Issue 546
Issue 546
American Elm
Recently, we shot a video where I turned a small canister from green wood. (The video will be distributed in the middle of October.) To get a few big chunks of green hardwood for the video, I haunted some yard waste drop-off centers and pounced when I spied four approximately 15-in.-diameter log sections. Their cross section revealed a creamy colored sapwood and a dark heartwood. It turned out to be American elm, a common tree in my neck of the woods.
Now, I’d used sticked-up elm lumber before and found it stringy with a tendency to twist — although it had a very pleasing grain pattern. This was my first attempt at turning elm, and I have to say that I found it to be excellent. The figure was pleasing to look at, and as a green wood it turned easily. I can’t wait to get back and make a few other things from it.
So, it got me to thinking: are there other common but nontypical hardwoods that folks find better for turning than for flat woodworking? That is the question I put to you … I await your feedback!
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
Industry Interviews
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You Can Help TSC Plant Trees
Purchasing a Husqvarna chainsaw before the end of October can help Tractor Supply and the Arbor Day Foundation reforest hurricane-damaged areas of the U.S.
What's In Store
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DeWALT 23-gauge Pin Nailer
This pinner includes an industry-first tool-free jam release mechanism, tool-free depth adjustment and a low-nail lockout feature with override.
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Rockler Ceiling Track Starter Kit
PVC track houses a pair of rolling trolleys with hooks that can help you keep power cords and a vacuum hose out of your way while you work.
Woodturning
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VIDEO: Quick and Easy Woodturning Project Repair
Learn how to repair a damaged turning so that you don’t have to replace the piece and start over.
Q & A
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Cutting Impossibly Hard Hardwood?
I’ve got a piece of dense exotic hardwood that I can’t cut with anything but a chainsaw. It breaks band saw blades, too. What band saw blade do I need?
Reader's Project Gallery
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Spalted Maple Wine Cabinet
This reader built this impressive wine cabinet from a maple tree that was bulldozed and chainsawed into pieces.
Feedback
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What Do You Want in Your Shop?
Readers share what tools on their shop wish lists — and which they’ve already purchased.
