One thing to consider here is that there are two basic types of magnolia.
The type that is usually found where Bill and I live is deciduous (looses
its leaves each fall). I don't know where Mac lives but those turners in
Texas, California and other southern locals may be turning the evergreen
type. I have turned some of the deciduous but never the evergreen. That
may make a difference. The magnolia I have turned had some bad smell but
not as bad as Bill's. My experience with the wood is the same as the others
here. Its fuzzy turned green, dries fairly stable and starts turning brown
in the log pretty quick.
Tony Manella

"mac davis" wrote in message
...
Having a large magnolia tree in the front lawn, I burn a LOT of branch
wood
every year...

Since it's been too warm for a fire lately, i saw a stack of freshly cut
"twigs"
and put one on the lathe out of curiosity.. couldn't have been more than 1
1/2"
diameter and off the tree a week..

It seemed to turn ok and was very white.. didn't sand very well, but it
was
green.. *lol*

Anyway, I did a few spindles to decorate the kindling pile and turned a
few foot
long sections for "blanks for something", which I put in paper bags..

I've been watching the spindles in the kindling pile for 3 or 4 days now
and so
far no splitting or obvious warping.. weird..

Is this a common thing with magnolia, or did I just pick a lucky couple of
branches??
If I turn green plum, almond, pine, etc. and don't immediately bag it,
it's
cracked badly by the next morning..


mac

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