Monkey Puzzle tree

Don't know about monkey puzzle, but sycamore is nice. There are three different families of trees referred to as sycamore. See

for details. What I usually think of when I hear sycamore is the wood that rulers are made of. Looks a lot like maple but with a more pronounced ray pattern. I turned some spalted sycamore I got from a guy in Florida a few years ago. It was quite nice...

I don't know that I have ever seen monkey puzzle. However, sycamore is one of my favorite turning woods.

It is moderately hard, and doesn't have much problem with tear out. Easy on the tools.

The only warning I would give is that when it is a bit too green it will split and warp overnight if you don't bag it in plastic.

The best part is that no matter what the orientation of the piece is on the lathe, you will get some great grain patterns.

Robert

Sycamore is nice to turn and looks good when finished.

I don't know about monkey puzzle ... but I do know I have a large chunk in the garage drying out so I hope I'll be able to tell you some day soon.

Ian

In the UK you see Monkey Puzzle turnings occasionally, usually done big or tall as in a vase shape to show off its variety of colors and grain. I think its a bit like turning Pine. And usually turning it wet gives you the best cut. I think I have only seen it finished with oil, and I believe it can have a lot of resin in it. We turn a lot of sycamore over here, I usually buy it in plank form and store standing on its end unlike most other woods that I store flat and stickered. If good quality it should be a nice even grain, almost white in colour that will change to a yellowy cream over time. Usually cuts nicely but if it has been dried too fast in a kiln can go soft and feathery and be a right pain to cut and get nice. Cuts like butter when wet, but will split if left too thick. It can also get a silver grey coloring through the grain that makes it look dirty. But if its spalted it can look spectacular. Good luck Hotfoot.

I believe the Monkey Puzzle tree is also the Chilean Pine, and is turned like the Norfolk Island pine, as in end grain, with the branch knots radiating out from the center, thin and translucent. It does have pitch in it, so difficult to sand, and an LDD (liquid dish washing detergent) soak helps.

Sycamore and London Plane is fairly soft here, and not usually much color, but quartersawn pieces can have beautiful medullary rays that are smaller than what you will find in quartersawn oak. If wet, there can be a lot of shrinkage as in way more than the normal 10% rule for twice turned bowls. It does tend to really soak up the finishes.

robo hippy

Monkey puzzle trees make equisite bowls if the blanks are cut from slices across the tree and are turned "end grain" on, when the wood is green. You get a unique pattern to the wood, examples of which can be seen at the link below, to one of the UK's leading exponents of monkey puzzle tree turning - Gregory Moreton.

I've seen a demo of Gregory turning a bowl from a blank, and when polished, it looked more like ceramic than wood.

David,

Hull, East Yorkshire, N.E. Coast of England.

WHAT IS A MONKEY PUZZLE TREE??

Over here in the UK we occasionally get a chance to turn Monkey Puzzle. The branches grow out from the trunk equi-spaced so that when it is turned the knots are all at the same height. The only problem turning it is the amount of resinous sap that adheres to your tools. I always have methylated spirit (methanol) or ethanol to regularly clean the gouge. Results..........Wonderful! As far as sycamore is concerned, we regard it as a weed, but it makes for superb pierced or coloured forms. Good for kithenware as well.

Woodturning, nature's answer to stress!

Charlie Jones

Oxford, UK