To me, at that time, it all looked alike, but after buying lots of useless pieces, I soon formed my own opinion about turning requirements; perhaps you learn a lot quicker by your mistakes. I certainly did. One big advantage of woodturning is that we need not have the wood prepared for us, and all sorts of off-cuts can be put to good use.
Practically any hardwood is suitable for turning, in particular maple, sycamore, walnut, beech, oak or any other hardwood with close and beautiful grain.
Walnut is, perhaps, one of the most used timbers in turning as it answers all the necessary requirements in appearance and texture, and it is sweet to turn and easy to polish. A simple wax polish will quickly give a really beautiful finish.
Oak, on the other hand, can be quite tricky to handle and the various species vary a lot in texture. American oak works and finishes well, but the pinkish colouring is sometimes difficult to match up. English oak is very hard and finishes well but sometimes it is rather open grained and requires quite a lot of filling.
Sycamore, beech and maple all turn very well, with lovely long shavings coming away from your gouge and chisel. Sycamore and beech will probably require staining as they are so light in colour, but maple is best left natural.
You may have timber offered to you which has been kiln dried; that is, the timber is cut to different thicknesses and stacked in a heated room, for a predetermined period, the object being to drive out the moisture and sap by prolonged gradual heat. From time to time the timber in the kiln is checked for moisture content, and when it has dropped to the desired level, the wood is removed and stacked outside in the air.
Some kilns are not operated properly and the wood is spoiled, although externally the wood appears to be all right. However, in cutting into a 2in. square, for example, you will probably find quite large splits right in the centre of the wood.
For this reason, I prefer to use air-dried timber and although the seasoning period is much longer, the resultant planks of wood are much better. For air drying, the tree is cut up into suitable planks and stacked one above the other, with small sticks in between each plank to allow for air circulation. The drying period is reckoned as being approximately twelve months per inch of thickness, thus a 3in. plank would take three years.
This period can be reduced, if the planks of wood are cut to nearly finishing size, that is, in 2 or 3 in. squares, or 7 x 1 in. boards. When the boards are cut into squares, they are usually stacked in short lengths and these are most suitable for turning table legs, etc. Each stack of squares usually carries the date it was cut up, so it is quite easy to tell when it is properly seasoned. In this case, you can reckon on six months per inch for seasoning time.
To prevent splitting and end shakes during seasoning, the ends of the wood should be painted with tar or wax. I hope this will give you some idea of what to do if you have some freshly sawn timbers of your own to store.
Short-grained wood should be avoided, if possible. It is quite easily recognizable by the grain running diagonally across the sawn board. For some forms of carpentry this would not matter a lot, but when an article is turned, the grain must run lengthwise reasonably straight, or otherwise the finished article will be weak and easily broken. Also, it will not retain its original shape.
With these pointers you should easily be able to find suitable wood for your projects.
When properly taught in the schools it is one of the most valuable types of instruction. It appeals to pupils more than any other type of manual work, as it embodies both the play and work elements. It is very interesting and fascinating and, in the hands of a skilled instructor, is readily correlated with other work.
Wood turning gives a pupil preliminary experience necessary in pattern making and machine shop work. It brings into play the scientific element by demonstrating the laws governing revolving bodies. In bringing the chisel into contact with the revolving surface, the mathematical principle of the "point of tangency" is illustrated.
Excellent tool technique is developed in wood turning as on the exactness of every movement depends the success of the operator, and any slight variation will spoil a piece of work. This brings in a very close correlation of the mental and motor activities and also gives the student an opportunity for observing and thinking while at work. When his tool makes a "run" he must determine the reason and figure out why a certain result is obtained when the chisel is held in a given position.
Certain cuts must be fully mastered, and it takes a good deal of experience and absolute confidence in one's self in manipulating the tools before it is possible to attempt skilful work. If scraping is allowed the educational value of the work is lost.
In wood turning a vast field for design and modeling is opened, and art and architecture can be correlated. The pupil will see for himself the need of variety in curves and must use his judgment in determining curves that are so harmonious and pleasing that they will blend together. If properly taught the beauty in the orders of architecture can be brought out in the making of the bead, fillet, scotia, cove, etc.
A feeling of importance is excited in a boy when he sees his hands shaping materials into objects of pleasing form. Wood turning properly taught awakens the aesthetic sense and creates a desire for the beautiful. The boy or man who has learned to make graceful curves and clean-cut fillets and beads will never be satisfied with clumsy effects which are characteristic in cheap commercial work, made only to sell.
Success in turning depends on the following:
1. Care of lathe, tools, selection of materials.
2. Study of the scientific elements of--
a. Revolving bodies.
b. Points of tangency.
c. Study of results by reasoning and observing.
3. Development of technique and exactness.
4. Correlation of mental and motor activities.
When coupled with explicit but simple drawings showing the correct techniques the person starting out and the professional can't go wrong. Wood turning is one of the most satisfying arts and crafts that one could wish for, with no limitations to one's imagination.
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