Standards on what woods need stabilization?

[angboy]

Is there anywhere that one can look to see if a wood type is one that should be stabilized before making into a pen? I've seen discussions on here about things like people on ebay selling blanks that aren't stabilized when they really should be used that way, but how's someone who's not knowledgeable about woods to know which ones to avoid if they aren't stabilized?

 

[Dario]

My method needs to have the wood on hand.

My rule of thumb is, all wood that I can easily leave mark with my fingernail get stabilized. Even just with CA after (or during turning). In this case I mostly use CA as finish.

Most spalted wood falls in this category.

 

[dubdrvrkev]

IMHO its more the condition that the wood is in rather than that species. Some species you can predict will need stabilizing, like buckeye burl for example. Not that it can't be turned without being stabilized. Just about any species could need stabilized if it decayed (punky) enough. A lot of time burls and cross cuts may need it earlier since you will be turning cross and end grain, and you won't have linear grain to support the wood as you cut.

You are in the right place, if you have a question about particular blanks just ask and someone will point you in the right direction. You can make you own stabilizing rig very inexpensively. I had everything on hand to make one except for one fitting which cost me about $1.

Don't be afraid to blow up a few blanks, I know I have. One of my first pens (almost) was box elder burl that should have been stabilized, (at the time I had never heard of stabilizing) it nearly disintegrated and left me with a brass tube spinning on the lathe. Humbling but an experience to remember.

 

[alamocdc]

Up until about a month ago, I thought any piece of wood that felt light and airy needed to be stabilized. After trying to stabilized some of those in question, I found out I was wrong. For example, I had a really pretty Redwood burl blank, but it weighed just about what a piece of Balsa its size would. I just knew if I tried to turn it without stabilizing it, I'd ruin it. I was dead wrong. I attempted to stabilize it, but it wouldn't absorb any of the stabilizing solution... surface only. I was utterly perplexed and amazed, so I decided to turn it anyway. It turned easily and without incident. By the same token, I cut into some spalted Maple almost a year ago and it wasn't punky or soft or light. I thought I could turn it without any problems... WRONG. Even using half a bottle of CA on a pen blank barely got the job done. Stabilization is in order for that stuff for sure. I have and do turn spalted Beech w/o stabilizing and have no problems, but most other spalted woods I will at least attempt to stabilize before turning.

The rest is trial and error... with a significant amount of the latter. For me anyway.