Hi to all, I am still new to the craft of woodturning and before i
bought my lathe and tools i had a very small amount of air dryed wood
for turning and this is now expended. I was wondering if any body
could point me in the right direction for sourcing hardwoods. I am not
pickey about the type of wood as i have resorted to only using scots
pine in the last month and i cant stand the sight of it anymore. i
live in ireland!! Yes i said Ireland, in the mayo area and any help
would be greately appricated

Many thanks to all and safe turning

The best wood is free wood. Find a pub where some tree people hang out,
buy a round of Guinness for them,...

You can also drive around with the window open, listening for the sound
of a chainsaw. Then find out where they spend their evenings...

Get the picture? And I'm sorry I can't join you -- Guinness is on my
short list of beverages.

Bill

keith wrote:
Hi to all, I am still new to the craft of woodturning and before i
bought my lathe and tools i had a very small amount of air dryed wood
for turning and this is now expended. I was wondering if any body
could point me in the right direction for sourcing hardwoods. I am not
pickey about the type of wood as i have resorted to only using scots
pine in the last month and i cant stand the sight of it anymore. i
live in ireland!! Yes i said Ireland, in the mayo area and any help
would be greately appricated

Many thanks to all and safe turning

Keith
I like fire wood for basic turning. Is there someone in your vacinity who
sells it? By the time you get through a half cord of wood your friends will
know you need dropped trees and will start to find it for you. Look at
http://aroundthewoods.com/firewood.shtml

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com

"Bill Rubenstein" wrote in message
news
The best wood is free wood. Find a pub where some tree people hang out,
buy a round of Guinness for them,...

You can also drive around with the window open, listening for the sound of
a chainsaw. Then find out where they spend their evenings...

Get the picture? And I'm sorry I can't join you -- Guinness is on my
short list of beverages.

Bill

keith wrote:
Hi to all, I am still new to the craft of woodturning and before i
bought my lathe and tools i had a very small amount of air dryed wood
for turning and this is now expended. I was wondering if any body
could point me in the right direction for sourcing hardwoods. I am not
pickey about the type of wood as i have resorted to only using scots
pine in the last month and i cant stand the sight of it anymore. i
live in ireland!! Yes i said Ireland, in the mayo area and any help
would be greately appricated

Many thanks to all and safe turning

Darrell and Bill are right.

When I hear a chainsaw, it is like the call of the wild. I am drawn
to it... in my pickup... hoping it isn't clearing of old junk along a
hedge.

Even though I am in construction, I arrive after the lot is cleared.
However, cleared constuction sites can ofter have good brush piles,
and some good stuff has been found there.

Another source I never see anyone talk about is dunnage. Around here,
most of the dunnage is 4X4 of some type of hardwood. Some of it is
great stuff.

When I was looking for something different to turn, and in my upcoming
bowl class, I will take a piece of dunnage and smooth a face on it.
Then I cut it in half and glue the smooth edges together to make a
bowl blank 4 inches thick and 8 inches across. When making small oil
lamp bases, I have even glued a piece of scrap that contrasts the two
pieces for more variety. And of course, you can go bigger too, by
just glueing on another piece on to make it 12 inches wide to make
your blank Remeber to cut the pieces to the correct length by
determining the width first.

You can also use the 4X4 to turn gavels, mallets, scoops, spoons, and
anything else you could think of

It's a great way to use something that will go in a dumpster.

Robert

Mike Paulson wrote:
I have gotten a lot of free dry wood by cruising the alleys on trash day.
Table legs, bed posts, old fence posts, lamp bases, etc, are often to be
found for spindle turning, and some good wide boards can be scrounged
from old shelves, headboards, table tops, etc. If you are looking for
bowl blanks, talk to tree cutters when you see them working and ask if you
can have a piece or two. The will often load it into your truck for you
and tell you where they dump it if you want more. I have built a couple
work benches and a couple lathe stands entirely from scrounged wood
including some old bridge beams.

Last summer my boys put up a tree fort with their grandpa using mostly
scrap wood we got from the lumberyard. It was all free. They have to
pay to have it hauled off so am happy to give it away. All their good
lumber comes on palettes, which usually consists of 2x4s, some 10 to 20
feet long. They can't sell em - they're too beat up and full of nails
or staples - so they trash 'em. I was more than happy to salvage it and
clean it up.

Not a lot of it was anything I'd use for turning stock normally, but
like Mike said, you can use it stands and shelving & such. Or practice
on it.

Actually, in this case I did turn a bunch of it. The northwest coast
natives weave hats from cedar bark, and need a form to weave over. A
fiend asked me to make her a form, so I did. Next thing I knew I had
bunches of people calling and asking for one. Nobody else is making
them as far as I know.

I tell them that I just use scrap wood, which may have minor checks or
knots. I figure the woods free; they're buying my time/skill. If
they're happy with that, I'm happy to make them one. I've made about a
dozen and a half now at $50 a pop.

You can see a raw glue up, and a finished form at
http://www.alaska.net/~atftb/HatForm/

(Note: the finished piece isn't from that particular glue up.)

I use spar varnish for a finish. The cedar barks is soaked to make it
pliable so a good 'waterproof' finish helps protect it...

....Kevin
--
Kevin Miller
http://www.alaska.net/~atftb
Juneau, Alaska
Registered Linux User No: 307357

wrote:

Another source I never see anyone talk about is dunnage. Around here,
most of the dunnage is 4X4 of some type of hardwood. Some of it is
great stuff.


ALL of the tamarind I turn came from freight crates that had been used
to ship diesel engines from Brazil. I got a bunch more (that will likely
eventually become a major workbench) as dunnage between steel wheels
shipped from, you guessed it, Brazil. I have NEVER seen wood hang on to
a nail the way this lumber does!

I've even salvaged walnut 3x3's and LOTS of poplar and red oak from
between engine heads.

Your money ain't for nothing when your wood's for free. ;-) (apologies
to ZZ Top)

Bill

--
I am disillusioned enough to know that no man's opinion on any subject
is worth a **** unless backed up with enough genuine information to make
him really know what he's talking about.

H. P. Lovecraft


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Your money ain't for nothing when your wood's for free. ;-) (apologies
to ZZ Top)

That would be Dire Straights



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Stephen M wrote:
Your money ain't for nothing when your wood's for free. ;-) (apologies
to ZZ Top)

That would be Dire Straights



Thanks ... I knew that if I got it wrong someone would come along and
set me straight.

Now, if I could just get the voices in my head to agree ....

--
I am disillusioned enough to know that no man's opinion on any subject
is worth a **** unless backed up with enough genuine information to make
him really know what he's talking about.

H. P. Lovecraft

http://nmwoodworks.com


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