Has anyone had experience turning Bitternut? For what: bowls, hollow
vessels, etc? I have a chance to get a load of it and don't know much
about the wood.
Thanks,
Ted

"Ted" wrote in message
...
Has anyone had experience turning Bitternut? For what: bowls, hollow
vessels, etc? I have a chance to get a load of it and don't know much
about the wood.
Thanks,
Ted

Since the lumber folks mix it with other hickories, it must be close enough
to them in working properties and appearance. The price makes it suitable
for whatever you care to turn. The wood won't stand in the way. Doesn't
grow this far north.

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/si...ordiformis.htm

I don't know about Bitternut, but if it is Butternut, take all you can
get. Also known as white walnut, wonderful brown color, and ring
patterns in branches are typically scalloped rather than circular.
Makes the inside look like spider webs.
robo hippy

On Mar 24, 8:41*am, "George" wrote:
"Ted" wrote in message

...

Has anyone had experience turning Bitternut? *For what: bowls, hollow
vessels, etc? *I have a chance to get a load of it and don't know much
about *the wood.
Thanks,
Ted

Since the lumber folks mix it with other hickories, it must be close enough
to them in working properties and appearance. *The price makes it suitable
for whatever you care to turn. *The wood won't stand in the way. *Doesn't
grow this far north.

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/si..._2/carya/cordi...

It's not the same Robo. Bitternut is a hickory. Known here in KY as Pignut
Hickory. Probably known by something else in other places. Shrinkage with
this wood is unbeleivable.

I roughed turned one 10" bowl and left it 1 inch thick all around. When
dry, it measured 8 1/2 inches one way and 10" the other way. It made a nice
dog food bowl for the camper. The other pieces I turned were out of some
limbs from a neighbors tree (a couple of baby rattles and a rolling pin for
his wife).

Thats the only experience I've had with it. I've seen cabinets made from
hickory, most beautiful set I've ever seen. I was told the cabinet maker
that it was some of the toughest wood he ever worked with because of warping
and twisting when the materials dry. He ordered twice as much material as he
needed for the job and culled throught the wood for the better peices. (I
scored some of the pieces he didn't want to use).

Its called bitternut because the nuts aren't that good, they are strongly
bitter.

GO WKU HILLTOPPERS!!
JD

"robo hippy" wrote in message
...
I don't know about Bitternut, but if it is Butternut, take all you can
get. Also known as white walnut, wonderful brown color, and ring
patterns in branches are typically scalloped rather than circular.
Makes the inside look like spider webs.
robo hippy

On Mar 24, 8:41 am, "George" wrote:
"Ted" wrote in message

...

Has anyone had experience turning Bitternut? For what: bowls, hollow
vessels, etc? I have a chance to get a load of it and don't know much
about the wood.
Thanks,
Ted

Since the lumber folks mix it with other hickories, it must be close
enough
to them in working properties and appearance. The price makes it suitable
for whatever you care to turn. The wood won't stand in the way. Doesn't
grow this far north.

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/si..._2/carya/cordi...

In article
,
robo hippy wrote:

I don't know about Bitternut, but if it is Butternut, take all you can
get. Also known as white walnut, wonderful brown color, and ring
patterns in branches are typically scalloped rather than circular.
Makes the inside look like spider webs.
robo hippy

....which I did (a co-worker had to cut theirs down. It can also include
some nice purple color (rot/fungal)

--
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Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

We call bitternut hickory "smooth bark hickory" here in Wisconsin,
because, not suprisingly, the bark is almost dead smooth and medium grey
in color. The nuts look pretty much like those of the shagbark hickory,
as do the leaves, but, as said earlier, the nuts are too bitter (too
acidic, I think) to eat raw. I think they boil the nuts to make them
edible. The wood makes good handles. I hadn't noticed the warping
described earlier, but then froe handles, cant hook handles and hammer
handles aren't all the fussy.
We are at the far north end of the shag bark hickory range in west
central Wisconsin and I don't know how far north of us the smooth bark
extends.

Pete Stanaitis
--------------

Ted wrote:

Has anyone had experience turning Bitternut? For what: bowls, hollow
vessels, etc? I have a chance to get a load of it and don't know much
about the wood.
Thanks,
Ted

Hi Ted
I have turned some Smootbark Hickory, aka bitternut or pignut though
that is used for more than one species of Hickory.
As was noted it does shrink more than most woods,and I have a couple
of my first roughouts still around for that reason.
It is not a cross-linked wood but very long-treaded wood, so if it
splits, the split seems to go on forever in my experience anyway.
Wood turns just fine, and looks good also, I like the light sapwood
contrast with the heartwood, there is a picture or two in my photo
albums, the second picture in this one is from a Bitternut Hickory,
you'll notice the "handles" on the turning they are the result of the
wood shrinkage, that I used to make the handles, I think there are a
few more pictures of pignut/bitternut in the albums
http://homepage.mac.com/l.vanderloo/PhotoAlbum12.html

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Mar 24, 11:16*am, Ted wrote:
Has anyone had experience turning Bitternut? *For what: bowls, hollow
vessels, etc? *I have a chance to get a load of it and don't know much
about *the wood.
Thanks,
Ted