Mimosa

[Josh Bowman]

Perhaps it's because it's very green, or maybe the phase of the moon, but this chunk of mimosa was was like turning a concrete block with a cold chisel! My arms feel like I've run a jack hammer. To cut and not make crumbs, I had to basically force the bowl gouge into the wood, then and only then would it make nice strings. I wasn't going to fool around with the inside, so out came Nicol's captured rest. This made quick work of it. Here's the kicker! To rough out the outside, I used the chucks screw, I had to use a chain wrench around the bowl to get it off the screw!!!!
Figured I'd take some roughed out pictures, the grain is nice, but the darkness is due in-part to all the water in the wood. As it dries the wood is turning white. I've got another chunk, I'm going to try it in a month or two after it dries to see if it does any better.

[John Keeton]

Well, you have successfully convinced me to never try mimosa, Josh!!! I just don't like turning hard wood - no matter how good it looks.

Seems others have talked about liking to turn mimosa - maybe you just got an old tough tree!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have turned mimosa and haven't had any problems like you describe. It kinda looks like black locust to me and that stuff is like concrete to turn. Extemely sharp tools are a must when turning that wood. I really like all the mimosa I have turned. Looks like you got it roughed though.

[David E Keller]

Hmmmm... That doesn't sound like the mimosa I've turned either. It's pretty whatever it is. Bernie is right about locust, but I can't tell from the photos whether it's locust or mimosa. Either way, it looks like it'll finish out nicely.

[Josh Bowman]

I have turned mimosa and haven't had any problems like you describe. It kinda looks like black locust to me and that stuff is like concrete to turn. Extemely sharp tools are a must when turning that wood. I really like all the mimosa I have turned. Looks like you got it roughed though.

Nope, not locust. For sure mimosa, pink fuzzy flowers and tiny leaves on lots of stems. Smooth bark. I sharpened my tools twice during the rough out and no real help. I think the tree must have been mutant!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Josh - sounds like you had a challenging time roughing the bowl out but I bet it was still fun! Looks like the bowl may have a couple of bark inclusions around the heartwood. Make sure to check that area real good before you finish turn or it may come flying off when you least expect it!

[David DeCristoforo]

I thought mimosa was a place, not a wood! I figured I was going to be reading about a nice getaway to an exotic location. Oh well, I'm glad to have read this anyway. That goes on my list of woods to avoid turning!

[Josh Bowman]

Josh - sounds like you had a challenging time roughing the bowl out but I bet it was still fun! Looks like the bowl may have a couple of bark inclusions around the heartwood. Make sure to check that area real good before you finish turn or it may come flying off when you least expect it!

Thanks Steve I'll look for that. But actually the darkness you describe is how dark the water is making the wood. This was the lower trunk and had no branches. It's only about half as dark today than yesterday. Interesting wood. Be glad to send it to anyone, I've got more. Looking at the comments from those who have turned it, I wonder if the amount of water in the wood is making it "mushy"? I noted the gouge would only make crumbs until I really pushed it (and yes it's sharp). Based on that, I think the fibers were just bending and not cutting. This thing had so much water in it, my smock was soaked and my shirt was wet also. It was sometimes hard to see where the chisel edge was due to the fog coming up from the wood! Mimosa grows like weeds down here and very fast. They are kind of pretty though and have a great smell, however when they drop the flowers the ground becomes slippery and messy.

[Ron Hipp]

Josh
Green is great to turn but dry it's tough as nails.... Good luck I tossed most of my dry blanks into the firewood pile to me it's not worth the effort. However it is a nice grained wood.

Ron

[Dusty Fuller]

I think what Steve was talking about was the dark line that follows one of the growth rings close to the heart of the blank. I've got a couple of maple blanks that have that same ring, and that area can come out. I've had some On a couple of pieces it became loose as the bowl got thinner, and I just removed it and kept going. Hope things get easier!

[Jim Underwood]

I've turned it green, and it seemed like a very nice wood. I've got some rough-outs waiting on the shelves. It'll be interesting when I finally get to it.

[neil mackay]

Down under its not a tree we bother with much. Soft when green and tough when dry and not considered worth the effort as its colour here is not that good.

[Josh Bowman]

Well I revisited the Mimosa again after it had been anchor sealed and dried a little. It turned like a dream. Only issue is this chuck had a lot of pith and cracked a lot, looks like some of the other chunks may have promise after all. It even cored well with the McMonster.

[Dennis Ford]

Mimosa can be very pretty, I have not had the problems you had while it was wet. Not sure that I have turned it while very wet like yours was.

It does not usually turn well when dry though, tough fibers and soft wood makes it hard to get a clean cut.