Where are you located?

I think most here in Denver don't bother with green aspen and prefer to
use wood from standing dead. You get fewer problems with cracking and a
better surface if it is dry.

cuchara.red wrote:
Newbie here...

I've been lurking (I reckon that's the right term) for a few weeks and
am very impressed with the knowledge and expertise that shows up in
this group.

Very briefly, I've been into wood all my life. Taught high school
woodworking for several years until moving into another position in
education. The wood lathe was always almost therapeutic for me and I
-thought- I knew how to use all the tools properly. HA! Since getting
back into the lathe with my little mini-Jet and doing a bunch of
reading, I've discovered I had been not using several of the tools
properly, so I've been re-educating myself on proper grinding and use
of the tools. Also bought and used my very first bowl gouge in the
last month. What a revelation - that thing works wonderfully.

Anyway, I've been turning some aspen (3"-8" diameter) that a neighbor
harvested to clear space to build a cabin. This is also my first
experience with turning green wood, so I don't have an experience base
to know whether the green aspen is typical or not. I didn't expect it
to dull the tools quite as quickly as it seems to, nor was I expecting
it to gum up the tools as quickly as it does. The fibers seem to catch
on the cutting edge and at that point it's stop and take care of
business (clean, sharpen, strop, or whatever is necessary). First
question - is this SOP for aspen and/or green wood?

I've turned everything from weed pots with a simple drilled hole in the
center to my very first hollow vessel (looks sorta like an egg). The
holes I drilled are ragged inside with lots of fibers (so that's a
disappointment); I've tried both Forstner and spade bits. The bowls
and hollow vessel had to be sanded a ton to get a decent surface - I'll
even admit that I was unable to get a decent surface using tools and
had to "finish turn" the bowls and vessel with abrasives. Question #2
- am I just needing more experience or is turning green aspen always
going to need lots of sanding to get an acceptable surface?

I've not used anything except an English wax (sorry, senior moment
prevents me from naming it) to finish the aspen. It seems to be
slowing down the drying out process and, so far, is keeping the
cracking down - and, it looks very good. I'd like to use some Watco
Oil, tung oil, or even MiniWax polyurethane finish to get a more
permanent finish but I don't know how long the items need to dry before
attempting those.

I realize I haven't asked very many questions. I guess I'm really just
looking for replies from anyone that has also turned aspen to see what
their experiences were. And, I'm also establishing a little contact
with a very knowledgeable group.

thankie.