what's the oddest timber you've turned

[seventhdevil]

just a curious question to see if anyone has turned some rare or unusual timbers so don't be shy, lets hear what you've been able to get your hands on over the years.

lets see pictures if you have them.


the one i've only ever had a single bit of was called candle wood (Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus).

i need to double check the species name but i think that was it. a lovely dark red and rock hard. i should have a pic somewhere if i can dig it out.

[Paul Hannaby]

I turned some beefwood not so long back. Here's a photo.
I also have some other odd woods you don't see too much these days, such as redwood lace burr, cuban mahogany, bloodwood and chac te coke.

[George Watkins]

I have turned a piece of golden madrone recently, which comes from south east Asia and is a subspecies of laurel

here is a box i have made with it recently with an inner thuya burr lid

[seventhdevil]

that's a nice looking timber. that would be (Nothaphoebe spp) that usually come from indonesia.

do you have any offcuts that i could end to the wood database?

[George Watkins]

yes you are correct on the Latin, sorry no off cuts

[seventhdevil]

no one turned anymore unusual timbers???

[Bryan Milham]

I don't have any pictures but I like to turn garden shrubs, Buddleia, Lilac, some of the Sumacs, Smoke bush is especially good as it's bright yellow, Mahonia, also a yellow colour, if you've enough left after the soft outer layer, Burberris, has a great yellow/green swirling pattern through it.

I'll have a go at any small bush or ornamental tree.

[Les Symonds]

I've turned some wood from the stump of a tree dredged up from the sea when tidal defense work was being carried out on Cardigan Bay, near Aberystwyth. I've still got a fair lump of it, which I've been drying out slowly....might get around to making pens and other small items out of it. It's clearly a softwood of some description, a fact confirmed by a visitor to my shop who was an environmental archaeologist who had studied the ancient (and now, offshore) forests of cardigan Bay.
Les

...oh, and I've also turned some Thuya Burr that I was given, for free....that's got to be odd!

[bodrighywood]

Haven't turned it yet but got some rose, as in garden variety not rosewood.

Pete

[Les Symonds]

Haven't turned it yet but got some rose, as in garden variety not rosewood.

Pete

YEAH...BUT WHAT WILL MO SAY WHEN YOU CUT DOWN HER FAVOURITE HYBRID T?

Les

[bodrighywood]

Oops?

Pete

[Les Symonds]

Oops?

Pete

Methinks that she will say a lot more than 'Oops'!

[Eric Harvey]

was given a piece of rotten Ceanothus(California Lilac) and told,bet you can`t make anything out of that,so split it in two and made two bowls out of it.

[Les Symonds]

I've just acquired two elder trees (yep, elder, not alder). They stand about 20ft high and are multi-stemmed, with main trunks about 6" diameter....it's all still standing and is about 20metres from my front door.
Les

[seventhdevil]

you mean elderberry (sambucus nigra) i take it? not box elder (acer negundo)?

both are unusual.

i've only had a small lump myself ans was not big enough to turn. i got a sample from it tor the wood database though.


if there is a large lump spare les i'd like to get a half log to make a mini bowl from, got any???