On Thu, 11 May 2006 21:18:22 -0500, Prometheus wrote:

I recently got a bunch of pen blanks that are "desert ironwood".. maybe not the
same??

Anyway, it turned nicely.. I really prefer a harder surface because it holds a
shape nicely.. good character and surprising color inside..

AFAIK, it's also a fairly expensive wood in turning blank form..

Hello all,

I helped my dad frame and raise a barn yesterday, and we used some
100+ yr old ironwood that he had salvaged from a larger old barn. The
beams are 4"x6" and were about 12' long. They weren't "pretty" but
they sure have some character. After cutting several of the posts and
some of the beams, there are a number of 4' lengths I was considering
squaring and turning to make bed posts.

Here's the rub- this stuff is insanely hard, and I have to cart it 30
miles to get it home. I don't want to end up with a bunch of old
scraps I can't turn, but sometimes the lathe makes light work of
things that are really tough to drive a spike into.

So, has anyone turned this stuff? Right now, they look like railroad
ties with ancient whitewash on them so I can't see the grain, and I
haven't got any of them here yet. Even if it's hard to do, is it
worth turning- or would I just be voluntarily aquiring junk to take up
valuable shop space?

Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm