Burl Turning

[Clement Feme]

I have tried to turn some burl pen sections, and having a very difficult time. I have a good sharp tools, but the wood is so brittle, that it just blows out before I get to the diameter that I want, I am wondering why I am having only thin dust on my table. I have found that I can only scrape with my gouge, or skew. It takes forever to get a sizeable pen blank turned. Any advice would be appreciated.

Clement

 

[SDB777]

You can use thin CA and allow it to soak into the wood, such as I do when turning Afgan Pine Cones. But you will still need to hang in there with the skew!


Scott (photo's would help) B

 

[RodNeep]

I would agree with flooding the burl wood with thin CA when you start to get about 1/16" oversize.

By that will make the wood even harder, of course. The first turnings that you take off after the CA has dried will be white milky stuff, before you get back down into the wood.

The clue is that you are getting only dust. That points to a tool that isn't sharp enough. You lean on it a bit more... and pop goes the wood.

No burl should be so hard that you only get dust instead of chips. Even with just a gouge.

Rod