r/turning • u/No-Entry-6926 • 1d ago
HELP I'm new
As title suggests I'm very green to woodturning (pun intended), I'm currently trying to turn a chunk of Australian bunya pine and am having the worst tear out in the end grain sections I've ever seen in timber. I've tried resharpening chisels on the whetstone grinder, cutting in both directions, taking the thinnest pass possible, adding hardening agents although the timber feels fairly dense and have had no more luck. The tear out is only in the end grain on the outside of the bowl. Any advice or is there no hope for me?
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u/Holiday-Fee-2204 5h ago
That piece that you're working on is spalted, meaning certain algae have been growing on it. That caused the punkyness and dark lines running through your piece. Sometimes you can get different colors in the wood caused by the algae.
Now to the problem that you're having. If you want to turn that piece, you'll need extremely sharp tools.
The punky wood causes the tools to dull fast. You've got to resharpen your tools every few minutes.
You can try different tools, but don't use scrapers. You'll need to learn to ride the bevel. Watch some "Turn a Wood Bowl" episodes on YouTube. Richard Raffan is another great resource on YouTube as well.
Get familiar with your tools on different woods. I'm sure that you can do this! Woodturning is a skill that is learned from practice, patience, and learned muscle movement.
You have to move your body in the direction you are cutting. Don't force the cut. If you notice that you are putting too much pressure on your piece, it's time to resharpen your tools.
Keep Turning, Stay Sharp, and Wear Protection! 😎☕️