Beech Views on a Stormy Day

[George Tokarev]

Took me a while to find a beech bowl with heart up on the shelf, because it's hardly my favorite wood, but I did find this 10.5" example. I quick turned it to round for the photography. Apologies for the flourescent green, but I always seem to forget the compensation settings. Anyway, american beech Fagus grandifolia as indicated here http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=47 (http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=47) . Top left is face grain flat, complete with the honeycomb checks it's famous for, and a touch of spalt. The giveaway is the quarter grain at top right, where the ray flecks are quite obvious, if not as numerous as American sycamore.

Bottom two are as close as I can go to freshly turned dry wood, with the left showing long grain and the flecks, right showing end grain and the rays that produce the flecks linking the annual rings.

Second shot is of the bowl, turned to make round, showing why it's not the best wood in the world for flat work, or even faceplate turnings. Distortion is excessive, as the bowl has lost a full 7/8 inch of diameter, where more accomodating woods like cherry would lose less than half that, and even birch, a big-time mover, only about half. Look at the drop on the sides as an indication of the big 2:1 radial tangential shrinkage ratio.

[John Hart]

Thanks for starting this thread George!

I couldn't do any picture taking last night due to our weekly sunday family gathering, but I will add my Beech pics to this thread tonight. Also, I should note here that the little Beech bowl that I did last week, has warped significantly since then. I like the warp though....Kinda made a little spout that I can pour melted ice cream down my throat. :)

I'll post all this tonight after work

[George Tokarev]

Well, before I plow again, and while my oven preheats, here's the piece in its final form, just sanded, and with a coat of shellac.

It's set up as a potato chip or other passing bowl, with a grippable rim. I had almost forgot how quickly beech works up with sandpaper. One of the easiest woods to get a good surface on. With a couple more of shellac, good to sell.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Thanks George for the great photos! I like your chip bowl, the detail work you did along the rim and the finish! Beech is some really pretty wood.

I am surprised to see how much the beech warps while drying. If I manage to obtain some beech and rough out a bowl, what thickness would you suggest to leave the walls in order to compensate for the warp? Normally I figure the 10% rule is more than adequate but after looking at your photos I don't believe it would be enough.

[John Hart]

Looks nice George!! You really do nice work...You should post your stuff more often.;)

Here's the bowl that I posted yesterday. I went out tonight and got some closeups.
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This is the one I did last week. It used to be round....Now it has a little spout!:)
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Here's a log that's lined up for the next spinning attempt
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So....whatcha think? Beech or not Beech.

[Dale Gregory]

George, turned out great! Just a few questions from a newby.

1. I'm assuming the wood was green when you turned it correct?

2. How long a time span from when you rough turned it til the photo of the distortion?

3. How long from the time you roughed it out until you finish it on the lathe?

Being a new turner, I'm curious as to how long various green woods take to dry once you do the initial 10:1 thickness turning to final turning/sanding/finishing. I've turned a 10" bowl 1" thick, and several smaller bowl/dishes that I've put in a cardboard box to let dry out. Several of the smaller bowls/dishes are really warped bad already and it's been less than a month in the box.

Dale

[John Hart]

By the way George...you said you were plowing again. Are you getting hit with that lake-effect that's been pounding the U.P. all day? We get it tonight and tomorrow.

[George Tokarev]

Looking like beech, but good growing conditions. Grain density and bark thickness are not the same, as you've noticed. Much more evident rays in the slow-grown stuff. Of course down there you might have an import. One of those imports is killing a lot of American beech right now. Bark virus. If it is an exotic, almost all the old world types are better-behaved than the domestic, so you've a leg up.

As to the spout, can't lay that to the beech. Slash knot will do that in anything, as long as it's firm. Still can't understand the knot color. So different from the northern stuff!

Steve and Dale. I have found the average shrinkage figures from the Forest Products Labs to be remarkably accurate, so if you want to game the system a bit, use them as your guide. Loss of nearly 1/10 of total diameter is pretty severe, but remember that a bit of that is edge drop. In fact, as you can see, I allowed about an inch for drying, lost almost half, and even took away a bit of that to get the 3/8 rim. You have to decide if you're going for rapid drying or capability to change your mind and design. I usually allow for design, because I throw roughs on the shelf and turn as required. This piece was from three-four years ago, and probably a waste of shelf space, truth be known. Not a particularly popular seller. I have met pieces in the root cellar that were ten years old, yet regularly turn fresh! Such is the addiction.

For drying comparison I just attached three pictures of a more typical wood, cherry. As you can see, it's much better behaved than beech, and does its moving pretty much as the FPL has indicated. Under normal drying conditions a 1" cherry will be ready in six-eight weeks from green. Beech probably plus two weeks. I don't push 'em, because I don't have to. But I don't do anything but keep them in higher humidity for the initial drop below the FSP, either.

Yesterday was almost entirely frontal fall, John. No wind to speak of. Which makes it unusual. Not much snow up here on average if you look at it that way, but lake effect gets rectum high to a girraffe in most years.

[John Hart]

Thanks George. Well, I guess I better start treating this stuff a little different and find a little patience. Sheesh. Hard to come by with me. I agree that it a delight to sand, but it does seem to be a tad short on figure. I'll keep at it. I appreciate your willingness to share your experience.

We just moved to this location and the locals have warned us that snowfall is significant as well. But as you've probably noticed, there ain't been a lot of snow to speak of so far this season. The lake snow machine just kicked up about 2 hours ago here, so I don't have much to deal with at the moment. Might have to do a little plowing after work though.

[Glenn Hodges]

No beech wood here, no snow either, but winter is to arrive tomorrow. The weather will dip down into the 60's. I like that potato chip beech bowl, nice curve.

[Rich Stewart]

D'OH! When he said plowing I was thinking plowing a field. Guess there ain't much of that going on this time of year.

[George Tokarev]

Already did that earlier in the year. Guarantees me a bumper crop of my winter produce - rocks. Summers I grow weeds.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Potato chip passing, Hmmm is that anything like Ice Cream? Like the finished one it looks real good.:)