Morning all, from the worlds champion lurker. I am trying to turn a number of 36 inch spindles. The problem I am having is that I get places where the grain picks out and leaves a very coarse surface.Eastern pine because it is cheap, handy etc. If it were hard wood it would be no problem, so no choice. I have used a steady rest, kept the tools very sharp etc. What am I doing wrong? Eastern pine because it is cheap, handy etc. If it were hard wood it would be no problem, so no choice. Many thanks for any help you may be able to give.
I am assuming that you mean you had no choice when it came to the wood you are turning. With that in mind, You might want to do a couple of things to change up your turning technique to reduce your tearout. I turn pine from time to time, and sometimes there is almost no way to stop all the tear out or rough grain left behind.
First, I would make sure I am spinning the piece as fast as I could (safely). Make sure your tools are razor sharp, and that you are using the correct one. When I get to near finish dimension on a problem piece of wood with tearout, I finish my cuts with one of two tools: a
1" skew, sharpen to a fine edge so that I can plane off the material; or the old 60-80 grit skew, and take the piece to final shape with that.
However, even with the sandpaper "skew", you will have tearout, it will just be smaller. And if you go the sandpaper route, you should be aware that you will be sanding a lot, going all through the grits to get out the last of the grooves and tearout.
I don't know how many you have of these to do, but if my material was doing that to me, I would change if I could. If you can't, just take you time and take off as small amounts of material as possible at a time.
Red or white? Big difference. White (Pinus strobus) is much more consistent in density, and is quicker to drop branches, producing overall straighter wood. If what you're turning is cheaper than hardwoods like birch, you may have SPF (two by fours) which is usually spruce or fir, and a stinker to get a smooth spindle on.
Speed isn't essential, sharp is. Most essential is that you not rush the task by attempting to lever out the shavings, but take them as they come. If you dig the heel in an attempt to "ride the bevel" you will bruise the wood under the heel, tear the wood at the edge, and make the whole spindle squirm. If you can, get a look at the way Roy Underhill or other human-power turners put a gouge to wood. You're after taking the least effort, just as they are, even though you've got the motor on the job. Pressing only the cutting edge, not the bevel is the concept. I use broad radius gouges or skews, and they ride best at about 1:00-1:30, not later on the spindle, unless you're bottoming coving or beading, in which case they still start up high and swing down toward 3:00.
Worst pine I ever turned was Jack, which is loaded with resin to the point that you couldn't even sand it effectively. Loaded paper that fast. Stringy and brittle at the same time. Hope you don't have that.
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