Newbie turning question

[Jerome Hanby]

I'm going to need to turn some 3" hard maple dowels for a wood threading project. Local hardwood supplier doesn't carry 16/4 maple, thickest is 8/4. If their a problem with laminating two pieces of that then turning the spindle?

Thanks

[curtis rosche]

shouldnt be, just that you will see a glue line.

[Paul Heely]

No problem. Joint both faces before gluing and you probably won't even see the joint.

--
Paul

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jerome, I have turned some glue ups. If you are really careful about matching grains, and planing both surfaces, you may not see the glue lines.

[Jerome Hanby]

Thanks for the replies (and sorry for the typos). Seeing a line is zero problem, I'm constructing (or at least going to try) a large diameter tap and thread box for cutting the screw and "nut" for my workbench vises. The bigwoodvise guy uses ash for his actual end product, so I may bowwow a page from his play book and do likewise. After talking to the hardwood yard here in Birmingham (actually Alabaster), AL looks like I'll have to order the stock for my actual screw, the only 16/4 material they carry is poplar. Some good news though, that 16/4 poplar is $2.30 a board foot, the 8/4 soft maple is $3.30, and the 8/4 hard maple is $4.63. So I think I'm going to build my workbench base out of poplar and use the hard maple for laminating together a top and banding. I saw a good looking bench online somewhere that used poplar for the base and it seemed to turn out well.

[robert hainstock]

First, avoid popler. too soft, too punky. Google Bell Forest Products.com and they can supply you with Hard/sugar maple in most any size. They are located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula the heart of Maple country. Good luck on your project. :)
Bob

[paul wiser]

you can get 16/4 hard maple usually at groff and groff lumber in quarryville, pa. !-800 342 0001

[Jerome Hanby]

I bought 8/4 hard maple and will cut, joint, and glue it up to give me a blank I from which I can turn my 3" round stock.

This is a little off the starting subject, but Robert mentioned avoiding Poplar. I was just looking for something cheaper from which to build my workbench base. I think I can get Ash for not much more than the Poplar. Any other suggestions?

[robert hainstock]

Ash will work fine, but I would for bench tops always prefer hard or sugar maple. I would not use soft,or red maple. Three of my benches are hard maple from an old high school shop.They have to be fifty years old at least. while they are scarred, they still take a daily pounding. I have owned them for nearly thirty of those years and got them from the school when they were being replaced. :):)
Bob

[Jerome Hanby]

I'm pretty sure I'm going with Hard maple for the top. After loading and unloading that one 8/4 hard maple plank I'm thinking if I go with my plan to make a three or four inch thick top then I need to make friends with some offensive linemen :eek:.

Think I need to move this part of the discussion over to the neander forum.