Turning green aspen

Turning free and available wood is a great way to break in.

As to aspen/popple, it's not so much that it dulls the tools as it requires special sharpness and careful cutting angles because its fine-fibered, soft and stringy. Once the bark's gone, with the grit it holds, it shouldn't be too bad in the dulling department. Only corrosion from the juices to dull the edge. Couple that with a tendency to grain reversals, where you unexpectedly find yourself lifting up the grain where you thought you were running down hill, and it can be a furry experience. If you turn dry, things are much easier.

As to drying, it's almost bullet proof. Very difficult to get aspen to crack, though it will sometimes, because of the interlocked grain, warp in unexpected direction or dimension and render an otherwise safe thickness rough incapable of being turned back round. Use any of the methods of slowing the moisture loss if your relative humidity is real low, only don't slow it so much - e.g. plastic bag - that it mildews. Those black spots will run into aspen quickly.

Lots of people put oil finishes on real early in the drying process, even without it. Makes for some sticky days, but when the oil cures, you know you're ready for the second coat. I like the temperature test, where you touch your lips to the piece to see if it's cool - by evaporation - compared to other objects. For better sensitivity find a mother - they can detect half a degree of fever on their child's forehead.

I turn lots of Aspen. Prefer turning it green, sharp tools and a decent speed results in fairly clean cuts. Microwave dries quickly, scorches real easy, watch it.

Turned some the same day I cut it. Messy. I was soaked to the skin, but what a blast. LLLLLooonnnggg ribbons of wood flying over the shoulder.

Hi Cuchura

I have turned a few bowls out of some aspen I brought along out of BC a number of years ago, and also poplar and willow from the area over here in Southern Ontario Canada, the problem with aspen/popular/willow is there are a number of different species in that group, something like

350 species worldwide and 35 or so native, then we have natural and manmade hybrids, so turning willow and popular and aspen is not always the same. Most are fuzzy like yours, some less so, colors range from a muddy white to a light golden tan, and from just plain wood to a really beautiful shimmering chatoyance. Light weight wood that does not split readily when drying, but it is soft and easily dinged and damaged. I find with the willow and aspen/ poplar that the presentation of the tool makes a big difference, you really have to hold it so that it cuts or better slices, and of course the tool has to be sharp. Try to keep your shapes with no abrupt changes and when sanding don't go for the real course paper, or you have a lot of torn grain to clean up. There are a couple of willow/poplar turnings in my albums, take a look if you like.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Ah, you do beautiful work Leo. I had looked at your album before. Thanks for the reply.

"...fine-fibered, soft, and stringy." You're obviously speaking from experience. That's a perfect description for what I'm seeing.

Thanks for info on oil finish and testing for dryness. I'll give it a try.

Microwave for drying, huh? I'll give that a try. Any time/power suggestions?

I've got a sackful of those long ribbons. Seeing those come off was a real hoot.

I like your sig. Good philosoply.

Where are you located?

I th> Newbie here...

If you want to get a headstart with understanding green timber, John Jordan has a very intersting DVD available that contains discussions about it, "The Aethetics and Properties of Wood". Actually two DVDs and unlike most "turning" videos, there is next to turning at the lathe shown.

Very worthy of several viewings as there are many pieces of useful information contained within his discussions.

Safe turn>Newbie here...

Hi Leo,

What is chatoyance?

JimC

snipped-for-privacy@rogers.com wrote:

Hi Jim

Comes from chatoyer, which would mean roughly shimmer, and chatoyance means the bands of reflected light, caused by aligned inclusions, like in gem stones, especially when cut. So the chatoyance in wood is the shimmering lines and waves etc., we see in wood, especially showing up when smooth and polished.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

It's the cat's (chat) eye, rather than the meow. Iridescence like tiger-eye or lapis in stones, or curly woods.

Try the lowest power setting, only a couple of minutes. The idea is to just warm the wood. If it is too hot to hold you are overdoing it. Let it cool for about 15 minutes and do it again. After several cycles it will not have any damp feel when you take it out.

Microwaves excite water molecules, turning them to vapor. It then dries from the inside out, instead of the outside in which is why wood usually checks.

"Where are you located? I think most here in Denver don't bother with green aspen..."

I'm in the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas area - but my green aspen came from south of La Veta, CO. That's where I'm building a cabin and harvesting my neighbor's cut green aspen (HE cut it, not me). I'm also using standing dead aspen for trim in the cabin. It would be nice to turn, but not until I've used what I need otherwise. All the SDA cutoffs will come back to DFW with me for later turning.

If you can I recommend letting it dry a bit.

I f> "Where are you located?

Hi Jim

Here's an example of Chatoyance

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo