Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Mostly found.

steve antonucci

>My three sources are:

FBDA: Found By Driving Around- usually a weekend thing, chainsaw in the truck, listen for others, drive by construction site clearing... fill the truck and go. About 60%.

Trading: If you live in Texas, you don't get a lot of Cherry. If you live in NJ, you don't get a lot of mequite. Trading makes new things available, but shipping in any quantity can be tough. about 20%.

And my new favorite source: local lumber mill. I went there the other day, and I loaded the truck with about 500# of cherry and walnut crotches (4 very big crotches) for $20. Seems that a lot of the mills can't cut them (too wide), so they lop them off before processing the logs. I have as many crotches as I could every possibly need waiting for me (he's made a pile for me), almost free. about 20%, but guaranteed to increase and outweigh both other components since it's one stop shopping for 25 species of all figured crotch wood, forklifted into my truck until the spring scream.

Steve

Can't swing a dead cat

Dominic Greco in Sunny Richboro PA

>

around here without hitting some prime turning stock waiting to be picked up for free! You can find just about any kind of domestic hard wood around here like Cherry, Walnut, Butternut (not much, but its there), Beech, Hickory, Maple (Box Elder, Norway, and Ambrosia), Oak, Sweetgum, Sassafras, Dogwood, Pear, Apple, Osage Orange, and Elm. My wife accuses me of wanting to move here because of this fact! (And she ain't that far from the truth folks!)

Just about everything I've turned is made from "reclaimed" lumber. However, I have purchased (3) or (4) small tropical hardwood blanks from Woodworker's Haven just to break up the monotony!

Catch ya' later,

Dominic

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Ryan McMullen

>Well, lets see, if your limiting to bowls and vessels then everything I have turned so far has been from neighborwood. As far bought wood the only thing I have turned from that has been spindle work.

So far it has been boxelder, cherry, cedar, black walnut and some other wood.

Ryan

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

John Lucas

>If we limit it to bowls and vessels I would say I turn 80 percent green or found wood and 20 percent dry wood that is segmented turning or platters.

80 percent or more of my turning is dry wood if we go by volume. I turn a lot of hand mirrors, and inside out turning which has to be dry. Christmas ornaments are both found wood and bought dry lumber.

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Verne

>No wood gloats here! My turnings are all purchased wood. Where I live there isn't such a thing as "found wood" and if you ever hear a trimmers saw echoing through town, you'd best stay inside, or you'll be trampled by the hundreds of other ravinous turners desperate for anything "green". Here in Northern Nevada the only thing green that's taller than Scrub Oak are evergreens and cottonwoods. Granted a lot of homes have a specimen tree in the front yard, but they're guarded night and day. My neighbor has a tall boxwood and we have an ash and several other smaller trees which I protect with my shotgun from a second story window . . .one day they will come down and I AM going to get there first!!!

-Verne

Re: Cottonwood

Russ Fairfield

>Verne,

Do not knock the lowly Cottonwood. It can have some beautiful grain. The crotch wood can be spectacular. It becomes translucent when it is thin with an oil finish. And it accepts carving and dyes very well.

You might start picking up some Cottonwood if it is available.

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Peter Teubel

>Ditto. I generally buy my wood for spindle work, but 100% of my bowl/vessel work is from free wood. Free, meaning no money involved. I sometimes have to drive to, cut up, and haul back the wood. But at least it gets me out of the shop for a little whiel. Good exercise, too.

Re: Can't swing a dead cat

Chuck Ludwigsen

>I'm with Dom. There are numerous species of really good turning wood around here that either falls from storms or is cut down and set by the street all year long. I pick up the "neighborwood" and save the solid waste crew the trouble. I've had 1 nail in 30 logs and should have seen and removed that one as well.

I have gotten better reviews from bowls I've turned from this found stock than I have from bowls turned with exotic stock.

Chuck

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Wayne Allen - Carson City. Nevada

>Verne -- I hear ya. It's pretty tough to find good wood around here. As Russ says, don't knock the cottonwood. It is easy to turn and has some very pretty grain patterns. However-- boy does that stuff move while it is drying. I recently turned a vase using green cottonwood. I tried to turn it very thin hoping it wood not distort too much and it turned very oval and then cracked at the base. Next time I will turn it thick, Anchorseal it and let it sit for several months before Trying to finish it. There is also lots of elm around here. I picked up several log rounds about 12-16" in diameter from a tree that was being cut down near the governors mansion. By the way where are you in Nothern Nevada? -- Wayne

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Don

>As with many of the others, I use a lot of found/free wood. I call it FIOTR wood. ( Found It On The Road) Most of the wood I have bought is special or exotic or so cheap I just can't pass it up. I also have a nephew in NC who is an arborist for a tree company that saves me special stuff. Long ride from NY but worth it. Also have a logger friend who saves me burls when he finds them.

Road kill

John Trant (aka Boxes-n-Bowls)

>Almost everything I turn is from wood derived from developers, neighbors, storm damage removal (i.e., "road kill"). I don't even go looking for it. Simply in my normal activities, I will run across more wood than I can carry or will be able to turn. It would take me a busy year to turn the stuff I already have in the back yard!

With that said, I do indulge in the occasional piece of exotic. In particular, I love the classic look and reasonable price of mahogany. Recently, I found that red palm looks real nice as turned boxes.

John

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Robert Peesel

>Well, since I am a stay at home Dad, I cant afford to buy wood, so I scavange all I can. With that said, I am the lucky recipient of a dastardly deed which will keep me turning Maple for years to come.

Some unscrupulous tree company dumped the remains of a HUGE Maple tree in the parking lot of our church instead of paying the dump to take it. This tree was massive as some of the lower trunk is over 36" in diameter and 8' long. There is easily several tons of wood here. The church got an estimate of $500 to have it taken away. I volunteered to be responsible for removing it as I know lots of turners who might be interested. By the way, if you are in the Northern Va area and want some Maple, please drop me a line.

I guess I will be turning Maple for quite some time to come.

Bob

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

John Trant (aka Boxes-n-Bowls)

>Bring some to the next Capital Area Woodturner's meeting. It would be welcomed in the silent auction or for sale to the turners with "big iron". After all, you need to make enough money to maintain the chainsaw so that you can get more wood!

John

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Robert Peesel

>Yeah I ought to do that. I let my membership expire since I was never able to make the meetings. They are quite a long way from me. Once I get a handle on what is there I will contact the membership so that they can come and get whatever is left.

Robert

Blown downs

Jorge Casta�eda ~ East Penobscot Bay

>Hi Mike,

So far I turn only wood from blown downs in our land, red maple and various birches, black cherry and shad bush, (a wild pear). Now that my level of skill is improving I am thinking of buying woods that otherwise I would never use.

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

RonZ

>Living in ISrael, almost all of my would is purchased. Occasionally I get olive tree trimmings. I was just visiting the US and my jaw droppped when I was in Washington and Georgia. All that free wood!! Enjoy both as far as I'm concerned. Utilize local wood but also make sure you turn those exotic woods once you've gained experience [Ray Key's admonition]. It's a great experience working with different woods and observing their texture, smells and characteristics. I could go for a cocobolo desk myself. =o)

Re: Cottonwood

Bernie

>COTTONWOOD PLATTER SAMPLE

Mostly borrowed. At night.

Al Kapocius, Metro Greendale

>

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Pete (Stafford, VA)

>Robert, where do you live? I'm down in Stafford....

Pete

Re: Turning wood: Purchase versus Found

Robert Peesel

>Well, here is a pic of the maple that was so nicely dumped without our knowledge...

I spent several hours cutting this up on Saturday. There is approximately 150 feet of tree trunk here. There are actually two rows of stacked wood in the background and the large piece on the right is 8' long and 24" in diameter. You will note that a couple of the large pieces look to be quilted underneath that bark...Now if I could only find a sawyer......