What types of Evergreen wood can you turn

[David Metzman]

I live in New Jersey and there are various types of evergreens growing that get cut down from time to time. What type of evergreens are good to turn and what are best to avoid? Thanks for the advice.

[Reed Gray]

Well, they all can be turned, but not all are 'good' to turn. The incense cedar is one that comes to mind. The yew tree, which I think of as being more western, is good to turn. Most of the pine and fir trees tend to have pitch pockets which are a mess both for turning and for sanding. We have a lot of Douglas Fir out here, and the colors can be nice, but there is a big difference in hardness between the early wood and late wood, so when you sand you get rigdes. If you take a wire brush or a bead blaster to it, you can 'antique' it nicely. Not sure about cypress.

robo hippy

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I'm with Robo here - most evergreens are not pleasant to turn - I live in a Douglas fir forest and don't bother to turn it. I've enjoyed Monterey Cypress, it turns reasonably well, as does Alaska Yellow Cedar and our local red cedar. Technically, Madrone is an evergreen and turns beautifully...

[Mel Fulks]

Cutting, not scraping ,is what’s needed. The skew used like you’re ‘sposed to ….works well. Yeah, takes a lot of practice, wear face shield
or “Tin Man” full body suit. I worked with two guys who were wizards with the skew, some regular cabinetmaker clients would tell them
“no sanding” when leaving their old heart pine stock and drawing for bed posts.

[mike ash]

It doesn't look like anybody has mentioned Juniper. It can be difficult to turn (hard knots) but is quite attractive.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

It doesn't look like anybody has mentioned Juniper. It can be difficult to turn (hard knots) but is quite attractive.

Isn't "evergreen" pretty generic term for all sorts of trees?
Anyways, I do enjoy turning most cypresses and junipers, which I think are "evergreens". Mostly everything here stays green..... I enjoy turning most woods we have.

[Paul Williams]

I have a lot of spruce and used to have several red cedar. Have turned a bunch of both with no problems. Too much sap in pine for my taste. I have turned root balls and ground level cuts from decorative foundation planting evergreens, but don't remember the types or any good or bad things about individual plants. My advise is always "try it." The worst that will happen is you will have a mess to clean up.

[John K Jordan]

I live in New Jersey and there are various types of evergreens growing that get cut down from time to time. What type of evergreens are good to turn and what are best to avoid? Thanks for the advice.

One of my favorites is Eastern Red Cedar. Cuts, smooths, and finishes nicely. I like pieces with figure and variation in color.

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I have turned some clean white pine. Virgina pine, not interested. Norfolk Island pine is quite popular for turning. Just bought some nice redwood to try.

All these, like many other woods: sharp, sharp cutting tools, never carbide scrapers.

JKJ

[Jim Barkelew]

The main weed tree around here (north Texas) is Mountain Cedar - Juniperus ashei. It's actually a juniper and used mainly for fence posts and mulch. It is relatively dense and turns beautifully when dry and is a little sappy when wet. It also grows with lots of branches so knots are a problem . I have a pile of turning blanks made from salvaged fence posts. It tends to be dusty when turned dry.

I also have some cypress and it reminds me of white pine with less pronounced grain and less odor. My popcorn bowl is cypress. It's soft so end grain tearout can be a problem.

Jim