Ponderosa Pine

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Ric Erkes

>Do a Google search for Phil Brennion. The AAW President. I believe that is the pine he uses in his thin turnings. He also lives in AZ.

Ric

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Dinyar Chavda

>Jay:

Let me save you a lot of trouble!

What you need to do is to immediately take the log to UPS, and ship it to me. I will be happy to take it off your hands. :-)

Seriously, it is beautiful wood to turn, whether you turn it thin, or not. If you turn it thin, you can dunk it repeatedly in Witch's Brew (look at Russ' secrets under submersible finishes), and it will take on a sheen and translucence. Even if you don't turn it thin, it can be quite spectacular because of the colors and the spacing of the "eyes" from the branches--one way to turn it is in spindle orientation, which allows the eyes to be regularly spaced aroudn the vessel or bowl.

A good site to look at is Ron Kent's (www.ronkent.com).

Dinyar

P.S. Where did you get the Ponderosa Pine from? I thought that it needed a moist climate like Hawaii or Florida.

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Wally Dickerman at Green Valley, Az.

>Dinyar, I think that you may be confusing Ponderosa pine with Norfolk pine. The largest stand of Ponderosa pine in North America is in Arizona. It likes a semi-arid climate. Also, don't count on the knots of Ponderosa pine being even and stable as they are in Norfolk pine.

Wally

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Russ Fairfield

>Other than a difference in the knot pattern Ponderosa is every bit as translucent as the Norfolk Island Pine when it is turned thin and soaked in an oil finish. Whether the knots are tight or loose depends on whether the branch was growing or dead when the tree was cut. If they are loose, attach them with some CA glue.

Keep your tool sharper than you would with a hardwood. Honing the edge with a small stone is a definite help.

Pitch and sawdust build-up will be a problem while turning. Keep a can of Kerosene close by, dip the tool often, wipe it clean, and dip it again before going back to the wood with it.

I use two identical gouges when turning Ponderosa, one soaking in the kerosene and the other in my hand.

If you are having tear-out problems, try a slower lathe speed, and sharpen the tool.

Thanks All

Jay Sullivan in So AZ

>Thanks for the good info. I bought this log section from a firewood dealer for $10. It was relatively fresh so had little checking. I have some large blanks -- the largest 6" X 13" from this log that I am anxious to turn.

Jay

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Doug Leite

>Join the AAW. In the last American Wodturner Journal, there is a 4 page story by Phil Brennion on turning Ponderosa Pine. I wish we had some here, but I get all of the Norfolk Pine that i want.

Aloha

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Glenn Hodges

>The Cartwrights lived on the Ponderosa Ranch, named after the Ponderosa pine....I believe. It was suppose to be located near Virginia City, Nevada, but that was Hollywood, and definately not Florida.

Nashville, Georgia

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Bill Hale / The Wood Spinner

>The Ponderosa gets a very nice grey pattern as it spalts. Nice but pitch is a little problem.

Good turning and be safe

Bill

Re: Ponderosa Pine

Jack

>I live in SW Oregon and have 11 acres of Ponderosa pine. My version of the tree is very difficult to finish although it is easy to turn in any orientation.

I prefer Madrone of which I have a surplus enough to burn it in my wood stove. Also black and white oak.

I just bought a big (24") black locust for 125 buckeroos. Now that'll keep the chips flying for a couple of months. The grain looks spectacuar.

Jack