wood varieties to avoid

[TYLER WOOD]

Are there any wood varieties that do not lend themselves to turning? Soft wood/hardwood. Does cedar, elm, black locust turn ok? All help on this is appreciated. Let me know what the wood is and why to avoid it.

I know most people do not like oak because it checks, are there other woods out there to avoid? I know hickory is extremely hard, but I got some anyways!

I finally talked to some tree trimmers in my area and got very good respose. I will be getting some cedar and black walnut Friday, and some persimmon for sure next week. He wanted to know what woods that I did not want so he could just toss it and only have space for what I needed.

[Jonathon Spafford]

It all depends on personal preference... obviously you shouldn't turn woods you have allergic reactions to, but like you'll find a lot of people saying here: you can almost turn anything! A couple of AAW journal issues ago it had a guy who successfully turned pinecones and artichokes after casting them in resin. I've also heard of turning sweet potatoes, but I think that gets a little messy!! :rolleyes:
Some people don't like different woods for different reasons, but that is just personal preference. I hear a lot of people say they hate oak; but I did hear a couple guys on this forum absolutely love it... I am one of them.
So you'll just have to turn different woods and find out your favorites.
BTW, balsa might be one your don't want to turn unless you got lots of CA glue at hand!

[Bill Wyko]

I found Purple heart a little difficult but the wenge was very similar to walnut. I love Curly Maple though.

[Neal Addy]

Ditto on Purpleheart and Wenge. I would never include them on an "avoid" list but be aware that they can be a challenge. Very brittle and easy to blow out when dry.

Never met a wood I didn't like yet. There have been quite a few that didn't like me.

[George Tokarev]

Almost any wood with a real dark color has a mess of fungicide/insecticides in it. Tropical types are worse than temperate, because they have to fight the bugs year-round. Those are the ones you get sensitive to, even with a respirator. Especially if you're sweating. http://www.mimf.com/archives/toxic.htm and more in a search for toxic woods.

Green softwoods like spruce or tamarack, or even red pine can be a sticky mess all over the place, so curtain up and have solvent ready.

What really threatens the turner is a wood which offends the spouse, unless you're turning in a shed. Willow, elm, cottonwood come to mind, but some people don't like the smell of oak, either.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tyler I love turning Elm and Cedar. Cedar sure does make the shop smell good. My first bowl was black locust before I knew any better. It was like turning concrete. In the long run though it sure turned out to be a pretty bowl. I am sorry I would turn any wood I could get my hands on. You will love turning walnut. Turns nice and finishes excellent.

[William Bachtel]

I will turn any wood green, or dry, that comes my way, also I will use any type wood to build cabinets out of. I love it all.

[James Upshaw]

Purpleheart (hate it!), Desert Ironwood (dust is brutal, and it is like cutting stone), Black Limba, Aussie Blackwood, and Red Kabbes. And of course, any of the palm species.

[Kurt Whitley]

Padauk - that oily dust gets everywhere!
I dont understand why some woods produce so much dust when cutting them, but after cutting Padauk, you'd think I'd been sanding (for all of the mess created). It has enough oil that it clings so you can't shake/brush it off.

Cheers,
Kurt

[Jim Becker]

Honestly, the only wood you should "avoid" for turning is any species that is not healthy for you to work with. For example, I'm apparently very sensitive to bubinga so I now avoid working with it. Outside of that, there is no harm in trying anything you come across...your preferences will undoubtedly be different than other folks preferences over time.

[John Huber]

Black Palm. I just finished two table lamps that are stave construction of black palm and holly. They look very nice from a foot away, but not from close up. The black palm has two problems. First, the dark fibers come out as splinters. It will not support a small radius convex shape. The surface tends to be rough everywhere. Second, it has small voids, about the size of a pin head. As you sand them out, others appear. I put the remainder stock in a deep, dark corner of the shop and try to forget it.

[John Daugherty]

I agree with Jim. Tulipwood really does a number on me!

[Mike Vickery]

Silk oak is one I avoid now. Got some a while ago turned a couple 13 inchers with no problem the third one gave me a terrible rash that knocked me out of my shop for 2 weeks. I threw my rough outs away. Came to learn it is know for causeing really bad allergic reaction. I heard a couple horror stories from a guy in my club about what it did to a couple members and it sounds like I got lucky.

[Bill Wyko]

I'm using a wood called Montirello. It looks absolutly beautiful.....smells like POOP.:confused:

[Frank Kobilsek]

I'd avoid Ekee a blackish wood that does not make shavings rather 'dusts' off the tool. It makes a cloud of dust that hangs in the air for days. It pretty and I have a bunch of rattle blanks made up so the mini goes outside for that stuff.

Also Ear Pod. I got some stopper sized blanks from a guy in Maui. I can turn 2 maybe 3 then sweep up quick and run to the shower or I get a nasty itch going.

I ain't an oak fan but hickory is OK if the piece is not too big. 6" hickory bowl is fine, 12" will wear you out.

Love the Midwestern regulars, maple, walnut, cherry, ash ...
Frank

[Lee DeRaud]

I'm using a wood called Montirello. It looks absolutly beautiful.....smells like POOP.:confused:To counter that, I nominate Alaskan yellow cedar. Smells wonderful, but incredibly boring to look at: absolutely no grain, looks like plastic when it's buffed and waxed.

[Lee DeRaud]

Ditto on Purpleheart and Wenge. I would never include them on an "avoid" list but be aware that they can be a challenge. Very brittle and easy to blow out when dry.I did a laminated bowl early on out of dry wenge and lacewood. Felt like I was standing in front of a sandblaster the whole time I was turning it: tiny pellets of wood coming off at high velocity.

[keith zimmerman]

I have yet to find anything that I had a problem with (as long as I have plenty of CA close at hand).:)

keithz

[Matt Haus]

Mesquite

Smells aweful, makes a mess and has a black residue on your hands and if you add water to the dust, it discolors the floor. It turns like butter when wet and doesn't move hardly any after you have turned it. So I still like it for those qualities.

[Mike Vickery]

Mesquite

Smells aweful, makes a mess and has a black residue on your hands and if you add water to the dust, it discolors the floor. It turns like butter when wet and doesn't move hardly any after you have turned it. So I still like it for those qualities.

I have to like mesquite at least 50% of the free wood I get is Mesquite.

Use lemon juice to get the black stuff off of your hands.

[Pete Jordan]

I'll say this one.

http://www.gpnc.org/poison.htm

[Bill White]

Ditto on the padauk. I thought that I would be smart and try to wipe the dust off the wall behind the lathe. HAH!! Ended up having to wipe down w/ spirits. What a mess, but the candle sticks are very nice.
Bill

[Curt Fuller]

My response is more about wood not to avoid. When you're buying wood, unless you're buying online, you can usually look it over to see what kind of grain and character it has. But when you get to harvest it yourself you have to learn to guess at what will be the best wood and cut it accordingly. We had a little wood harvest go bad at our club recently because a few new guys didn't really understand where to find the prettiest and most figured wood in a tree. The crotches can be a little hard to cut but they almost always hold some nice stuff inside. Of course burls are always good. And the part of the tree that's nearest the ground and even the roots always holds some nice wood. I've seen quite a few guys just take all the straight logs and leave the good stuff, including the trunk behind.

[Jim Bell]

Poison Ivey Vine.