DIY Network

Exotic Woods Exotic Woods From "Woodturning Techniques" episode DWTT-105

Our finished bowl contains 66 pieces of wood, including purple heart, an exotic wood (figure A). Neil Gager, the owner of Exotic Lumberyard Inc., stocks 120 species of domestic and exotic woods from the tropics, Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Woodturners can see and examine samples of all the wood species for color, grain patterns and comparative densities as they select wood for turning projects (figure B). Gager offers the following points for purchasing wood:

Figure A

Figure B

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	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

• Know your skill level before purchasing wood. Gager steers new turners to woods like maple and mahogany, both medium-density and fairly straight-grained (figure C), that are not only cheaper but also easier to turn.

• Aadvanced turners may favor more exotic woods or figured exotics, which come from a part of the tree where there is compression, such as where a limb joins the tree trunk (figure D). When turned and polished, these woods offer unusual grain patterns and pick up light, creating additional interest in the turned piece.

• As shown in our turned bowl, woods that offer color contrast are also a striking option for turned objects (figure E).

• Burls offer a rougher, textured bark for bowls, vases and platters; burls, however, are far too challenging for the beginning turner (figure F).

• When buying turning stock, it's important to find out whether it's kiln-dried, green or partially air-dried stock. Kiln-dried wood can be turned immediately to a finished piece. Green or partially air-dried wood must be turned more slowly and at a slower rate of completion. Often it is rough-turned, wrapped in a few layers of paper and placed in a cool, well-ventilated place to let the wood stabilize and dry out a bit more before turning the finished piece.
  

Remember: whether you pick out wood at a lumberyard or buy a kit with finished pieces, turning a bowl of any kind takes patience, practice and planning.