Snakewood - not as hard as I thought :)

[aikiadam]

Pretty new to turning, only made a handful of kit pens so far but a few weeks ago I bought some snakewood.

I heard it was difficult to turn and not for beginners, but got it anyway thinking it would give me something to work towards.

Anyhow....couldn't wait and have it a go tonight - and it wasn't as difficult as I'd been lead to believe.

Turned, sanded and already has a real nice finish, not decided what to really finish it with - tempted to try a CA finish but also considering the basic laqour I've used on my other few pens.

I'm only making a standard Sierra with this one but have enough wood to make another 8 pens or so; so may be a little more adventurous next time.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Hang on to it for a while - make sure it doesn't crack spontaneously!

 

[edstreet]

the 'difficult' part about snakewood is keeping it cool and not over heating it. If you DO overheat it then it loves to crack and crack freely it does. It can be worked and it does look very good, just make sure it's very dry and watch that heat.

 

[aikiadam]

Thanks - I'd heard about it cracking and the need to make sure it doesn't overheat , but have to say it's worked like a dream so far, a little more sanding and apply a finish and all done. Mind you my garage was freezing cold!

 

[mikespenturningz]

I like your choice of hardware for this wood. I see a lot of beginners turn a really nice piece of wood and put it in a $1.5 kit and I think to myself why. This will be a beautiful sierra. Nice job very good choice of hardware the ability to add a very high end ink cartridge..

 

[mark james]

Very nice work!

I've turned twice with Snakewood - the first time my arms broke out into a rash that took 10 days to heal...

I have an overhead mounted JET air filter unit, a Jet 1 HP cyclone unit, wear a full face shield and respirator when the wood dictates, and a Sorby Full sleeve smock when the wood dictates... (I try).

I put Snakewood on my list of "Nice, but no thanks" list and forgot about it.

3 weeks ago was bored, so looked for something different... Yup, Snakewood (memory is a problem if I remember right...), turned a nice pen... blisters, rash and itching are almost gone.

The last 2 blanks were donated to another turner!

Nice wood - glad you can turn it!

 

[jcm71]

With crackers like Snakewood, I freeze my drill bits and swap out often. Don't know if it does any good, but success so far.

 

[its_virgil]

I am a bit skeptical about the heat theory cracking snakewood. If heat is the culprit why does it not crack during drilling, turning, or sanding when the heat being created instead of waiting days or even weeks or longer to crack? I just don't quite buy it….but I am a bit of a cheapskate. :biggrin: And, I could be totally off base and wrong.

I have turned several snakewood pens. None have cracked during the process of making the pen. I do not glue in the blanks while turning. Yes, blanks can be turned without the tubes glued in place. I remove the tubes and set the blanks aside for a few weeks. I check to see if the tubes fit and if not the blanks get a reaming with the drill bits. Back on the shelf for another wait. I go this routine until I think the blank has stabilized. Then I glue in the tubes and place them back on the shelf. I wait until the cracking happens then I repair the crack with sanding dust and CA. Finish turning, sand and apply a finish. Seal the ends with thin CA and assemble. I have never had a snakewood crack once this is done. A cracked and repaired primo snakewood pen is nicer than most any other wooden pen. I have not had one returned because of cracking. I have made about 20 pens from snakewood.

I have even repaired (4) cracked snakewood pens for one customer whose was told by the original maker that there was no way to repair a cracked pen. That pen maker just lost a good customer and I gained one.

Do a good turn daily!
Don