Free pile of some fir, worth turning?

[Michael Schneider]

Threre is a pile of freshly cut fir. Unknown type. Very green and just cut. Strong pine odor.

some sites say don't mess with pine, the grain is nice. Do you turn wet pine?

Thanks, and sorry for the stupid question, but have conflicting info

[John Keeton]

Not for me, but each to his own.

[John K Jordan]

I think the thing to do is try it and see.

I don't know about fir, but some conifer species have gooey pitch which might be a messy problem. In KD lumber, this is "set" with heat.

JKJ

[Thomas Canfield]

Be ready to wipe down your lathe with mineral spirit and watch out for slinging sap around the shop. I use shower curtains around my lathe that really take a sap shower when turning the green wood.

[Rich Colvin]

Thomas,

I am interested in your pictures / experience with curtains around the lathe. I've thought about it, but haven't made the jump yet.

Rich

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Check out the work of Bill Luce. He's turned a lot of Douglas Fir. It is truly an art. Not easy to do well - the variations in seasonal growth brings a big difference in how it cuts. Incredibly hard to get a good clean surface off the tool. Then there's the pitch...
Bill was severely injured in a motorcycle accident several months ago. Still recovering - it's going to be a long road back. His work is on the web (google) and shows up in Raffan's "Art of the Bowl".

[Dale Miner]

Run, dont walk away.

[Al Wasser]

Pines (many species), fir (several species), spruce (several species) don't lump them all in the same "no good" basket. Some wil turn well and some won't regardless of the species.

[Jim Underwood]

Try it and see. But you'll definitely have to turn it twice for bowls. And use very sharp tools and a good technique.

I've turn a bit of kiln dried Fir and it makes some nice legs and ornaments.

[Russell Neyman]

In a word: nope. It will be ugly, messy, and you'll hate it.

[Scott Ticknor]

In large scale architectural turning ( Victorian style for example ) Douglas fir ,Cedar, Redwood all are well represented using mainly vertical grain. For bowl turning,it is a challenge for most as the wood doesn`t support the cut well.Cutting a flat grain bowl and then sandblasting the surface reveals a nice texture. If its free ,why not try it? Be your own judge.

[Aaron Craven]

Overall, I'm not a fan of pine, but I've seen beautiful things made from wood I had previously rejected as worthless. I'm thinking green pine would be pretty messy because of the sap, but it shouldn't do any lasting damage to anything, so if you think you might want to give it a try, go for it!

I mean, hey... I've seen videos of Tim Yoder turning a can of refrigerated biscuits on a lark...

[John K Jordan]

I mean, hey... I've seen videos of Tim Yoder turning a can of refrigerated biscuits on a lark...

This is my entry in the "turning food" category:



JKJ

[Thomas Canfield]

Thomas,

I am interested in your pictures / experience with curtains around the lathe. I've thought about it, but haven't made the jump yet.

Rich

Rich - I do not have any posts as such of my shower curtains, but the ideas are out there if you search . I buy oversize curtains from Amazon and use 3/4" or 1" EMT conduit hanging on ropes to adjust curtain to just touch the floor. The ropes allow for minor adjustment in height when needed. The curtains can be pulled to side when not needed. The curtains also help in winter with my little oil filled space heater warming up that area of shop more. My curtains are now so discolored from sap that I would hate to post a picture.

[Jim Underwood]

It occurs to me to suggest turning an end grain bowl (without the pith). You'll have to adjust your thinking and technique for this kind of a bowl.