Mesquite Crotch-Wood (help needed)

Top view 

Lee Weed

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Re: Mesquite Crotch-Wood (help needed)

Wally Dickerman at Green Valley, Az.

>To get the best figure out of crotch wood, make one cut down through the pith of both of the large branches. The best figure will be below that. Decide what to do with it after you see what you have after it's cut. You'll probably have some nice white sapwood in it.

Wally

Re: Top view

Phil Joines Krum, Texas

>The main thing to remember is that the crotch grain only runs directly between the piths. It may only be an inch thick.

There are almost unlimited ways to use it.

To make a basic bowl I'd find the center of where the crotch grain should be then draw a circle around it. The circle should be entirely in the wood, cutting off the bark on the sides. Cut it as round as you can. If you use a bandsaw be CAREFUL. The cuts at the sides will be unsupported and the blade can easily jam and brake.

Put the blank between centers. Using the tool rest get the tailstock end as ballanced as posable. That is the high sides of the blank should line up. Same with the low sides. This is looking across the bed of the lathe. It's tricky with a Y shape. After you've located the ballance point mark the locations of the centers. Take the piece off the lathe. Cut through the bark at the center of both sides so the tailstock and drive centers will have good solid wood contact. With the piece back on the lathe rough turn the outside. Cut through the bark on the headstock end to solid wood. Cut a tennon for your chuck. Reverse on the chuck and begin to hollow. As you get near the center check often to sse if you have reached the crotch grain. I usually stop cutting 1/2" or so to one side of the pith. Once you've guesed on how muck crotch grain to show go back and finish the outside.

If you want a thin bowl you'll need to work down both the inside and outside in steps finish sanding as you go. It takes some experance to do natural edge crotches because you never know how much, if any, cross grain there will be.

This piece is Elm. It's upside down to the way it grew.

BTW

Phil Joines Krum, Texas

>I like to turn crotch bowls with a round bottom. You can clearly see the grain from both sides.

Re: Mesquite Crotch-Wood (help needed)

Bill Hale / The Wood Spinner

>I do not even try to use a bandsaw, to risky. I do all my cutting with a chainsaw. What I do is to line up all of the piths and cut down through them. this will give you two pieces with exposed pith on one side. I put the piece in a set of blocks to hold steady with the bark side down. Mark your circle and center punch the center so you can find it later. Chain saw off as much as you can and mount it on the lathe to your satisfaction. Remove from the lathe and clean the bark off where your center will go.

I prefer to put the tennon on the cut side and turn bark on natural edge. This leaves a great grain in the bottom. On larger pieces I mount the same but turn a conventional bowl or platter.

Good turning and be safe

Bill