Stabilizing Norfolk Island Pine for thin turning

[Chip Sutherland]

Getting around to some NIP turning. I once saw a vacuum table/platform concept for stabilizing NIP. Coating the rough turned NIP with shellac/lacquer/something....applying a vacuum from underneath so the finish soaks/pulls into the NIP. Requires several coats. Just wondering if any old-timers remember this and have plans. My pieces are too large for any of the vac pots I have access to....and I don't want to turn them down smaller just to fit. I'm hoping to turn them down to translucent thin. TIA

[Richard Coers]

Getting around to some NIP turning. I once saw a vacuum table/platform concept for stabilizing NIP. Coating the rough turned NIP with shellac/lacquer/something....applying a vacuum from underneath so the finish soaks/pulls into the NIP. Requires several coats. Just wondering if any old-timers remember this and have plans. My pieces are too large for any of the vac pots I have access to....and I don't want to turn them down smaller just to fit. I'm hoping to turn them down to translucent thin. TIA

Really taking a chance of imploding the bowl or vessel with the vacuum. End grain pine will also absorb much faster on the end grain than long grain.

[alan weinberg]

Read www.RonKent.com where Ron discusses NIP stabilization—look under techniques. I’ve had variable success with the LDD technique he espouses.

[Reed Gray]

I used the LDD (liquid dishwashing detergent) method for years on my bowls. It does nothing to stabilize the wood. It does make it a lot easier to sand out. This is for thin turned bowls. Never do twice turned bowls, so don't know what that does for them. As for stabilizing it, since they are turned end grain, I would expect them to be pretty stable because of grain orientation, mostly they will not tend to go oval. I do remember that Ron would soak them, as in totally submerged, in some Danish type oil for a while, which mostly would mean that the finish would totally penetrate all of the wood, especially since it is all end grain. I think this was done after the pieces were finish turned. I wouldn't worry about stabilizing it.

robo hippy

[Chip Sutherland]

Read www.RonKent.com where Ron discusses NIP stabilization—look under techniques. I’ve had variable success with the LDD technique he espouses.

Ron's description really helped me remember the process. Ron's process is very similar except he talks about ~50 rounds of applying tung oil. The vacuum speeds it up and lessens the repetitions. It's still a long process as tung oil takes time to harden between 10-15 repetitions. Repetitions really depends on the coverage and how porous the end grain starts out. It is still messy. His comments about stalactites was amusing. I remember sacrificing my vacuum table top for the base of a donut jig then sold the lathe with the donut jig as a sweetner to the buyer. I needed a bigger lathe. And I could still use another donut jig....