Which wood?

[Madman1978]

I am looking at the offering of pen blanks from Bell Forest. I started to think about what wood would all of you like to work with. AS well What wood has been your toughest challenge.

 

[jttheclockman]

Any woods with grain dominate is nice to look at in such a small working surface. Now with that said if segmenting then plain woods can compliment each other. As far as difficulty wood is wood. You use the same tools to work any woods. Yes more care for cracking and things like that but that is what a woodworker knows. No woods should be a challenge in such a small working piece. Now lets talk furniture and things of larger scale than more talent is needed but to make a pen Kids do it so how hard is turning a pen blank.

 

[mark james]

Specifically Bell Forest Inventory choices:

I like.

Any of the Burls (e.g., Grey Box, Amboyna, Afzelia, Cherry, Mallees, etc)
Masur Birch
Bocote
Figured Bubinga
Buckeye
Shedua
Zircote
Olivewood

I also like, but due to allergies/sensitization, I cannot typically use.

Cocobolo
Rosewoods

Those that have been a challenge - but I have persevered.

Black Palm
Red Palm

There are many other considerations, but these are simply my thoughts. Have FUN!

 

[Madman1978]

This thread was to just talk wood and such

I have to stay from Bubinga. I am highly sensitive to it.

 

[jttheclockman]

This thread was to just talk wood and such

I have to stay from Bubinga. I am highly sensitive to it.

Wood it is. Many people have allergies to different woods so need to be aware of those. There maybe some you are not even aware of when trying new woods to use. Hard to make a blanket statement. Mother nature burls are the best to look at in my opinion. I love all woods. So far I have not run into a wood that has a health effect on me but there are so many varieties of wood you can never try them all. Enjoy the beauty of nature.

 

[MRDucks2]

There are a lot of nice to turn woods. Burls and open grains can offer some challenges but you can over come those.

My only "not successfully turned" wood is also the Palm woods. Having cut palm trees for the church when in Texas (3/8 full chisel saw chain did not like either the tree or the metal fence post 1/3 of the way inside of it) it more vegetation than wood. Just a big celery stalk.

The dislike of cutting it may contribute to my 3 attempts to turn it before not trying again.

 

[KenB259]

Most challenging for me so far is camelthorn. It was when I was first starting out making pens. I've probably learned a thing or two since then, but the name still makes me wince. By the way, I did get the pen made but invoked a few not so nice words.

 

[sorcerertd]

I can't speak for Bell Forest's pieces specifically, but a couple that I don't see mentioned a lot and love to work with are Granadillo and Chechen. They can have a nice chatoyance, especially with figured pieces. It's hard to go wrong with Olive and Bocote, though.

 

[Bryguy]

I love olive wood, great grain, and a lovely smell when you turn it.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Monkey Pod. Has a tendency to come apart while turning if you get too aggressive.

 

[MTViper]

Favorites: Cocobolo, Olive, Bocote - all time favorite Thuya Burl

Problem child - Snake wood - bad about cracking after the pen has been assembled for a few weeks.