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Urban wood to lathe turnings

5K views 33 replies 11 participants last post by  Calgirl 
#1 ·
Making traditional wood bowls part 1-Getting the Wood

We have a limited selection of hardwoods here in Alberta and the prospect of finding suitable pieces for turnings in stock with local suppliers is dismal.
I have been on the prowl for a couple of years to track down and process some Manitoba Maple and last week I got pretty lucky.
Quite by accident, on my way home, I noticed a felled M/maple(BOX ELDER) in a fellows' yard.
I whipped around the block and knocked on the door.

The conversation went like this:
Me- Are you going to use that wood or burn it?
Him-"Well I'm going to burn some of it and use some but you can have the rest"
My heart is pounding now but not half as hard as it did loading these pieces into my truck.
Some where close to 200 Lbs
Turns out the fellow is a really nice guy and he helped me with the loading and I in turn, helped him with some chain sawing of the pieces he wanted to keep.
I made two trips to gather these cants here and I have nearly sealed all of them. (I ran out of sealer but getting more today)
This type of wood is loaded with water and weighs a ton when green.
If you leave it to dry it will develop cracks big enough to hide your dog in.
It starts cracking out as soon as it hits the ground so time is of the essence.
Next comes the "butchering" the pieces into rounds for the lathe.
I'll pick away at that as time permits.
Suffice it to say that I didn't need any rocking to get to sleep last night
m-maple-f

More to follow- some green turning…
 
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#6 ·
Bob #2,
I'll bet there's going to be some fun had in your shop as soon as you rest up. If you have time, can you talk a little about your chain saw in the next installment? I'm needing to buy one because I have some logs out back about the same size and a little bigger. Unfortunately, mine are not maple like yours, but good practice stock none-the-less. And, they make my heart pound just like yours does !
 
#7 ·
HI Calgirl:

If you are going to use it on a continuing basis get a big saw. You need the extra power to keep yourself safe from a kickback or stall and engine problems.
If you are only doing this once in a while, just rent a big one and get a decent 3 hp ten pounder for all the rest.

Cheers
Bob
 
#8 ·
I have found that an electric model is a great machine. Easy to start and never had a problem with it stalling. I've got a Still, bu the electric model is used most ofter. Especially if you are up a ladder.
 
#14 ·
I read a few comments then scroll back up to the top to the look at the picture . . . read another comment . . . scroll back up. Wife asked what I was doing . . . I replied with "Just looking at Bob's new stumps on Lumberjocks."

Note to self: It never hurts to ask. You may get exactly what you are asking for . . . and a new friend in the process.

Way to go Bob!!!
 
#15 ·
Dorje, I am using the Lee Valley version of Anchor seal today.
They call theirs end sealer. The advantage with these wax coatings is that you can see through them when they dry which gives you a road map to figure out how to cut them up later. It's pricey but so is lumber.

Sawdust, that's what LJ is all about. Helping each other enjoy this fine craft safely and at reasonable cost.

Cheers
Bob
 
#17 ·
Chain saws I have known and loved.- Don't leave home without one.

Currently I have 4 chain saws. A smart student of wood would probably have 2.
When I was tougher I used to carry the Pioneer 610 into the bush with a toboggan and some gas and fell and pull out a tree in a few hours.
As time progressed the saw became suddenly quite heavy and I yearned for a lighter machine.

Enter the Husky 353 - 18" with decompression button and easy start and much lighter.
It's a 3.2 hp (53 cc) engine but just barely enough power when hilted in a trunk. (11 lbs)
I could put a longer blade on it but why?
I would suggest nothing less than 75 cc next time like the Husqvarna 372XP (5.4 hp) at 15 lbs.
That was a trade off in that I have less power now to run a large blade but have the advantage of not lugging the big machine most of the time.
If I were buying it again I would opt for more power and at least a 22" blade.

The little electric is quite handy and works just fine on a good 14/2 cord that's not over 20 feet long.
After that the little motor starts getting grumpy

The last one not shown is a little 15" gas that I reserve specifically for cutting roots etc where the blade contacts the dirt.
Nothing puts a chain to sleep faster than a bit of dirt.

chain-saws
 
#18 ·
Very timely huh. nice collection.

I've owned about 6-7 saws over the years. but just the 2 now the Still and an electric one.

I usually use 12 gage wire.
 
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