Sources for Blanks

Local source? My basement, garage, shed...........

Dick Coers

If we knew where you lived it would help. Talk to tree trimmers and arborists. Plenty of ash being cut these days and it turns and dries easily.

Sources for Blanks

Bob Eckles

Hi Dick,

Thanks for the response. I am in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Dawned on me right after I posted the message that I probably should have included that little piece of information :-)

Thanks,

Bob

Re: Sources for Blanks *LINK*

Ed Davidson

Consider joining a local chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. Chapters usually meet once per month...demos, how-to's, show-n-tell and wood giveaways. Looks like the closest chapter to you is the one linked below.


Marion Iowa AAW Chapter - The Corridor Woodturners

Re: Sources for Blanks

Bill Howatt

You may find specialty lumber stores will find squares and rounds suitable for bowls. On the downside, they tend to be expensive if you are learning or even turning for fun. If you're selling the finished product then it isn't as big an issue.

Tree trimmers can be a good source and if the city has a place where they take cut tree trunks it can be a good place if there is access to it. Unfortunately, big chippers are too popular these days. If you get into a turning club as suggested and which I highly recommend (it will save you a lot of mis-directed learning time) the members will be a good source of leads and many may have surplus wood they want to get rid of.

Tune your ears up to the sound of a chainsaw and when you hear one.... you get the idea!

Bill

Re: Sources for Blanks

John C Lucas

You say you are an amateur woodworker. If you have a table saw start doing segmented turning. You can glue up all kinds of flat wood into projects for owls, lamps, Christmas ornaments, and my specialty band mirrors. I have only rarely purchased a bowl blank. I either glued them up or harvested them myself

Re: Sources for Blanks

John K Jordan

When I started turning and often since I simply glued several pieces of board together. That's how I made my first bowl.

That said, if you have a chainsaw and a bandsaw (or at least one of those) you can find free green wood and cut your own blanks. You can turn it green, turn green then turn again when dry to final shape, or let the blanks dry before turning. I do a lot of the last one and have shelves full of dry and drying blanks.

Part of what kind of blanks to find and use depends on WHAT you want to turn. Bowls can be easily turned green. Lidded boxes are better turned dry.

JKJ

Sources for Blanks

Bob Eckles

Awesome!! Thanks Ed - I will definitely reach out to them!

Re: Sources for Blanks

Bob Eckles

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the response. Just started so am turning for fun now. Have tried a couple small bowls out of basic 2x lumber. Have to learn to guage the depth of the bowl better. Have cut through the bottom on two of them while parting them off.

Have watched a few videos on creating blanks from raw stock. Looking forward to giving that a try.

Thanks,

Bob

Re: Sources for Blanks

Bob Eckles

Thanks John,

I have thought about that. Do you use regular wood glue when you do that?

Thanks again,

Bob

Re: Sources for Blanks

Bob Eckles

Thanks John,

Will give the glue up method a try for sure.

Bob

Re: Sources for Blanks

Jake niedling

I recommend Johnson wood products in Strawberry Point, Iowa. They offer a nice box of wood special which I have bought several times over the past 10 years. Also have individual blanks as well. Here is there website. http://www.johnsonwoodproducts.com

Re: Sources for Blanks

john lucas

Yellow glue, white glue or even Liquid hide glue all work. The important thing is to let the glue joint sit for a good while before turning or sanding. The glue has water that tends to expand the wood. If you turn and sand it too soon the joint will feel smooth but in a few days it will feel lumpy right at the glue line. If you let it sit long enough the wood has a chance to dry back out and shrink and then when you turn and sand it should stay pretty flat.

There is a lot to learn about grain orientation and proper glue up, just like there is a lot to learn about turning green wood. Joining a club is the best way to learn. Joining the American Association of Woodturners is the next best thing. They have started reviewing videos to weed out the bad videos on you tube so if you watch one recommended by the AAW you can feel comfortable about getting accurate and safe information.

Re: Sources for Blanks

mikeee12345

Cedar Rapids area should have plenty of wood cutters in the area.

Look on CraigsList and you should find several people that have portable saw mills

that process trees in the area, usually one of these guys will offer wood slabs and blanks

to the woodworking people in your area. These guys can also cut custom sized blanks if you

get to the point where you want to make larger pieces. I have several wood cutters that I send

an email to and they put my request on the order sheet and wait for the right tree to come in to

cut the size of blanks I need.

A trailer or pickup truck and a chainsaw is the ultimate solution for wood blanks. I use a gas saw

away from the shop and an electric chainsaw when I process the wood at home.

Re: Sources for Blanks

John Jordan

Ed mentioned the Corridor Woodturners. It is a very active group and they cut a lot of wood. Go to a meeting and sign up and you'll have all the wood you need. I was there earlier this year-great bunch of folks.

John

Re: Sources for Blanks

ebd

If you want to practice ... I often use 2X6, 2X8 or 2X10 scraps to practice or to make a prototype.

I do a lot of simple segmented bowls and sometimes I want to make sure of or refine an idea. I use scrap 2 by to glue up a blank as a test piece. It's cheap and if you blow it up, it doesn't hurt like playing with a piece of expensive exotic.

Ditto, me too

Are you guys talking Big Box SPF?

Dick Coers

I'd hesitate to tell a beginner to start on Big Box spruce/pine/fir dimensional lumber. The frustration must be horrible, just like the surface finish! The firewood pile would be a much better place to start if the checking hasn't started.

Maybe it's me, but I am constantly getting people calling me to give me wood. Even with the billion board feet I have, I still brought home some 16" diameter cherry a couple weeks ago. So my advice is to tell the neighbors and friends what hobby you are starting, and the phone will ring soon. The neighbors will regret telling you about logs when the piles of "turning blanks" starts to cover the entire back corner of your property, or that spalting pile starts to smell a little, or the curls cover your property about a foot deep, or the chain saw starts up at 8:00 pm in the summer, etc......!

Re: Sources for Blanks

kkruizen

I don't know how close Cedar Rapids is to Strawberry Point; but, I came across this website when was passing thru Iowa on a trip the timing did not work out for me to stop so cannot give any feedback but still have it in my bookmarks.

http://www.johnsonwoodproducts.com

Johnson Wood Products

34897 Crystal Road

Strawberry Point, IA 52076

ph: 563-933-6504

Re: Plywood

Stuart Johnson

I use plywood scraps for segmented tests. From time to time they come out nice enough or unusual enough to finish.

Re: Are you guys talking Big Box SPF?

john lucas

I have turned a lot of just standard 2x4 and 2x6 stock. It's great for practicing. Now if your using only scraping tools not so great. The finish off those is terrible but a good sharp gouge will leave an almost polished finish.

Re: Sources for Blanks

mikeee12345

Practicing with pine blanks will quickly hone your tool skills and sharpening skills.

Easy wood to cut and glue for prototypes and readily available for little or no cost.

A good way to develop a process on a new project without the cost of good wood.

I have made a number of segmented pieces from pine to provide as an example of the

design concept prior to getting a commission on a new piece. I have also used pine to

make a number of forms/molds/tools from, pine over the long term is a very stable wood

when properly sealed and finished.

Re: Sources for Blanks

J Bodin

Johnson Wood Products is a very good supply but, as a new turner the firewood pile or 2X for spindle turning would be more economical. The Corridor Wood Turners meets on the 3ed Thursday of the month and you are welcome to join us. We will be meeting at a members shop for the January meeting - I'll call you with the details. The next week will be busy for me as we have family coming for the Holidays.

Turning Big Box pine

John K Jordan

>>>I'd hesitate to tell a beginner to start on Big Box spruce/pine/fir

>>>dimensional lumber. The frustration must be horrible, just like the surface finish!

I actually use dimensional pine from HD for turning and for practice for beginners. When teaching spindle turning to rank beginners the first thing we do is take a skew chisel to piece pine cut from 2x lumber (or cedar, or poplar). I think I learned this method from Mike Darlow's fundamentals book.

The finish off the tool on what I think might be white pine (they sure don't know!) doesn't matter for learning but it can be good to very good with sharp tools.

For an example of turning long, thin spindles, I cut a 3/4" square from a piece of HD shelving pine and turned a 25" taper from about 1/2" down to 1/16". Made one from walnut too - these are blackboard and whiteboard pointers for professor friends, no handle on the second one yet. Shown with a 12" ruler.

The long, thin spindles make for good skew practice. No steady rest. The pine was flexible enough to present a challenge. The finish was excellent.

A friend from Australia send me some of his local wood so I made the pointer handle from a piece, Gidgee, I think.

JKJ

Re: Turning Big Box pine

Dick Coers

I was never brave enough to give a rank beginner a skew as first chisel choice. I guess I've missed out on a valuable resource at the crocked wood bin at Home Depot all these years. Guess I'll have to burn all this free cherry and go buy some 2x4s. LOL