question on purchasing blanks

Re: question on purchasing blanks

JL

>Depends on what you want. Do you want dried wood or wet wood? I'll give an example. Dealer HH has racks of wood outside in their courtyard. These are small log sections. Some have been anchor-sealed, some have not. HH also has some small pieces that are totally anchor-sealed that are "square" blanks. Dealer AW has racks of wood with "blanks", the green stuff is anchor-sealed and comes in roughly "square" blanks. They also have pieces that are dried. They carry small pieces for spindle turning as well. They have boxes full of rough burls, much of it sealed.

Most dealers that I am familiar with have "bowl" blanks in "square" form. Put it on the bandsaw and you are ready to go. If you want to specify size, orientation and what not, you will lose a lot of choice and add a lot of cost.

Re: question on purchasing blanks

John K Jordan

>JL, When I visited dealer HH, I didn't see any pieces anchor sealed. Much of what I saw in the courtyard was so cracked and split it looked unusable. I don't know if they ship pieces, but if I ordered and got something like what I saw I'd be very disappointed.

I asked why it was not sealed and the gentleman in the store told me they have a deal with a woodcutter to take his blanks, that's the way he supplies them, and it would cost them too much to seal them. Did I miss something, or is there only good wood there some of the time?

Ken, I've read here where some people have bought wood successfully long distance - maybe some will chime in. I would prefer to see the wood in person so I could look at the grain, figure, and size and imagine what I could make from a given piece.

If I HAD to buy long distance I'd look for a wood dealer I could trust who is also a wood turner. I believe some people buy wood from Dave Smith here and Gary Evans also sells wood. I know Gary personally (he lives within a few hours drive from me) and can vouch for his integrity and the care he puts into wood selection. I'm sure there are also others who frequent this forum who can supply wood that will fit your needs but I don't know of them.

JKJ in East TN

Re: question on purchasing blanks

Jim King

>I like your question and I hope these photos dont offend anyone but from a dealer you can get almost anything you want . Some dealers sell from a specific region and some are from anywhere in the world. These are some photos that when I saw your question I walked over to the shop and took. 26 species, every color and grain pattern except blue. We sell a lot here in the Amazon to tourists in both blanks and to the wives who think that the husband will never get the piece turned so she insists in buying a finished piece also. These photos represent about 11,000 bf of blanks.

Re: question on purchasing blanks

Carole in VA

>Ken, you might check out EBay. Lot's of people sell blanks there. But also check the seller feedback and ratings. Also, put a post in the "looking for something" section here. I'm sure you will get responses.

Re: question on purchasing blanks

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>Ken,

You can get turning wood in just about any configuration you want. Sometimes obtaining a specific species in a specific size/grain orientation might be difficult based on a particular dealer's inventory. I can't imagine someone not wanting to help you get blanks the size and configuration you want.

I am leaning toward more blank preparation. Those who are just beginning with this addiction may not have a handy bandsaw. I know some folks don't even have a chainsaw.

For the Southern States symposium I prepared a bunch of pieces which were 2" to 3" thick and 6" to 10" in diameter. They sold quite well. I don't think anyone likes roughing out a square piece on the lathe. I also had in mind that those with Mini-lathes might particularly appreciate them. I expect to spend extra time dimensioning and shaping blanks before the Nashville symposium in August.

I don't often mention in my posts that I sell turning wood, as I don't like to commercialize this forum. But, as I understand Ellis' perspective on this, if someone says "Where can I buy?", it's O.K. to say "I sell that." So, Ken, if I can help you with turning blanks, let me know.

Thanks to my friend John K. Jordan, for the kind comments. Now I'm the one who's BLUSHING!

Gary

Re: question on purchasing blanks

ken chase

>Thanks. I tried to go to your website was was denied access.

Re: question on purchasing blanks

ruth in So. Cal

>Ken, I have bought wood from ebay in the past with great success.

There is a new supplier of exotic blanks coming online soon in Washington State. The website is under development and they are not ready to ship yet, but will be in a couple of weeks.

The part of their website that is up and running is the 'inventory'. I would suggest you have a look at it and keep your eye on it for the launch. It is www.exoticwoodworks.com The inventory is extensive and the prices are reasonable. In the meantime, do you have a friend who has a bandsaw and could do some shaping for you?

Re: question on purchasing blanks

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>Ken,

I don't have a website, yet. That is coming soon. E-mail me, and we can talk about what you want.

Gary

Don't give up yet

Brad Vietje

>Ken,

If you want exotics and rare woods, you'll probably have to buy them. I only rarely buy wood without seeing it and looking it over real well -- for two reasons. First, there are a lot of cracked hunks of wood out there. Second, the shipping can really add up.

For local woods and burls, I'd say check out a "local" turning club (w/in a few hours drive) and find out who turns a lot of wood they harvest themselves. Visit their shop and ask a lot of questions about how they do it, and what works/doesn't work. Like hollow forms, using bowl gouges and taming the skew, there is a trick to harvesting wood sucessfully. If the wood hasn't been handled correctly, or even felled correctly, you can work all day, and have no more than a few pen blanks to show for it. Also, some woods are much harder to process from green than others. Others, like Walnut and Butternut are much easier. If that Chinaberry wasn't handled and stored correctly before you cut it up, there might have been no saving it.

When I first started turning, it seemed like I just couldn't find enough wood, and each piece seemed valuable -- what were they talking about cutting a bowl in half ?!?! -- now I can't turn it fast enough, and need to give some away so it doesn't rot. With time and a few well-placed questions, you'll find plenty of good wood, and your yeild will go up dramatically -- I wouldn't give up on "pick-your-own" wood just yet.

Safe Spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT

Re: question on purchasing blanks

ken chase

>Ruth:

I have an 18" Aganazzi band saw. I'm on my second Timberwolf blade (about $35.00 with shipping)

and it just will not do the job. I can't get through

some chinaberry I have. I purchased a chain saw to cut it. I know others have spoken well of this product but for some unknown reason it just does not work for me. I was careful to remove the bark before cutting with the idea I could preserve the sharpness and it still dulled after very little use. Any alternative ideas will be welcome

Thanks

Re: question on purchasing blanks

John K Jordan

>>... can't get through some chinaberry I have.

I haven't tried to cut chinaberry. Are you feeding slowly? Is there a buildup of resin or gunk on the sides of the blade? (Try lubricating the blade before cutting)

Are you trying to use a blade with more than 4 TPI? (I generally use a 1/2" or 3/4" blade with 3 TPI.)

Does it start to cut OK then get very difficult? If so, when it gets difficult, is the blade bowing? If so, make sure the tension is high enough. (and the blade sharp) The Bandsaw Handbook has some great tips for setting up the bandsaw and explains the value of coplanar tracking over tracking with the blade centered on the tire.

BTW concerning cost of blades: I've been sharpening my own blades lately and while time consuming, it certainly makes them much cheaper! They cut every bit as well as a new blade.

JKJ in East TN

Re: question on purchasing blanks

ruth in So. Cal

>Ken, I recently cut some china berry and found it very easy with my chain saw. I think your bandsaw should be able to cut through pretty much anything if it is set up right.

I am only in Riverside and if you like, I could drive out to Palm Springs next weekend, either saturday or sunday and give you a hand. I have also been using a chain saw for years and as you are a new user, I can probable give you some tips to make things easier.

I have some pepper tree as well that was felled about a week ago that I can bring over and we can use it for the bandsaw run through.