"Dr. Deb" wrote in message
...
Ace wrote:

I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this advisable or BS?
Thanks


Osage should turn okay. Oak will warp on you as it dries. Availability
has
a lot going for it. The recommendation about maple is good, IF you have
maple available. Don't let the hardness of the wood throw you, it all
makes shavings on the floor, it is just that some cuts faster than others.

A bit of advice, for what it is worth. If you want to practice on
something
that is really forgiving and will not become some version of a pretzel
after it dries (We all hold our first bowl in high . . . whatever) take
four, five or six pieces of pine 1 x whatever stock (2 x is okay also),
cut
length to equal width, glue and stack. You wind up with what was
essentially a piece of scrap (or several scrap pieces) laying around your
shop and is now a nice square block waiting for your first meeting with
your lathe. Your bowl blank should not be over 4 1/2" high. Knock the
corners off on your table saw to form an octagon - reduces catches and
makes getting to a cylinder much easier. Then let your inner being become
sensitive to the wood and cut away everything that does not look like a
bowl.

As for finish. Some opt for urethane, some lacquer, some oil; I happen to
like shellac and wax. Like the wood, use what you have but put it on on
the lathe, at least the first coat, it just goes on smoother.

As for LDD (liquid dish detergent) I have had mixed results. Overall,
wood
is going to do what it is going to do, though LDD probably reduces the
warpage. Leif Thorvaldson is the guru of LDD and swears by it. According
to him, he has had no problems. Maybe he is using a different detergent
than I am. I have used the cheap stuff and Joy, same results.

Deb

You might notice in all my "ravings" about LDD that I only "guarantee"
results if you use Costco's Kirkland Brand of LDD. I had good results with
Ivory LDD. Those who report back having mixed results or failure have in
common using non-recommended LDD and/or using wrong ratios and/or not
keeping the turning object in the solution between turnings and/or allowing
the object to "dry" before applying the finish.

I don't very often hear back from turners who have tried the method, so I am
making those assumption s based on a few feedbacks. I have had positive feed
backs in a few cases as well, but those were from folks who followed the
directions! *G*

Leif