Teak

[James Baldwin]

Hi, A good friend of mine wants me to turn him some bowls out of Teak. He supplied the Teak a rather large piece 24" X 24" X 2". I've never turned Teak before so would like to know the in and outs or tricks. I was told that carbide tools dulled pretty fast. Also what should I finish it with. They will be used to serve food and I normally use pure mineral oil. Thanks, Jim

[andy bessette]

I would not serve food in teak unless it had been saturated with WEST 207/105 mix or equivalent.

[James Baldwin]

I'm assuming you're talking about West System's Epoxy. I normally use System 3. Jim

[Richard Coers]

There are no tricks to woodturning. If it's old growth teak, it may require more tool sharpening than you are used to. Pure mineral oil will take weeks or many even months to dry since teak has a lot of it's own oil/wax.

[Robert Hayward]

I have and have turned both old growth and plantation teak. Both turn with no surprises for me. The wild harvested teak is considerably more oily than the plantation. Heavier than the plantation also. I turned a few salad bowls using old growth and finished them with a mineral oil/beeswax concoction, homemade. Did not experience any long dry time and no one has died that was served salad in them.