Walnut sapwood question

[Ron Borowicz]

I have some nice walnut that has been anchor sealed for 1 1/2 years that I am getting ready to rough turn. These logs have about 2 inches of white sapwood. My questions are...1. should I rough turn them with the expectation that my finish turning will eliminate the sapwood? Most finished walnut bowls that I see do not have any sapwood in them, although some of the ones I have seen look kind of cool...not all, but some. 2. Does the sapwood finish the same as the black heartwood? Do I have to do anything special with the sapwood if I want to include it in the bowl?

If I were to finish turn most of the pieces with the sapwood they would end up being about 14 or 15 inches wide, 6 or 7 inches deep.

Thanks!

[Prashun Patel]

I love the sap wood. If you turn it upside down you can get the sap around the rim in a way that makes it looks natural and organic without having to include the bark.

Turning it with the sap inside doesn't appeal to me as much because you get that donut in the center that may not be centered or appealing.

[Mark Patoka]

Almost all my experience with walnut is in flatwork, I rarely get the opportunity to turn it. I haven't noticed any significant difference in how it works, if you think that maybe the heartwood will be harder, sapwood softer, etc, it all seems pretty much the same. It also takes finish about equally also, so I don't think you'll have to do anything different with it.

Maybe those that turn it a lot have had different experiences and can correct me.

[Ben Pierce]

I love walnut bowls w/ sapwood. You can get some amazing figuring, especially around crotches. Note the "bat" in the big bowl below. (They sell really well too!)324780324781

[Ron Borowicz]

Wow...beautiful!

[Randy Red Bemont]

I vote for sapwood also. I like it in the bowl above and have used it in cherry turnings and it looks nice.

Red

[Aaron Craven]

Generally speaking, I agree that there's no reason to eliminate it. But that said, I would just start rounding it out and doing some initial cuts before deciding. The way I see it, you can't make a final decision until you can see what's inside.

Unfortunately, the same logic doesn't work when deciding what will be the the top or the bottom, since you do have to actually mount it, which means making at least one hole (unless it can be safely mounted between centers)... I think that's where I'd be the most torn... Prashun's advice (sapwood on top) made a lot of sense, but then Ben's work above is stunning too.

Anyway it goes, post some pics!

[Pat Scott]

I make Walnut bowls with and without sapwood. I wouldn't worry about sapwood at all, in Walnut it cuts and sands and finishes well. You're going to end up with some nice size bowls, I wouldn't sacrifice size just to get rid of the sapwood. Customers like 'em either way.

[Prashun Patel]

The only caveat is in the drying. Your blanks are probably still green inside. The white sapwood is more prone to checking. So take that into account when roughing.

[Dave Fritz]

One other thing to consider is the sap wood can get dark when you sand and bring the darker wood into the lighter sap wood. I find it hard to keep the sap wood light. It can be frustrating when it happens the first time and you're not expecting it.
Dave Fritz

[Aaron Craven]

One other thing to consider is the sap wood can get dark when you sand and bring the darker wood into the lighter sap wood. I find it hard to keep the sap wood light. It can be frustrating when it happens the first time and you're not expecting it.
Dave Fritz

Is this something that can be cleaned, maybe? Theoretically the dark sawdust is loose, so I'm thinking something like mineral spirits to clean it out of the pores in the sapwood. Or does the heartwood release some sort of oil that stains the sapwood?

[Prashun Patel]

This has not happened to me. I am not doubting it happens to others but I have never noticed it enough to be any problem.