Have only turned easy stuff...pink ivory, cocobolo and bocote. Bought some 'spensive burl blanks that are stabilized and look to be covered in some kind of crusty stuff. What do I need to know/do to turn stabilized blanks. Have searched but want to make sure I have all the bases covered. The wood looks to be absolutely beautiful under the coating. Its not just the money thing...I would be unhappy to mess up such beautiful material.
Any special requirements for stabilized wood?
- Thread starter Chris Bar
- Start date
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Monty
Group Buy Coordinator
They are harder (not harder to turn) than regular blanks so light cuts, sharp tools and high speed.
Fred
Member
The "crusty" stuff is residual resins from the stabilization processes.
Stabilized wood has many, many advantages over bare wood .. a few being:
Wood stays cleaner, it is highly resistant to oils and such, it turns easier as catches are not as prevalent, burl blanks are not as prone to shattering, etc.
Some don't like the 'feel' of the wood and say it feels like plastic. To each their own. I think it feels plastic like if there is too much finish applied to even bare woods.
Scary sharp tools are a must in all turning operations, not necessiarly just for stabilized woods. Fresh clean sandpaper is also just as important when it is time to finish the project.
Stabilized wood has many, many advantages over bare wood .. a few being:
Wood stays cleaner, it is highly resistant to oils and such, it turns easier as catches are not as prevalent, burl blanks are not as prone to shattering, etc.
Some don't like the 'feel' of the wood and say it feels like plastic. To each their own. I think it feels plastic like if there is too much finish applied to even bare woods.
Scary sharp tools are a must in all turning operations, not necessiarly just for stabilized woods. Fresh clean sandpaper is also just as important when it is time to finish the project.
OK, thanks. Guess I need to touch up on (learn) how to sharpen my tools. Can do well with a knife but not sure on the lathe tools. What tools are most commonly used to make pens? The reason I ask is that I have tried a spindle gouge, a small bowl gouge, a 3/4 roughing gouge, but find that my big 5/8 inch Sorby bowl gouge works well, but I really don't have a basis of comparison. I reason that because it is so heavy, it cuts almost like an afterthought while it was waiting to do something real! Guess using a gouge like that on a little pen is akin to heresy.
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Fred
Member
I would say that the heavier the tool is the steadier it is to use.
I turn 99.99% of my pens using my Sorby oval skew which I keep scary sharp with my Tormek. I use one of my larger bowl gouges to "round" over the blank a good bit, then move to the skew. Speeds increase as I get closer to being finished, usually in the 1000 to 2800 RPM range. Then way down as I sand and apply finishes.
I turn 99.99% of my pens using my Sorby oval skew which I keep scary sharp with my Tormek. I use one of my larger bowl gouges to "round" over the blank a good bit, then move to the skew. Speeds increase as I get closer to being finished, usually in the 1000 to 2800 RPM range. Then way down as I sand and apply finishes.
MobilMan
Member
Chris. "commonly used tools" is what you feel comfortable with. Some use the skew which takes a lot of practice. I turn with the 3/4 spindle gouge held at 7-1 oclock position. It works almost like the skew, & rubbing the bevel gives a very smooth finish. Turning a pen is spindle turning. An easy way to keep the tool sharp is with a set of small diamond files [Rockler]. A wet stone can also be used. A disc or belt sander is also very handy.
S
spiritwoodturner
Guest
Chris,
Couldn't agree more with the "commonly used tools" response. Ask that question of woodturners and it's like asking a question about religion-no "right" answers. Watch the response that comment gets about being WRONG!!! You are definitely going to need to get decent at sharpening though-it's not hard, but without it you're going to be frustrated constantly with dull tools.
Another plus to stabilized wood, at least if professionally done or done by someone that knows what they're doing, is that you can wet sand if you want to and it will often polish up like glass. And they usually will hold up better to wear and tear.
So have fun, don't ever be afraid to wreck something, but call a local Woodcraft or Rockler to see if anyone is doing a sharpening class for free. 10 minutes (and maybe a few hundred bucks) later you'll be a pro!
Good Luck,
Dale
Couldn't agree more with the "commonly used tools" response. Ask that question of woodturners and it's like asking a question about religion-no "right" answers. Watch the response that comment gets about being WRONG!!! You are definitely going to need to get decent at sharpening though-it's not hard, but without it you're going to be frustrated constantly with dull tools.
Another plus to stabilized wood, at least if professionally done or done by someone that knows what they're doing, is that you can wet sand if you want to and it will often polish up like glass. And they usually will hold up better to wear and tear.
So have fun, don't ever be afraid to wreck something, but call a local Woodcraft or Rockler to see if anyone is doing a sharpening class for free. 10 minutes (and maybe a few hundred bucks) later you'll be a pro!
Good Luck,
Dale
Daniel
Member
I use a 3/4 or a 1/2 inch spindle gouge. I will switch between them on various materials and find which one seems to be working best for me. For me the smaller the tool the easier it cuts but it is also easier to make mistakes and get catches etc. So it really is a person to person thing about just what tool is best for doing what.
Also a sharp tool is easier to make mistakes when your are used to using not so sharp tools. they cut with a lot less effort and you loose a lot of resistance from the blank that many begin to rely on to get straight smooth cuts.
It is still best to learn to use sharp tools and use the tool rest to guide the tool.
Also a sharp tool is easier to make mistakes when your are used to using not so sharp tools. they cut with a lot less effort and you loose a lot of resistance from the blank that many begin to rely on to get straight smooth cuts.
It is still best to learn to use sharp tools and use the tool rest to guide the tool.
M
monkeynutz
Guest
Absolutely. There is no more critical skill to turning (in my lightly-regarded opinion, anyway) than to keep the tooling sharp.