Exploding Koa pen blanks...

[Gary_C]

I just ruined my second koa pen blank in a row. i got the first one down to finishing cuts when a couple big chunks broke out of the end. Enough to ruin the blank. Started on a second one tonight and it broke into pieces as I was roughing the blank.

This is my first experience turning koa. Is koa more brittle and prone to breaking or is it just me? I haven't had this happen with other kinds of woods...although I have to admit my experience with other woods is somewhat limited as well...

 

[ScottM]

How sharp are your tools? With brittle woods light cuts with sharp tools are the key.

 

[MikeH]

I've only turned 2 Koa pens so I don't have a lot of experience with the wood, but I didn't run into any issues.

 

[rsaucedo]

I've only turned a few Koa blanks as well but have not had any problems either. I use a sharp skew for brittle woods like koa or wenge. koa finishes very pretty especially if you have some curly koa.

 

[sawman101]

I've had that experience on some woods, and switched to Gorilla Glue. Always had used medium ca, but I think the GG has more flexibility. Anyhow, that seemed to me to work better and prevent blowouts. Just my thoughts, and shouldn't be taken as gospel.