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Thread: Spalted, Speed and Window (long)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    623

    Spalted, Speed and Window (long)

    Just a word on spalted wood and lathe speed to new turners such as myself.
    Turn the wood at a slow speed. This includes shaping and sanding and finishing.
    Now the story,,, yesterday I was turning a spalted piece of wood and just finished the shaping process. This was my best looking bowl to date. I wanted the sanding to be just right and acheive as smooth a surface as possible so I started to sand at a low speed on the lathe. I wasn't getting what I was looking for in the surface so I sped up the lathe to a middle speed. Still not the smooth surface I was looking for. So I sped up the lathe to all out warp drive. And this is where it happened, (experienced woodturners know where this is going) the speed of the lathe and the fact that spalted wood does not have the fibers that good wood does. The bowl blew apart in many different directions. In fact I'm still finding glass out in the driveway twelve feet away from where part of the bowl blew out through a window in the shop. And for those that have never heard a bowl blow, yes it does make a sound that reminds you of a gun being shot. Luckily I was standing to the side of the bowl when it came apart, otherwise I truely believe I would not be sitting here now doing this type up. Spalted wood and speed do not mix. I know what spalted wood is and I guess I had a real brain fade or I just wasn't thinking right, or I was in just too big a hurry. No matter how I try to break it down, I did a studip thing and learned a real good lesson.
    I hope others that have not used spalted wood or is new to this hobby, reads this and gets a little wiser from my lack of thinking.
    Last edited by Doug Jones; 01-20-2006 at 7:49 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    Speed kills...in many ways. Objects can fly apart, as yours did or suffer other issues when running too fast. It's better to err on the conservative! Nobody likes a face full of wood, nor the "agony of defeat" when a beautiful object shatters before your eyes.

    For sanding, slow speed should always be used as it generates a lot of heat. In fact, if you power-sand, that heat can melt the hook and loop system to the point that it will not "hook and loop" fairly quickly. You can always sand a little longer with each grit, making sure you use a fresh surface of the paper. Clean off the object between grits, too, to insure you don't cause scratching from stray particles from the previous paper.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
    #1 - Sand slow, not fast. If the finish is so rough that you have to sand that much and at a high speed, your tooling finish isn't good enough to start with.

    #2 - Not to be critical, but I seem to find humor in the strangest places, and because no one was injured by this, I found the description of events to be quite entertaining.

    #3 - Replacing glass is fun, ain't it?

    #4 - Turn safely........perhaps replace the window with wood.........that way the next exploding bowl will at least stay in the building.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    623
    Jim and Kevin,
    Thanks for your inputs and sharing of information. However this posting is more for an informative value to those that lack the knowledge and experience that you have, rather than a question posting. (Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate input at all levels). Again I hope someone gains from my most stupid of mistakes.
    Thanks, Doug

    And Kevin, I'm happy to hear that my misfortune and costly lesson has brought a smile to your face. : )

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