As a result of the get together over at Mike Johnson's place this weekend there was a disucssion of magnolia as a turning wood. Even though I've been in a haze from eating too much of Mike's killer barbeque (great stuff!), I remembered my promise to post a pic of a magnolia piece I did a while back.
This piece was turned from a large limb where the grain tends to be a bit tighter. In my experience the trunk wood is a lot like pine without the rosin. It is, after all, a broadleafed connifer and has an almost rosin smell when you turn it. The difference between the hard and soft bands makes it difficult to get smoothed out on a bowl. It spalts quickly as most softer woods are prone to do. Obviously the growing conditions will have some effects on the tighness of the grain and overall quality of the wood, but for the most part I've found the relatively smaller pieces to be better for turning. My $0.2 on magnolia.
Reply With Quote
