White Oak (or "Is It Just Me?")

Hi Rob,

Of course it is you! Six months from now you will turn that wood with no problem. Just like a baby struggles with learning to walk, you are struggling with learning to turn and most likely, proper tool presentation.

I was at a woodturning workshop tonight and watched a demo of turning plates. The fellow turning did a great job. I thought about it afterwards and realized I may have been able to do the same demo but without the twenty or thirty people who were watching. I was talking to another turner who makes and sells some really big and beautiful bowls. I mentioned that the closer the object gets to being finished, the more nervous I get.

So, what you are going through is natural. Some woods are better for turning than others. But if you persevere, the problems will diminish and you will enjoy this hobby even more.

Harry

The oak is the cut off pieces of the stairway columns (4"x4"x7")

Of course it's hard. Since dry wood is dry wood, it's going to be more or less the same, except as indicated below, regardless if it's slow dried or kiln dried.

Oak has a couple of built-in problems in its ray figure. They're natural fracture planes, as those of us who split it to burn it know well, and they also contribute to a problem which starts in the dry kiln - honeycomb. Internal fractures which may even close after moisture equalization, they're accidents in waiting. Easy to overlook them with the coarse grain in oak.

You may have revealed one old fracture, or created a new one along a natural cleavage plane. Trying thin and along the grain, were you? Stuff snaps without half trying, sometimes. Makes a neat ornament, though, if you succeed.

It was kiln dried. Very hard stuff.

I was using the sorby hollowmaster (brand new) and did pretty good, I went to a round nosed scraper to round out the corners and "BAM!", and that was it... It was a monumental catch. So, I cut it in half to analyze it and found that the sides thinned out to less than 1/8" and was 11/16" of an inch at the top and the bottom. So, I could see that it was hollowed out in the shape of a baseball inside (not a vase).

This past weekend, I turned some air dried mahogany and it was like nothign I have turned before. I have made pens but they really dont count as they are "spindles" and not bowls. But, the wood that I have has been KD white oak and AD purple heart. Both ahve been very difficult. But, I think with the sorby, the PH should be easier now. I turned a small box with the PH yesterday and turned right through the side. I saw that one coming and just thinned it out too much. So, I was not as sad. But, after I "turned the top off it", i kept working on the base without moving anything and saw what was going on. It made a lot more sense that way.

As sad as it sounds, i rather *like* the idea of the childish pleasure of burning those things... hehehe...

Rob

Rob, don't be too hard on yourself. White oak is hard as hell to turn, especially if your are trying to hollow end grain. Why don't you try hollowing some green wood until you get the hang of it?

Barry