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I'll be making my usual trek to and from San Diego and Northern Arizona tomorrow and was wondering what woodturning outlets might be in my path. I've been to Rockler's in San Diego but was wondering what else is out there. My route is somewhat flexible, especially since the desert hasn't heated up much yet.
I do not know of stores for turning tools in San Diego, aside from Rockler's. For other kinds of hand tools, Craftsman Studio is excellent.
A visit to Tropical Exotic Hardwoods at Carlsbad and Eisenbrand Timbers at Torrance are a must. I visit them both each trip over the pond.
Rgds,
Richard.
Thanks Brian & Richard! In all the years living in San Diego I never knew these places existed. A stop by Craftsman Studio and Tropical Exotic is assured this week.
Austin Hardwoods has locations in Santa Ana, California, and Denver, Colorado.
I stopped by the address given for Craftsman Studio in San Diego this morning and discovered that they moved to Everett, WA so that turned out to be a bust. Later on I visited Tropical Exotic Hardwoods in Carlsbad, CA. What an amazing selection of hardwoods and nice folks to deal with! I purchased a half dozen small pieces to turn. The best however was saved for last and totally unexpected. I decided to have a late lunch at Zorbas with the idea of later on visiting a place close by in Chula Vista that advertised wood on Craigslist. I think this one is a diamond in the rough as they had a very nice selection of local wood. The head honcho (moniker on business card), Dan Herbst was very helpful. This is my kind of business. I ended up buying a large chunk of olive wood, a smaller piece of avacado and few others that I can't remember at the moment. I intend to ask for forum help on how to approach the chunk of olive wood. You won't be disappointed visiting San Diego Urban Timber. Their website is located at www.sdurbantimber.com
Avocado would can sometimes be very beautiful. But with friction polish and to a lesser extend, poly, it can be slow to cure. When I've given it BLO, it just keeps soaking in. So, my advice is to take it slow and let the wood do its thing, or coat with lacquer.