Basswood Wood

[Bernie Weishapl]

Well got a piece of basswood from Dick Strauss. Got around to turning it yesterday. It has a lot of spalt in it. Was kinda punky and difficult to turn. I busted the tenon off 3 times and decided to use a faceplate which meant screw holes. So I saved the sanding dust mixed with epoxy to fill them. The Hunter tool worked pretty good on it and also spent some time sanding. I think it turned out pretty good especially with the spalt. So anyway with a little patience made it work. It has 1 coat of antique oil on it. It is 10" X 4".

[Steve Schlumpf]

Good looking bowl Bernie! Beautiful spalt patterns and colors! Glad you were able to finish the bowl - it's a keeper!

[Andrew Derhammer]

I've never seen such pretty basswood. Hmm do they have troutwood?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bernie....that's a pretty piece of wood. I like that form and finish.

[lynn smith]

That's a beaut Bernie
Did you do anything special to deal with the punkiness?

[Ben Gastfriend]

Looks good Bernie, I would have never thought basswood was a good turning medium...

Yes, Steve, I know... if it's wood, I can turn it.

[robert hainstock]

Never thought I'd see that beautiful grain in a piece of basswood. Very nice capture. :D
Bob

[dennis kranz]

Thats a nice looking bowl Bernie. The wood makes it extra special. I don't think I would have finished it with that many break offs.
Dennis

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks to all. It did turn out better than I thought it would when I started but with a little patience it worked out.

Lynn in a couple of places where it was soft and punky I used epoxy mixed with Denatured Alcohol to a consistancy of milk. I used a old paint brush and painted it on till it wouldn't take anymore. Let it dry and then finished turning. Works pretty good.

[Dick Strauss]

Bernie,
Nice save on that one!!! You did well to get a 10x4" bowl from a 12x5" blank given the situation. You sure brought out the best in that one!!! You always know where to find its twin (the other half of the log) and other family members if you want to be a make another one:D;)! I think you had a crotch piece, right?

Ben,
Basswood is a little stringy naturally like poplar or willow. So it requires that you keep your tools consistently sharper than say maple or cherry.

Robert,
For some reason all of my basswood that started light has changed to look like this. I must have sealed some spores into the wood when I harvested it and sealed with Anchorseal. The wood is now dry so the process has been halted. This wood is so dry that Bernie turned this one to completion in one sitting.

Epoxy Thinning FYI
A buddy that used to work in the auto painting area of one of the big three car maufucturers did an experiment for thinned epoxy penetration. He found that xylol (xylene) worked best as a thinner and that it helped increase penetration depth. Xylol/Xylene is available at local hardware/paint stores.

Epoxy works great as a finish too though it takes a while to build the finish thickness.

[Richard Madison]

Beautiful piece, Bernie. Good example of an old saying, "You have to have the will to do the work". Some things are more work than others.

[Bruce Pennell]

Nicely done Bernie, thanks for all the info, I've had a couple pieces of punky wood, I'll have to give it a try next time...Thanks Bruce

[David Wilhelm]

Very good job. That is about one step above glueing up and turning floor sweepings!! I've drilled a few small holes in some tenons and filled and soaked the tenons with thin CA to help them hold. You did a great job keeping this one together.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks again. Yep I thought 2 or 3 times it would be headed for the firewood pile but stuck with it.

[Bob Hallowell]

Bernie good save it was worth it cause that thing is nice!

Bob

[Toney Robertson]

Very nice Bernie,

Spalted wood like that can be maddening but IMO it is worth it. You brought out the best in this piece.

I am trying to turn a highly spalted piece of maple right now and it is pushing my buttons.

Toney