Is This Wood Suitable For Turning

[Alan Gan]

This was my 1st trip in search of some free wood to use on the Lathe.

There is a new subdivision going in and the developer cleared the land by bulldozing out the trees. Most is Eucalyptus and a little is Mesquite. Some of the Eucalyptus trees were about 3 foot across at the Tree Trunk.

I do not have a gas powered chain saw, there is a lot of wood out there.

Anyway I picked through and found a few pieces that I could haul home. You can see some of it is self explanatory but a few pieces are Root and weird growth. Just would like your opinions, did I get some good wood for Turning or do I have Firewood?







Not sure what this is but it is really light, probably not good for the Lathe but it looked cool, maybe I can come up with something to make out of it.







Root ?





Root, Mesquite I believe



Then my nosy Puppy.

[Bruce Pratt]

Root balls tend to have rocks within them... may not worth the effort. On the other pieces, make sure you cut off all the end checking before using. I think Brian Kent can comment on suitability of eucalyptus as starting material, he has turned and posted quite a few pieces from various eucalyptus species.

You may need to split the eucalyptus logs in half to minimize splitting from the pith. It is my understand that mesquite is more split resistant, even with the pith left in.

[Thom Sturgill]

My worry would be that the dozer probably fractured the wood horribly. You may have a hard time finding any that size that does not have shake type cracks that could fly apart. If you could stabilize them, there are some interesting looking root pieces.
That last one you posted probably would not take kindly to being mounted on the lathe

[Dan Hintz]

Root balls tend to have rocks within them... may not worth the effort.

That said, root balls also have some of the most beautiful character. If you're willing to take a chance on your sawblade (use a cheap one, if you have it), cut it up. I love rootballs for pens, bottle stoppers, etc. because the figure is usually really high in a small area, something highly prized in those types of items.

[Jim Underwood]

Mesquite is great, I don't know about Eucalyptus though... But a lot of that looks awful dry and splitty. And that one piece is positively dry rotted. I'd be mighty careful turning it. I'd try to find some piece farther up the trunk and get the chainsaw out.

[ron david]

sounds as if you are a beginning turner. if you have to ask if it suitable to turn. for a beginner get yourself some nice clear wood devoid of any abstractions. practice on wood that is not going to give you any problems , so that you can learn how to cut cleanly and safely. when you get that mastered then you can venture into other areas. a lot of the material shown will be problematic for a beginner and could throw you off from turning altogether
ron

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Nice dog!

I'll agree with Ron, for now, IF you are beginning, turn clear wood. The mesquite looks dry. That is hard stuff to rough out when dry. Eucalyptus is hard when dry too. You do need a good chainsaw eventually. I'd section the wood out to get the pieces cleaned up so you can see cracks/voids etc. Be safe.
Oh, yes that wood is suitable for turning. ALL of it may not be, as already mentioned, but good start. Did I already mention you need a good chainsaw?

[Pat Scott]

It all looks like firewood to me. Sure you could get some small pieces from some of it, but you'll spend a lot of effort and time in the process. If you don't have a chainsaw, you'll have to use a hand saw to process the logs and root ball into smaller pieces. What a job. Don't even try to cut those pieces freehand on a bandsaw.

[Dan Hintz]

Don't even try to cut those pieces freehand on a bandsaw.

I cut stuff like that all day long... a wide board (plywood) as a base and some clamps work well until you have some flat planes to put against the table.

[Barry Richardson]

Do you have an electric chain saw?, it would work fine to cut up that stuff. Eucalyptus is a fickle wood, probably a lot of cracking already, but if you don't mind that, it looks like you might find some nice figure. I see usable pieces that could make small turnings. Mesquite root ball is one of my favorite things to turn for a rustic piece, but you will have some voids and inclusions. Someone mentioned rocks. Tis true. So don't use your carbide tools when roughing it out, you can regrind HSS, carbide tools don't come back from an encounter with rocks...

[Bill White]

You're gonna have a hard time puttin' the pup in a chuck.
Best way is to try a few smaller pieces. Is it still pretty wet? (The wood, not the dog.)
Bill

[Alan Gan]

Thank-You everyone for the advice. I do have an electric chainsaw so cutting it down to size will not be a problem. It is true I am new to turning but I have been to a couple dog and pony shows, I pick stuff up pretty quick, especially when I get great help from all you.

My plan is to cut it down into manageable pieces and see what stands out. Smaller things is okay for the Lathe I have and it will make some good practice. My question know is; I am not to sure on which way I should place the wood on the lathe. Still learning Grain Direction on the lathe.

As far as the firewood comment's, that confuses me a little. May be I am wrong but just out of the strait log of Eucalyptus there are many small items that could be made from that alone.

The Eucalyptus does split really bad and fast. I tried using some Pruning sealer on some other limbs I cut a couple weeks ago from the tree by my house. The wood still split, maybe a 2nd coat would have helped, largest limb was about 8" across.

I know Anchorseal is popular for sealing fresh cuts but a little pricey, would standard latex paint work well too?

[ron david]

Thank-You everyone for the advice. I do have an electric chainsaw so cutting it down to size will not be a problem. It is true I am new to turning but I have been to a couple dog and pony shows, I pick stuff up pretty quick, especially when I get great help from all you.

My plan is to cut it down into manageable pieces and see what stands out. Smaller things is okay for the Lathe I have and it will make some good practice. My question know is; I am not to sure on which way I should place the wood on the lathe. Still learning Grain Direction on the lathe.

As far as the firewood comment's, that confuses me a little. May be I am wrong but just out of the strait log of Eucalyptus there are many small items that could be made from that alone.

The Eucalyptus does split really bad and fast. I tried using some Pruning sealer on some other limbs I cut a couple weeks ago from the tree by my house. The wood still split, maybe a 2nd coat would have helped, largest limb was about 8" across.

I know Anchorseal is popular for sealing fresh cuts but a little pricey, would standard latex paint work well too?

but I have been to a couple of dog and pony shows and now you are a turner, you are not sure how to place the wood on the lathe, you don't know which way how to cut some crap wood(which may look wonderful as it may to you as it does to any other aspiring turner). do the world a favour and get yourself some lessons for a beginner. learn how to be safe, how to handle the tools how to mount the wood on the lathe for what you want to do. if the wood is in the round it doesn't matter what you seal it with it is still going to crack. the only thing that I have never seen crack was a log of cocus wood that I bought 30 years ago and still have some in the round
ron

[Alan Gan]

but I have been to a couple of dog and pony shows and now you are a turner, you are not sure how to place the wood on the lathe, you don't know which way how to cut some crap wood(which may look wonderful as it may to you as it does to any other aspiring turner). do the world a favour and get yourself some lessons for a beginner. learn how to be safe, how to handle the tools how to mount the wood on the lathe for what you want to do. if the wood is in the round it doesn't matter what you seal it with it is still going to crack. the only thing that I have never seen crack was a log of cocus wood that I bought 30 years ago and still have some in the round
ron

Ron, I am not sure if you are trying to be helpful, or if you are just a smart a$$.

Maybe in BC that was humor, I don't think so. Maybe if you took the time you use to post negative accusations toward my lack of knowledge almost on the verge of calling me a fool and post something helpful it would be time better spent.

Everything you posted about what I do not know and what I should do was exactly what I had asked for advice on. Sure, I understand going to some classes would be helpful but in the meantime I will try to pick up as much as I can from others that have much more knowledge than me. That could be from this site or the hundreds of videos out there. Trial and error works for me and safety is top priority.

So unless you would like to post something useful, just don't.

[Bruce Pratt]

If you want to do spindle turning, e.g., candlesticks, orient the wood with the pith parallel to the ways of the lathe. For bowl turning, it is generally done with a half log, with the pith oriented perpendicular to the ways. You might want to pick up a copy of Turning Green Wood by Michael O'Donnell.

Latex paint is not as effective as Anchorseal. Original formula Anchorseal, available directly from the manufacturer is better than Anchorseal II. Putting the wood in a plastic trash bag will also reduce moisture-loss-induced cracking. If the wood is really wet, which looks not to be the case, storage in plastic will cause additional spalting (which can be a good thing).

If possible, find a local wood turning club (local affiliate of AAW). You can gets lots of hand-on help there.