Woodturning Timbers

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N
NARGUSTA NEW GUINEA WALNUT NIOVE
O
OAK The Oak lives to a great age of a thousand years and more, acorns are born at sixty years old and it is cut for timber at 150 to 200 years which is used where hardness and strength are required. It was used extensively for shipbuilding and house frames, the bark has been used for tanning and dyeing. Modern day uses include high quality furniture. OAK AMERICAN RED Details of below coming soon OAK AMERICAN WHITE OAK EUROPEAN OAK JAPANESE OLIVE EAST AFRICAN Distribution mainly East Africa. Other names are musheragi, Elgon olive In mediterranean countries there is a related type Olea europae, Linn generally smaller, also laurifolia, Moench from Africa known as Black Ironwood and verrucosa and capensis from South Africa known as Cape Olive. All the types have very similar properties as follows . The grain is shallowly interlocked with a fine and even texture. The weight is approx 890kg/m3 (55lb/ft3) with a specific gravity of 0.89. It has a high bending and crushing strength and good resistance to shock loads. The timber has a good resistance to abrasion and an all round very good strength. Seasoning is slow with a tendency to check and split. If dried to quickly problems will occure but it can be kilned successfully at a slow rate. There is a moderate blunting effect on tool edges and the interlocked grain can give some problems, it will accept stains and an excellent smooth polished finish can be obtained. It is an excellent turnery wood and is used for a wide range of decorative items. OVANGKOL
P
PADAUK AFRICAN Details of below coming soon PADAUK ANDAMAN PADAUK BURMA PALDAO PARANA PINE PAU MARFIM PEAR PECAN This wood is from the SE area of the USA and Mexico sold as Red and White Hickory. Very quick to dry but does tend to shrink. PEROBA ROSA Details of below coming soon PEROBA WHITE PERSIMMON PLANE EURUPEAN PUI Colombian Hardwood Other names Roble Flor Amarillo, Yellow Flower Oak. Pui is a very useful timber because of it's hardness, weight and strength. It has and incredible dense grain and has excellent acoustical properties which makes for a wonderfully resonant clarinet barrel. PURPLEHEART
Q
QUANGDONG WHITE Details of below coming soon QUEENSLAND MAPLE QUEENSLAND WALNUT
R
RAMIN Other Names telur, melawis. Distribution South East Asia, Sarawak, West Malaysia. Other names ramin telur, melawis. White to pale straw colour Weight 660kg/m3 (41lb/ft3) SG = 0.66 Dries quickly but tends to split works well with little blunting. Can have an unpleasant smell when wet. RED BEECH REWAREWA ROSEWOOD Provides an excellent finish if carefully applied and used extensively in quality furniture, instrument manufacture, and decorative fittings/boxes although in short supply due to overuse. Has a very high level of blunting and tool wear. ROSEWOOD BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD HONDURAS ROSEWOOD INDIAN
S
SYCAMORE The Sycamore belongs to the Maple family, The tree was introduced into Great Britain in the 16th century. It is a good wood to turn and has many uses including furniture, kitchen and butchers boards and dairy utensils. It can be very white and is therefore often used in pyrography. SUCUPIRA Other names black sucupira
T
TAUN Distribution mainly throughout the South Pacific region heart pink turning to brown and reddish brown with ageing, moderately course and non siliceous. Dries well but will check if not controlled and works well with machine and hand tools. The timber is used for furniture, cabinets, pianos, marine items, good for turning a wide range of items.
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V

W
WALNUT At first site a walnut tree can be mistaken for Ash but the leaves are usually much greener, an excellent for turning and a good finish can be obtained. The wood is used for a range of items but is best known for its use in high class furniture. This must be one of the most useful trees, the timber is used extensively in woodwork, the oil is used for polishes and protection and the nut provides a high level of vitamin C.
WENGE Dark Brown wood from Zaire, Cameroon, and Gabon. Very heavy density strong wood takes a long time to fully season, there is a medium blunting effect on cutting edges and wood contains a considerable amount of resins. A very good wood for turning as a really high gloss Finnish can be obtained.

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Y

YEW This wood has been used for many centuries and was used for bow staves by the English Bowmen, straight grained examples turn well and a beautiful polished finish can be obtained. It can be a little difficult to work with if the grain is irregular. TIP avoid to much heat if sanding to avoid heat cracking (which it is very sensitive to) keep moving across the surface and minimise the contact time by short intermittent sanding cycles. Use good ventilation as dust is harmful. An old saying says that a bed made from yew is bug proof but I have seen plenty of bugs in some of the yew that I have turned.
Z

ZEBRANO West African timber with a very decorative finish, generally turns well but not always easy to get a good finish due to the grain variations, need to carefully select pieces of timber.