G'day folks,

I've tried my hand at some basic involute turning with scrapwood and now I'd
like to turn a demo piece, a "construction aid" if you will, which could be
used in a classroom to demonstrate how it is jointed without needing
binoculars. Grain patterns & figuring, etc. are not desired, this'll be a
much abused knock-around item and I'd rather it's aesthetics to be in the
form rather than the timber anyway.

So, I'm after two contrasting woods, preferably with similar turning
characteristics when cured and that rules out most of the timbers local to
me as the lighter coloured timbers are generally softwoods here. The few
suitable ones I've found are as, if not more, expensive than many imports
and the budget is very limited. I've been looking at various characteristic
tables but few include any form of pricing guesstimates and many species are
unfamiliar to me, thus leaving me none the wiser.

In the hope that cheap, readily available timber in whatever country you're
in equates to cheaper imports at this end, does anyone care to offer
suggestions for "matched" woods?

- Andy

Andy McArdle wrote:
snip
In the hope that cheap, readily available timber in whatever country you're
in equates to cheaper imports at this end, does anyone care to offer
suggestions for "matched" woods?

Air dried walnut and poplar. YMMV.
Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/
PATINA
http://www.patinatools.com

Air dried walnut and poplar. YMMV.

Hmmm... I'm sure I have some Black Walnut & maybe some English (Persian)
Walnut curing out back (must be time to weigh 'em in!)
but no poplar. I'm guessing you mean an aspen (for the colour) rather than
a balsam or cottonwood? Are they all much the same, turning wise?

- Andy

"Andy McArdle" wrote in message
u...
Air dried walnut and poplar. YMMV.

Hmmm... I'm sure I have some Black Walnut & maybe some English (Persian)
Walnut curing out back (must be time to weigh 'em in!)
but no poplar. I'm guessing you mean an aspen (for the colour) rather
than
a balsam or cottonwood? Are they all much the same, turning wise?


He probably means Liriodendron tulipifera, a member of the magnolia family
sold as tulip poplar, yellow poplar, or just poplar.
http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/bltulip.htm
True poplars, like aspen are stringier, almost bulletproof in drying from a
rough, and lack the greenish color tulip poplar can have.
http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/bltrem.htm

My favorite, because in both Greek and French, it's called "tree of women's
tongues" because the shape of the leaf makes it wag constantly.

There's also bigtooth, P balsamifera and the family members you mentioned -
cottonwood/willow

Air dried walnut and poplar. YMMV.

Hmmm... I'm sure I have some Black Walnut & maybe some English
(Persian)
Walnut curing out back (must be time to weigh 'em in!)
but no poplar. I'm guessing you mean an aspen (for the colour) rather
than a balsam or cottonwood? Are they all much the same, turning wise?


He probably means Liriodendron tulipifera, a member of the magnolia family
sold as tulip poplar, yellow poplar, or just poplar.
http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/bltulip.htm

That's a relief because I tried turning a japanese poplar P. Sieboldi(sp?)
with no luck. I think I botched the drying though.

It's nice to know that we aussies aren't the only ones with misleading
common names.

True poplars, like aspen are stringier, almost bulletproof in drying from
a
rough, and lack the greenish color tulip poplar can have.
http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/bltrem.htm

My favorite, because in both Greek and French, it's called "tree of
women's
tongues" because the shape of the leaf makes it wag constantly.

I know the ones, we have 'em lining a couple of streets in the plusher
suburbs. Now that you've told me that I'll probably be poked by the cook
for s******ing every time we drive past...

- Andy

"Andy McArdle" wrote in message
u...
That's a relief because I tried turning a japanese poplar P. Sieboldi(sp?)
with no luck. I think I botched the drying though.

It's nice to know that we aussies aren't the only ones with misleading
common names.


Common British heritage. Don't you have your own "robin" down there, too?

A bit of nostalgia for the old country has given us a lot of common-name
misleads.