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Welcome to the first portion of our beginner's guide to wood selection! In this tutorial, we will be addressing the basic questions that beginning green wood turners need to know the answers to in order to build confidence and be successful.
What woods should I choose if I need to learn how to dry green wood properly?
Certain species of wood are easier to dry than others. If you have never tried to dry a piece of wood before, the absolute best choice to practice with is tulip poplar. It is very stable, and is the least likely to warp significantly or crack during the drying process. Another excellent choice for beginner's is maple. It is also a very stable wood, which is not likely to warp significantly or crack while drying. Both types of wood are available at a very affordable price...in fact they are some of the least expensive types of wood which we carry, making them even more ideal for those of you who are new to green wood turning. For further information on how to dry your wood, take a look at our green wood bowl turning tutorial.
What woods should I choose if I need to practice my turning techniques?
Certain species of wood are easier to turn than others. If you wish to hone your bowl turning skills (such as how to properly use a bowl gouge and proper cutting techniques for preventing tearing out of the wood grain), then cherry is by far your best choice. It is extremely easy to turn, smells great, look great, and has very little dulling effect on your turning tools. You'll be able to spend more time practicing on a wood that works extremely well, and less time going back to the grinder to resharpen your lathe tools. Other excellent woods for practicing technique include magnolia, bradford pear and sourwood. In fact, just about any type of fruitwood such as apple, plum, pear, etc. will work just as well.
What size pieces are the best to begin practicing with?
We suggest working with spindle stock up to 3" thick by 12" long, and bowl blanks either 6"-8" in diameter by 2"-3" thick. These sizes will let you tackle a number of different types of projects while you build your experience and your confidence.
For further wood selection tutorials, look below.
To return to the full index of tutorials, click here!
Beginner's Guide to Wood Selection
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