Need Help - Turning an Ash glue-up bowl

[Aaron Hamilton]

I am fairly new to turning and have turned some glue up blanks before into lamps, spindles, etc. I thought I'd experiment with some ash that I bought from my local hardwood dealer (I don't know how it was dried). I glued it up into a 10" dia. 6" deep blank and it is not turning worth a darn. It feels like I'm turning metal...and my tools are all freshly sharpened.

Is this because the ash is already dried? Or because it was dried using a specific method? (kiln dried for example). Am I just a weakling?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Aaron I have turned ash a lot since we have a abundance of it out here. When it is dry it is like turning concrete. It is best rough turned green with the walls 10% thickness of the diameter. If the bowl as yours is 10" I leave the sides around 3/4 to 1" thick and then let dry. I have turned a lot of it green, then put it in denatured alcohol to soak for 48 to 72 hrs. I wrap it in brown grocery sack. After wrapping I cut a hole out not quite to the edge of the bowl side. Let it dry on a rack for 3 weeks upside down or so then finish turning. The rack I use is a cooling rack for cooking you can get at Wal-Mart. It is a lot easier than turning a full dried blank in my opinion. The only thing I have found that is harder dry is black locust. You are right. The tools must be razor sharp. Hope this helps.

[Aaron Hamilton]

But...if this is plankwood that I just glued up to the desired bowl depth...and the wood was already dry....I'm pretty much out of luck right?

[Richard Madison]

Sharp tools, light cuts (can't "hog" dry wood like you can a green blank), and patience. Segmenters use dry wood, and look at all the great stuff they make. You can get there from here.

[Paul Zerjay]

Which way do you have your grain running?

[Aaron Hamilton]

I am turning on the edge grain, that is I'm cutting the hollow of the bowl through the "face" of the planks. I hope that makes sense.