Trees to Stay Away from for Turning

Brian McInturff asked: So what trees do I stay away from. I want to cash in on free stock like a lot of you guys do, but which trees are not great for turning. I'm looking at smaller items in a 10" and less diameter, but plan on having one of my other lathes up and running soon. I'm guessing all fruit trees are good for turning as well as oak, walnut, cherry, elm, and maple. But how about pines? I live in Myrtle Beach, SC and don't have a lot of local trees to choose from. Wish palm trees weren't in the grass family.

Ron in Drums PA: The most important tree to stay away from is the one growing on your neighbor's land. Sometimes they just don't understand…Otherwise if it's wood, it turns! By the way, you will get splattered with pine and with wormy wood.

John Lucas: Wet pine is probably the only tree I stay away from. I don't like the sap getting all over me. Other than that I've turned a little bit of everything. Hardwoods like locust just take longer to turn but I still like them.

Adrien: Cryptomeria. It crumbles instead of slicing.

JKJ in East TN: The basswood I turned once was extremely soft and prone to end grain tearout, as did buckeye. Some eastern red cedar I've had did the same but some other did not. I haven't turned any dry hickory, but someone in our club called it the most cussed wood he ever attempted. Maybe he didn't have sharp tools. Another guy gave me a lyptus blank since, in his words, it turned like granite. However, I enjoyed making a bowl from it although it did need razor sharp tools.

Also, some woods (such as oak) are more pleasant to turn when green than dry. Others, as mentioned, are messy when green! Others are reportedly prone to crack and split when drying, depending on the wall thickness, geometry, and drying technique. I understand wood such as apple, peach, and pear are like this but all I know about them is from what I've read. You may want to avoid woods you are sensitive to. I (and others) break out in a rash when turning eastern red cedar and cocobolo. However, it's difficult to know exactly which without trying them.

Brian: Dont stay away from palm just because it is in the grass family. It is a pain to turn and very difficult to keep on the lathe but it is worth the effort. I have had several that turned out very nice. Do a web search for Dewey Garrett—he is known for his palm pieces. Just be forewarned, palm doesn't like to be held on the lathe with a scroll chuck use a glue block or another method (I learned this the hard way). Other than that, whatever you can find. I haven't found anything yet that wasn't suitable for turning. Some just required a little more work than others.

George Balock: The only wood I've disliked turning was red oak. It was difficult to dry without checking. I've been told to stay away from pin cherry (smooth bark). It is prone to ring shake. The ones that have surprised me were some of the ornamentals—arborvitae and japonica.