lilac

Hello Kevin,

Lilac is a beautiful wood that turns very well; however, it is very difficult to dry without cracking. Even rough turned lilac is very prone to cracking. It turns well both wet and dry, and yes it is hard after drying, but it still turns very good.

Fred Holder

Hi Kevin.

I have turned tons of the stuff. The biggest I ever made was a bowl from the root of the tree. It looked like 4 petals springing up from the center. The biggest problem you will have will be in the drying. In the last 3 years of turning the stuff, I can count few pieces that dried without cracking. I once turned a pen from a small 3/4" x 3/4" blank that had been sitting for over a year and 3 months later the pen cracked.

Enough of the negative. As a turning wood, no problems, wet or dry. Some lilac has bright purple streaks down the pith that sometimes radiates out. The colors will fade fast if you don't do something to protect them. I still have a keyring I made 3 years ago and quickly sparyed with clear lacquer that still has it's purple streaks. I recommend you not use any oil based or penetrating finish if you want to preserve the colors. Not all pieces are colored; if you're lucky they are. It probably has to do with species. As an added bonus, lilac smells wonderful when turned. Not the sickly sweet smell usually associated with lilac (can you tell I can't stand it?) but a very light fresh sweet scent. It ranks with apple as a pleasantly scented wood to turn.

If you want to see some lilac pieces, I have a few pieces on my website. I have bigger pictures on my computer that I can send you if you wish.

Good luck!

Mike Courteau snipped-for-privacy@toymakersite.com