Should I soak wood in water first?
 

I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is this
advisable or BS?
Thanks

"Ace" skrev i melding
news:qvF%c.401246$%_6.44674@attbi_s01...
I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this
advisable or BS?
Thanks


If you have not turned bowls before, hold the oak. It is _hard_.

As for the soaking, ask the "guy" to soak his head.

Bjarte

"Ace" wrote
I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this advisable or BS?

Neither is a good wood to learn turning on, try newly cut maple of
most anything else. Pine is doable, but hard to learn on since it
is so soft. When you get the "wet" wood (fresh cut), try soaking
it in LDD, that's probably what he was referring to. DAGS

Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
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/

Laundry and Dish Detergent?... I give up, what's LDD?

"dave in Fairfax" wrote in message
...
"Ace" wrote
I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this advisable or BS?

Neither is a good wood to learn turning on, try newly cut maple of
most anything else. Pine is doable, but hard to learn on since it
is so soft. When you get the "wet" wood (fresh cut), try soaking
it in LDD, that's probably what he was referring to. DAGS

Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
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/


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Ace wrote:

I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this advisable or BS?
Thanks


Osage should turn okay. Oak will warp on you as it dries. Availability has
a lot going for it. The recommendation about maple is good, IF you have
maple available. Don't let the hardness of the wood throw you, it all
makes shavings on the floor, it is just that some cuts faster than others.

A bit of advice, for what it is worth. If you want to practice on something
that is really forgiving and will not become some version of a pretzel
after it dries (We all hold our first bowl in high . . . whatever) take
four, five or six pieces of pine 1 x whatever stock (2 x is okay also), cut
length to equal width, glue and stack. You wind up with what was
essentially a piece of scrap (or several scrap pieces) laying around your
shop and is now a nice square block waiting for your first meeting with
your lathe. Your bowl blank should not be over 4 1/2" high. Knock the
corners off on your table saw to form an octagon - reduces catches and
makes getting to a cylinder much easier. Then let your inner being become
sensitive to the wood and cut away everything that does not look like a
bowl.

As for finish. Some opt for urethane, some lacquer, some oil; I happen to
like shellac and wax. Like the wood, use what you have but put it on on
the lathe, at least the first coat, it just goes on smoother.

As for LDD (liquid dish detergent) I have had mixed results. Overall, wood
is going to do what it is going to do, though LDD probably reduces the
warpage. Leif Thorvaldson is the guru of LDD and swears by it. According
to him, he has had no problems. Maybe he is using a different detergent
than I am. I have used the cheap stuff and Joy, same results.

Deb

"Dr. Deb" wrote in message
...
Ace wrote:

I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this advisable or BS?
Thanks


Osage should turn okay. Oak will warp on you as it dries. Availability
has
a lot going for it. The recommendation about maple is good, IF you have
maple available. Don't let the hardness of the wood throw you, it all
makes shavings on the floor, it is just that some cuts faster than others.

A bit of advice, for what it is worth. If you want to practice on
something
that is really forgiving and will not become some version of a pretzel
after it dries (We all hold our first bowl in high . . . whatever) take
four, five or six pieces of pine 1 x whatever stock (2 x is okay also),
cut
length to equal width, glue and stack. You wind up with what was
essentially a piece of scrap (or several scrap pieces) laying around your
shop and is now a nice square block waiting for your first meeting with
your lathe. Your bowl blank should not be over 4 1/2" high. Knock the
corners off on your table saw to form an octagon - reduces catches and
makes getting to a cylinder much easier. Then let your inner being become
sensitive to the wood and cut away everything that does not look like a
bowl.

As for finish. Some opt for urethane, some lacquer, some oil; I happen to
like shellac and wax. Like the wood, use what you have but put it on on
the lathe, at least the first coat, it just goes on smoother.

As for LDD (liquid dish detergent) I have had mixed results. Overall,
wood
is going to do what it is going to do, though LDD probably reduces the
warpage. Leif Thorvaldson is the guru of LDD and swears by it. According
to him, he has had no problems. Maybe he is using a different detergent
than I am. I have used the cheap stuff and Joy, same results.

Deb

You might notice in all my "ravings" about LDD that I only "guarantee"
results if you use Costco's Kirkland Brand of LDD. I had good results with
Ivory LDD. Those who report back having mixed results or failure have in
common using non-recommended LDD and/or using wrong ratios and/or not
keeping the turning object in the solution between turnings and/or allowing
the object to "dry" before applying the finish.

I don't very often hear back from turners who have tried the method, so I am
making those assumption s based on a few feedbacks. I have had positive feed
backs in a few cases as well, but those were from folks who followed the
directions! *G*

Leif

Alan Van Art wrote:
Laundry and Dish Detergent?... I give up, what's LDD?

Leif just answered that one, and I agree about the ratio being
important as well as the re-immersing and finshing immediately
upon stopping the lathe. Deb is right about all wood making
shavings, but Oak unless wet is messier than most woods and Osage
Orange, unless wet is VERY hard. That's why I don't think they
make good beginner woods. Pine is OK, and KD will cut easier than
AD, but if you have good wood that's fresh available, I wouldn't
wast the glue unless you are experimenting with segmented
turning. Just my opinion, everyone has at least one, YMMV.
Poplar and maple are easy to start on and Walnut, wear resp
protection, is gorgeous. Have fun.
Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
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/

When ever I hear about turning oak I always throw this in for what it is
worth. I have never had a problem with oak trees. I have been around them
all my life. Here is the but. I was in a class and started turning Silk
oak. I was in short sleves and shorts. I turned the bowl and used the
restroom in the middle of it all. Next morning I had broken out with poison
oak. Even "down below" was swollen. Where ever the oil from the wood
toutched is were I broke out. I may have been the exception as no one else
in the class had any problems. But if you are the exception it was not fun.
The lessons I learned were to wash your hands BEFORE useing the rest room to
get rid of the oil and use long sleve shirts if you are not sure. I have
not had any problems with any other wood but now it is a habit before
comeing into the house I brush all the shaveings off my cloths and then wash
my hands. The first one is for my wife and the second one is for my. I
don't understand why she gets so upset with the trail of shaveings from the
garage to the kitchen. Must be a woman thing.

Have fun turning-----Bruce
"Ace" wrote in message
news:qvF%c.401246$%_6.44674@attbi_s01...
I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this
advisable or BS?
Thanks

"dave in Fairfax" wrote in message
...
SNIP.......
Just my opinion, everyone has at least one, YMMV.
======================
I guess this is right, but my wife hasn't told what my opinion is today!
{:-))

Ken Moon wrote:
I guess this is right, but my wife hasn't told what my opinion is today!
{:-))

That's 'cause you have no "need to know."
%-)

Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
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/

Note: Silk "Oak" (Grevillea robust) isn't.
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/si...ea/robusta.htm

Quercus spp (Oaks)are loaded with tannins, but not otherwise nasty.

"Bruce Ferguson" wrote in message
...
When ever I hear about turning oak I always throw this in for what it is
worth. I have never had a problem with oak trees. I have been around
them
all my life. Here is the but. I was in a class and started turning Silk
oak. I was in short sleves and shorts. I turned the bowl and used the
restroom in the middle of it all. Next morning I had broken out with
poison
oak.

I have to Chuckle a bit about brushing the shavings off before coming in
from the garage as my wife is the same way about it :D

Steven Raphael
Ithaca MI

Bruce Ferguson wrote:

When ever I hear about turning oak I always throw this in for what it is
worth. I have never had a problem with oak trees. I have been around
them
all my life. Here is the but. I was in a class and started turning Silk
oak. I was in short sleves and shorts. I turned the bowl and used the
restroom in the middle of it all. Next morning I had broken out with
poison
oak. Even "down below" was swollen. Where ever the oil from the wood
toutched is were I broke out. I may have been the exception as no one
else
in the class had any problems. But if you are the exception it was not
fun. The lessons I learned were to wash your hands BEFORE useing the rest
room to
get rid of the oil and use long sleve shirts if you are not sure. I have
not had any problems with any other wood but now it is a habit before
comeing into the house I brush all the shaveings off my cloths and then
wash
my hands. The first one is for my wife and the second one is for my. I
don't understand why she gets so upset with the trail of shaveings from
the
garage to the kitchen. Must be a woman thing.

Seems that you aren't the only one with this reaction to silk oak.
http://www.environment-hawaii.org/900introduced.htm
http://envhort.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/PoisPlant/Tox-SCI.htm
http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/hazmap_generic?tbl=TblAgents&id=1131



Have fun turning-----Bruce
"Ace" wrote in message
news:qvF%c.401246$%_6.44674@attbi_s01...
I want to try my luck at bowl turning. I have no lathe experience. I
want
to try Oak and Osage Orange. A guy told me to soak the wood first. Is
this
advisable or BS?
Thanks




--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)