finish the pieces since they are roughed in and I tried a few new things so I figure I'll use it as a finishing or embellishment test as well. So what do you guys do when you find a piece doesn't have any "neat" factor? These are mostly mugs btw...
Bob

[Doug Herzberg]

A lot of turners sandblast ash pieces to enhance the growth rings. Try searching here or on Google. That said, a lot of people find ash to be anything but boring. Keep trying other woods and look at the woods others have used with success.

[Wes Ramsey]

Since I have access to tons of different kinds of woods I've always gone for the 'interesting' stuff first - knots, burls, crotches, etc. I've been turning for a little over a year and just turned my first 'uninteresting' piece of yellow mulberry and I was stunned at how pretty the straight grain was once I added some lacquer. Simple, straight-grained pieces have a beauty all their own, and done right can turn out just as beautiful as a figured piece. One of my favorite pieces I've seen by Trent Bosch, for sale on his website for some goofy price, was a simple, straight-grained beech vessel. Well-executed simplicity is just elegant IMO.

[John K Jordan]

Look up "liming wax woodturning" on Google to see pictures and how-tos. Ash is perfect for this due to the large early wood pores: spray with black (or other dark) lacquer then rub in a contrasting wax (white, silver, gold, etc.) The results can be spectacular.

My "rule of thumb" for woodturning - if the wood figure is interesting, I often like to create a simple form with smooth curves and lines so the piece is not too busy. I do not want detail fighting with figure for attention. If the wood figure is plain, I sometimes add turned detail (beads, coves, lines, carving, distress, etc.) to add visual interest. Of course a spectacular form needs nothing else!

JKJ

[charlie knighton]

form....form.....form......add a collar......form form form.........you can outshine others thru your presentation of the piece

[Bob Bachynsky]

Good info thanks guys. A couple of different approaches to think about here.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Spalting - let them mold a bit if it's green wood, and the patterns may surprise you.

[Scott Hackler]

I've turned a bunch of silver maple and usually it is BORING. So I will either try to spault the wood or fire up the wood burner and start decorating the piece with texture and apply black dye when done.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

^ that's funny. every piece of silverleaf maple I've turned has either spalted, curl, figure or some other "natural" enhancement - and needs little else other than being turned.

and it all came right out of the tree that way.

Of course, the trees were dying anyway, or full of beetle larvae...

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I think there is no "uninteresting" wood, as some have mentioned above. Even the straightest grained wood has beauty. You also could carve, burn or pierce if you do think wood is uninteresting. Burn or etch a scene or pattern. Pierce a bunch of random holes or a pattern. Carve reliefs, carve out a design, maybe a scalloped bowl. Lots of options. Note that none of those options are "free" and require the purchase of new tools. You do know that the lathe is the cheap part of woodturning...... Welcome to the vortex.

[Thom Sturgill]

Plain woods get burned or textured details, often vine or Celtic knot patterns in my studio. Sometimes I texture and blacken the bottom and have tried coloring the outside of bowls. Leaving the inside natural, but using a bold color on the outside can make a striking bowl even with a plain wood.

As has been said, sandblastng or burning Ash can also be dramatic.

[Richard Madden]

You could try something like this....http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?193652-Dyed-Ash-Bowl-(a-tribute-to-Bill-Neddow)&highlight=

[Steve Huffman]

All good answers above. I turn quite a bit of aspen, and other than the knots and spalting, some piece are kind of plain looking as well. I love to experiment with all the above too, so keep plenty of scrap wood around for testing, burning, texturing and dying. There are so many things to add to turnings including some very nice texturing tools as well. I have taken a couple bowls this week and have use a small torch around the edge that has a real nice affect on aspen anyway, tricky process and one needs to test a bit first, and I can post them in a few days.
On this subject, I think some, (including myself :mad:), has or can easily over do embellishments to a point that will start taking away from a piece, or make a piece too busy. Sometimes adding one or two small things can make things interesting enough and make a rather bland piece look good. Sorry for the long post, just expressing my thoughts.