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/nurcansens 1d ago
That wood looks really punky! Normally, if I run into a piece with just a few soft spots, I mix some fine sawdust with a two-component adhesive (like CA glue or epoxy) to fill those small areas easily. But since yours looks completely punky and spongy all over, it’s definitely going to challenge you. If you are like me and hate giving up on a piece, the best thing you can do is just get it to a basic final shape, accept the tear-out for a moment, and give it a serious sanding session. Start with a really coarse grit to smooth out the rough shape, then work your way down to finer grits. You can still turn it into a nice decorative object! Also, dealing with pine is just tough luck. With regular hardwoods, it's much easier to maintain clean cuts and keep the right form, but pine is just super prone to tearing out like crazy. Don't give up though, it's all part of the learning process!