Month: October 2018

Harvesting An Ash Tree For Woodturning Cutting Bowl Blanks From Logs

Harvesting A Blown Over
Ash Tree for Woodturning

About a 12″ dead Ash Tree blew over from some Northeast winds the other day. Thank God, because if it were the regular Southwest winds ….my neighbor’s Gazebo would have been tooth picks!

Ash is great for turning, finding dead trees that are not rotted is tough
North winds were strong and blew down about a 12″ ash tree, been dead for a while and I was hoping it would be dry.

Looking to Start Cutting Bowl Blanks From Logs!

Been a rough week or so for me, health wise….so hard to do anything physical when you feel like crap all the time. But, I finally gathered up some strength and went down to the river (where the tree fell) to cut a few pieces off the downed ash tree. I grabbed a wagon, my small Stihl 180 chainsaw and cut up a few pieces to see if the Ash Tree was in good enough shape to turn some woodturning bowl blanks. So I was ready to start cutting bowl blanks from logs.

But first I had to began Collecting and Preparing Wood for Woodturing. And unless you are made of money, most woodturners will want to start to learn the process of collecting local woodturning wood from their area. It doesn’t matter if its a new tree that has been sawn down or a tree that has been laying around for a while. Get a chainsaw and get yourself some free woodturning wood blanks!

Turned Bowl from ash tree, thought it was dead and dry but it was not!
Thought ash tree was dead and dry so turned a bowl with some pith, big mistake because it was still wet and I got some good cracks and checks!

Chainsaws for Cutting
Woodturning Blanks From Logs

Chainsaws are important when cutting bowl blanks from logs. Just a side note ….I have up to a 660 Stihl …..so all you chainsaw experts don’t laugh at my little saw 🙂 My son, Christopher, actually purchased the 660, I told him to get the 880 but he got the 660 Stihl, monster of a saw ….in fact, he rides dirt bikes and said the engine on the 660 and 880 were like dirt bike motors! I can pick up the 660, not sure I could use it 🙂 The thing is a monster! Really, really, really, sucks being sick and getting old 🙁 Sorry for that little chainsaw rant, but all you chainsaw geeks, millers and sawyers share my passion! and I though you might appreciate the story.

Looking For 12″ Trunk Size for 12″ Bowl Blanks

Anyway when thinking about cutting bowl blanks from logs, I was looking to max out the bowl size on my lathe…that would be 12″ I would need 12″ logs for bowl blanks….turns out I’ll probably get 10 or 15 bowls around 11″ and a whole bunch of small bowls, vases, cups …etc.

Identify an ash tree that is good enough for woodturning
Ash is good for turning, keep your eyes open for a solid tree, sometimes you need to make a couple of cuts

I would say this little Ash Tree was dead for about 3 or 4 years. To my surprise, all the damage on this tree was under the bark. So far, no worm holes in the tree. It’s still wet …although I’m guessing, probably 50% or more dry. The wood is strong. The grain is not punky! No soft spots anyplace on this beautiful tree 🙂 I expect to be able to use almost all of this Ash Tree for making woodturning bowl blanks and other woodturning blanks!

Save Ash Limbs for Future Woodturning Projects

Even punky and worm hole ridden ash makes for nice pieces, do not forget to take ash limbs down to a 1-1/2″ diameter for ash tool handles, billy clubs and vases! I will cut limbs between 24″ and 30″ long. When I feel like turning but really do not want to think about starting a big project I will put a couple of these on the lathe and just turn them to round. So I might end up with a stash of ash rounds that are 1 1/2″ wide to 6″ or more wide. I store them low, and let them dry slowly. If they are wet, I will paint the ends. I might even move them up to the 4 foot level so they dry a little faster.

How To Use Your Ash (Limb) Rounds

You would be surprised what these Ash round/long blanks can be used for. I first of all use them for custom tool handles. You can make custom ash wood mallets for woodworkers, ash billy clubs, ash fish clubs, ash vases …you really are limited to your imagination. If you have a nice small clear piece, make some really cool ash ornaments. These are great pieces to make ash snowmen from. If you know any kids or young baseball players you can make some really cool custom Ash baseball bats. When I played baseball ….almost all the bats were from ash trees.

Round Blanks Not Limited to Ash Trees

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Collecting limbs for woodturning to make smaller 1-1/2″ to 6″ round blanks is not limited to Ash Trees! You can collect limbs suitable for turning from just about any tree. Most woodturners will ignore and bypass the limbs when collecting wood from a downed tree, they go for the big pieces that will give them nice bowl blanks ….and I understand that. However you are leaving a lot of good turning material behind if you do not investigate and grab some of the larger branches that might be available for future woodturning projects.

For instance, there was a boxelder tree that came down not too far from me. The owner told me I could have the whole tree but someone snuck in and ripped me off, they grabbed some of the nicer pieces. It didn’t matter, they couldn’t lift the big trunk pieces so I got those ….but they thief left some nice branches behind, 2+ inches up to 6″ or so. So, I grabbed those and threw them off the the side. I tried to turn a vase out of one of them and to my surprise it had a nice red/purple streak going through it.

boxelder vase from branch
boxelder vase from branch

I had several Oaks go down over the last 2 years. Once again, the branches….most people burn/chip or throw away were a gold mine of handles and other spindle related turnings.

It does take a bit of effort to cut up the branches, load them and then store them but once you do….. you’ll be sitting pretty for a long time. You will never be looking for a 3×3 oak blank for a stair balaster 🙂

Or, the smaller branches can be easily cut into pen blanks or …..I think they are called “scales” for the wood handles on knives.

Learn to Spot Woodturning
Gold ….Trees For Turning!

To the uneducated eye, this would be a junk tree ….worthy of being cut up and burned on the fire pile …probably not even good enough for firewood. In fact, that’s probably what I would have done with it 4 or 5 years ago. I now look at trees with a different eye 🙂 So I see behind the shredding bark, broken branches laid a perfectly fine Ash tree. Lumber from the tree would be perfect for cutting bowl blanks from logs but could be used for just about anything. A small mill could get a whole bunch of paneling or some framing beams, more importantly ….I can get all kinds of wood for turning!

Pictures of My Ash Tree Harvest
For Woodturning Projects

In the pictures you see the wagon with my chainsaw and lengths of wood as I get ready to cut some bowl blanks from the Ash tree. I used my bandsaw to split 2 of the larger logs and cut some round bowl blanks from them. I actually mounted one on the lathe and started turning the bowl, formed the ouside of the bowl and sanded it. I put it on a shelf to dry a little.

Harvesting a Downed Ash Tree for Bowl Blanks
Just cut up some Ash Tree logs for bowl blanks, vases, cups, billy clubs …etc

The other pieces are for tool handles. Ash makes really good tool handles. I’ll use the rest for vases, billy clubs, fish clubs, cups and some boxes. Probably could do a lamp or two ….lots of good turning wood in that downed tree. I plan on cutting it up and putting it inside the shop or garage for use latter this year as it slowly dries and is kept out of the weather!

Harvesting a Downed Ash Tree for Bowl Blanks
Just cut up some Ash Tree logs for bowl blanks, cut on the band saw and ready to turn…etc

Hoping to Help Some New Woodturners Find and Process Local Trees For Their Woodturing!

I just thought that some of the new woodturners would like to see the thought process when trying to find and harvest some turning lumber. I see questions asked on how to harvest wood for woodturing, where to get wood for woodturing and what to do with it when you find some wood for woodturning. Bottom line, grab it! Take it home and then figure out how to process it.

Quick Look At Cutting A Log For Woodturing Bowl Blanks

Let’s say you want to turn bowls with a 12″ diameter. You’ll need logs that are at least 12″ in diameter, to be on the safe side your logs should be at least 14″ wide. Then you should cut the log 14″ long plus 3″ or so to allow for damaged ends or crooked cuts. You’ll then split the log in half, you’ll then have 2 log halfs to make your bowl blanks from. At this point you can use a bandsaw to cut a circular bowl blank or use your chainsaw to nip off the ends ….making it a somewhat chainsaw circular bowl blank. Hope that makes sense. If not, check out youtube for processing logs for woodturning.

Videos Show How to Cut Bowl Blanks From Logs

Here are a few videos that will give you an idea of how to process a log for creating some bowl blanks. Remember, everybody takes a different approach, its up to you to figure out what works best for you. Remember a chainsaw is a viscous tool, accidents happen in milliseconds so please be careful.

Notice in this first video that the chainsaw creates shavings, this indicates a nice sharp chainsaw blade ….that goes a long way to helping you make your bowl blanks

Stephen Ogle is one of my favorites and he shares how he processes and cuts logs for bowl blanks. Pay attention, he is a great teacher on all things woodturning!

Brian Havens is an excellent teacher of woodturning …all aspects! Some of his stuff is a little old, I wish he would add some new things but maybe he got burned out or just did a brain dump over a couple of years and doesn’t have much new material to share.

This video he was given an apple tree. He did not record the process of cutting up the apple tree into blanks but he brought all the pieces back to his shop and put them together and then explains why he did what he did ….excellent video for the woodturner who is looking to understand how to dissect a try to get the most out of it ….pay close attention and I guarantee you will learn much 🙂

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Cutting Bowl Blanks From A Log, Cutting Bowl Blanks From Logs, How To Cut Bowl Blanks From Logs

Making A Wood Tool Handle For A Half Inch Sorby Spindle Gouge

Making A Wood Tool Handle For A
Half Inch Sorby Spindle Gouge

A couple of years ago I didn’t have a clue as to how to build or make a woodturning tool. And….I didn’t know why I would want to make a woodturning tool, except for the fact that I did not have enough money to go out and purchase a whole bunch of woodturning tools !

Now, I really enjoy making different tools …almost as much as I enjoy turning wood. You save a bunch of money by making your own woodturning tools, you solve your own problems by making your own turning tools and you learn how the tool best operates when you make your own woodturning tools.

Quick Method For
Building Woodturning Tools

I really didn’t want to make this a post on how to make your own woodturning tools but it really is simple.
-turn a tool handle
-use a piece of copper pipe as a ferrule when the tool inserts into the wood handle.
-either buy a tool blank or make your own and insert and glue into the handle.

There are a lot of videos of guys showing how they make their own tools, watch them and you will get some good ideas ….then perfect a process that matches your needs and abilities. Just go to Google and type in something like “DIY Woodturning Tools” and you will start your journey down the rabbit hole. Or check out some of the articles on this site regarding making your own woodturing tools.

Making A Sorby 1/2″ Spindle Gouge

I just made this spindle gouge from a Sorby 1/2″ spindle gouge (steel only) and turned a handle from an oak branch I had laying around. I purchased the spindle gouge blank from Amazon https://amzn.to/2pBdNjK .


Today there are many different types and quality of woodturning tools. Some of us have to start with the cheapests tools, for instance, mine came from Harbor Freight …which came from China! I had a hard time getting started and I soon learned it was because of the poor quality of tools I had and …….not knowing what I was doing. After some research I found out that you can spend up to $200 for a high quality steel woodturning tool. I guess the price comes from the advanced and high quality steel that is used to make the woodturning tool.

I really did not understand that until someone bought me a Sorby bowl 1/2″ bowl gouge. This woodturing tool would cut through wood like butter and it stayed sharp at least 5x longer than the cheaper tools. So my goal is to replace the cheap tools I have with expensive tools ……and at times you can cut the cost by purchasing just the steel, that is, the tool blank. If you have the tool blank, you turn a handle and drill a hole in the end and glue the tool into the handle with some epoxy. You can make it more complicated if you wish, but that’s it in a nutshell.

I Had An Oak Wood Handle Blank Ready to Turn

I already had a round oak wood blank ready to shape into a handle, it had some cracks in it so I used some Stabond CA and glued it, the cracks were pretty large in size and I wasn’t sure if the Starbond CA would hold it ….as it turned out, there was no problem. Finally, I was really trying to figure out how I wanted to make my tool, how long the handle would be and if I would glue the tool blank in the handle or make it removable.

Finishing The Tool Handle
With Thin Stabond CA

Finally, I got everything done, finished the tool handle and I decided I would try to do a CA finish using some of the Thin Starbond CA glue, I don’t think I have ever done one before….this was kind of large, I did not know how much it would take and I felt like giving it a go. I’ve avoided using CA glue as a finsh because I assumed it would take a lot of product and me, being cheap, didn’t want to use up all my Starbond CA glue on one handle …..but I decided I would live on the wild side and give it a go 🙂

I ended up putting about 5 coats of Starbond Thin CA on the oak handle. It took a lot of sanding and I was surprised that it really did not use a lot of CA to get the job done, in fact, I hardly noticed the level of CA go down in the bottle and that was for 5 coats of CA on a 24″ handle. As I already mentioned, I used Starbond thin CA and you can hardly notice any missing from the bottle ….I was happly about that because I thought it would take a lot of CA to finish something this big.


Trying to Remember How Pen Turners
Applied CA and Finished The CA

I watched a lot of pen making videos that used  Starbond CA glue as a finish. There was some beaufiful luster and thick gloss, but I needed to understand the sanding sequence and the method of application. I won’t go into it now but I must have gotten it right because that handle started looking like a high gloss 24″ pen 🙂 …in fact it looked like glass!

Sorby half inch spindle gouge with custom handle finished with Starbond CA glue
Making a Handle Finished with Starbond CA For A Sorby 1/2″ Spindle Gouge Tool Blank

I can’t remember but I think it was something like 8000 grit that I finish sanding the tool handle and then cleaned it and buffed it. It really looked great, felt good in my hand. Even though it had a high gloss finish the tool felt good in my hand, I could grip it strongly, no slipping and the shape felt good. I guess you can say I impressed myself 🙂

You Must Know This Big Mistake When Making Tool Handles!

I’ve been studying different finishing techniques for woodturning projects. Different types of finishes, such as a CA finish in this case and how to bring out further luster to the project. So I was trying to recall what else I might be able to do to make this the “slickest” tool handle I have made to date!

Then I remembered watching a video on finishing and buffing. One guy recommended applying some car or boat wax to the piece after the finish was applied. Just so happened I had some car or boat wax laying around that I used on my cast iron bandsaw and tablesaw tables. So, I thought I would give it a whirl.

Think Twice Before Applying A Car Wax Finish to a Wood Handle!

Since one of my son’s left a can of car wax, I applied a little to the handle while it was on the lathe, used the applicator pad and applied while turning. After it dried,  I buffed the tool a soft cloth and buffed out the wax and WOW, the shine came through and it looked awesome! If you have been paying attention, you must realize I broke the rules ….I used a soft cloth to polish the wax …..Capn’ Eddie says, “Never use a rag or cloth anything when on the lathe ….paper towels only”

Insert Sorby Spindle Gouge Tool Into The Handle

Next, I temporarily put the steel tool portion into the wooden handle, I did not glue or CA the steel blank in yet so I shimmed it tight with some small slivers of wood….I made it tight enough that the steel tool could not be pulled out and then I tried it out.

Sorby half inch spindle gouge with custom handle finished with Starbond CA glue
Making a Handle Finished with Starbond CA For A Sorby 1/2″ Spindle Gouge Tool Blank

The Sorby Steel cuts just great, you really notice the difference between Sorby and a cheap tool. I can tell you how different it is when using good steel versus cheap steel tools but there is nothing like experiencing the difference. The best analogy I can think of is using a dull butter knife vs. a sharp steak knife to cut a nice big steak. You suddenly feel like you are a real woodturner and you’ve come into your own!

Oops! One Small Finishing Problem

I’m telling this story because I screwed up majorly. I suppose I could have said the same in 2 or 3 paragraphs but then you would miss all the drama in between, the products you might want to buy and my brilliant writing 🙂 I’m kidding of course, but I do like to write, I do like to explain and I hope when I take the time to document a process, procedure or tool you might find it interesting, helpful and informative. I also share my failures along with successes ….I am a humble man!

I made a major faux pas though. I screwed up royally. The handle is so slick it slips out of my hands. The wax on a handle is a bad, bad, bad idea …..don’t do it! If I would have thought about it, I might have realized that wax on an already slick finish will make it more slippery 🙂

I did like the Starbond CA finish, it was glossy, it was thick …really showed off the wood ….even though the piece I used wasn’t anything spectacular ….after applying the Starbond CA and going through the finishing grits ….the handle felt good in my hand, no slippage at all. I guess maybe the wax is for bowls or other woodturning projects that doesn’t require you to hold on for dear life 🙂

Duh!!!

The tool looks nice, still have not decided how to mount the tool blank in the handle and I’m going to have to take off the wax or wrap some duct tape on it or something. I guess I could just mount it on the wall as a trophy type thing ….or a reminder of my igornance!

Actually I am going to try to remount the handle and burnish it with sawdust and shavings. Basically that means I’ll hold a handful of shavings and sawdust up against the handle as it turns to see if I can remove some of the finish and allow my hand to hold it securely while using the new Sorby Spindle Gouge!

One More Thing

I guess there are a bunch of lessons to be learned from this project. But the most important one is for anyone who works with wood ……learn to fix your mistakes. Don’t throw out your bowl because it has some cracks …apply some Starbond CA glue or epoxy. Did your bowl explode? Find the pieces, glue them together with CA or Epoxy ….Starbond CA with Acellerator is my favorite….and the bowl, paint it and put a crackle finish on it. This saying is no longer politically correct, but “there is more than one way to skin a cat” 🙂 Once you learn to start fixing your mistakes you will advance on the woodturners/woodworkers latter of success!