Hi Greg,
I've had good luck with shellac, Minwax Wood Hardener and a thin epoxy
product sold for solidifying rotted wood work on homes (can't remember the
name right now. If the wood is really soft go for the Minwax or epoxy,
otherwise the shellac works well.
Tony Manella
ndd1"at"prolog.net (remove "at")
http://home.ptd.net/~ndd1/
Lehigh Valley Woodturners
http://www.lehighvalleywoodturners.com/

Greg G. wrote in message
...

Greetings,

I have been exclusively turning green wood, but ran across an
interesting piece of very dry spalted dogwood. Attempts to turn it
have been somewhat less than impressive. The wood is very dry,
somewhat soft, and possibly deteriorated in a few areas. Turning the
OD results in some tearout, but most of this can be sanded away. But
I am attempting to turn a cup with the endgrain at the ends, and
cannot get a smooth cut for hollowing purposes. It sort of lumps the
grain together into dozens of bumpy masses, but doesn't really cut -
at least not like green wood does. Sharpening the tools doesn't
really help.

Any ideas on how to cut this stuff, or is it a lost cause?
Would soaking this blank in soapy water help?


Greg G.