SWMBO and I have just finished dismantling an old house (circa 1897)
salvaging whatever lumber we can. Setting aside most of the details, to get
to the story, herewith. I have cut a few sections from the end of a timber,
because I want to make some mementos of the house for myself and the former
owners/neighbors.
The grain is very tight - at least in my experience. This stuff is like
trying to turn some kind of high-tech plastic. It is hard and soft at the
same time. Both tough and brittle at the same time. One area has some
softness which suggests dry rot, while the majority of the wood is sound. I
can get a nice shaving, but only a very slim one. I have been using cutting
or shearing methods, plus scraping. I have used various gouges on the outside
of the project. In hollowing it out, I started with a 1 3/4" forstner bit to
get the depth I want, about 4 inches. I have been using a hook with some
success to expand the interior, and a home-made square-ended boring bar to
flatten out the bottom of the vessel.
This is some of the hardest work I have done on a lathe, because of the
nature of the wood. I would rather turn ebony or hard maple or oak, than this
stuff. There are some cracks of course, from the drying of the timber, and
they are part of the project. I guess this will not be some delicate
thin-walled object d'art, but it will be a pretty good reminder of the
project which has consumed this past summer for my wife and me.
I will post pics on Flickr whenever I decide the thing is done.
tom koehler

--
I will find a way or make one.