I may have a new least favorite wood

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CaptnA

Andy
Corporate Member
Today I turned some marble wood. I turned three pieces and on the third one I was FINALLY getting near what I wanted. I was hollowing and a fairly small catch resulted in taking the side out of the piece. Just ground my grits!
I've turned marble wood before but never hollowed it. Anyone have any tips on hollowing marble wood??
Oh, the rest in the one picture is not where it was when hollowing.
 

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Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
Never turned marble wood, but that piece looks brittle! (or its made from marbles?)

I had some myrtle wood my folks brought back to me years ago - first I dulled a bandsaw blade trying to cut a blank I could turn (should have been a clue) and then the piece became firewood, because something similar happened!

I think if it would have been green or at least somewhat green, I may have had a fighting chance!
 

KenOfCary

Ken
Staff member
Corporate Member
Would have been a pretty cup if it survived. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda. Who knows. Never thought of turning MarbleWood - have definitely thought about using it to make an end grain cutting board.
 

aplpickr

New User
Bill
My wife loves to turn and hollow marblewood. Every piece that she has turned, she has hollowed. SHARP TOOLS, SHARP TOOLS, SHARP TOOLS. She uses Hunter Tools for hollowing Christmas ornaments. She has successfully used about 8 to 10 lineal feet of marblewood. She uses pieces about 2.5" long. The Hunter tools have round cutters that you turn to get a fresh sharp edge. She turned fifty 2" bells from dry red maple before she needed the FIRST new edge. Some turners say that the carbide cutters cost too much. Four hundred 2" maple hollows for a $21 cutter is pretty good in my book. Her Hunter was purchased in June 2006. She uses it every time she turns. It is on only its second cutter. A 2" diameter piece at 2000 rpm has a surface speed of 17+ feet per second. How often do you sharpen your bench chisels that cut dovetails. How many feet of wood did they see between sharpenings. I know turners that sharpen after five seconds during finish cuts.
 

CaptnA

Andy
Corporate Member
I switched wood species just to get one made. Went well with some hard maple. Just doesn't look as nice, imo. I'll see what other wood I have squirreled away and see if I can get a picture worth posting.
Hank it is a little brittle but still almost stringy at the same time. I just like the way it looks. Don't think I've ever turned myrtle. Is that the same as the crepe myrtle? I've seen some fair sized ones but they were still kind of small.
Bill, I have an Oland tool I bought when Knud was still alive. It isn't hard to sharpen. I've seen carbide inserts for them, I might look into that. I've never used a carbide hollower but love the carbide roughing tools I made. I might make a holder for one of the round carbide blades. One of the worst things I am finding about getting older is so many of my "go to guys" are no longer working due to retirement or dying. The metal shop I always used closed and Jack did some small jobs from home until he passed. Now if you can even find a shop it seems nobody wants to do small jobs.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I switched wood species just to get one made. Went well with some hard maple. Just doesn't look as nice, imo. I'll see what other wood I have squirreled away and see if I can get a picture worth posting.
Hank it is a little brittle but still almost stringy at the same time. I just like the way it looks. Don't think I've ever turned myrtle. Is that the same as the crepe myrtle? I've seen some fair sized ones but they were still kind of small.
Bill, I have an Oland tool I bought when Knud was still alive. It isn't hard to sharpen. I've seen carbide inserts for them, I might look into that. I've never used a carbide hollower but love the carbide roughing tools I made. I might make a holder for one of the round carbide blades. One of the worst things I am finding about getting older is so many of my "go to guys" are no longer working due to retirement or dying. The metal shop I always used closed and Jack did some small jobs from home until he passed. Now if you can even find a shop it seems nobody wants to do small jobs.
This piece I have is from Oregon or California so I am assuming that is it is more "laurel-like" I think Crepe Myrtle is punky, but I have never tried to turn it or dry it, so maybe it would work???
 

woodArtz

New User
Bob
I switch to a negative rake on my carbide (Oland) bits. With a good sharp edge the negative rake can chew through the wood and greatly reduce catches on "catchy" wood. But that's jus what works for me...
 

aplpickr

New User
Bill
CaptA: Over the last 8 yrs I have observed multiple discussions on Hunter tools, his carbide cutters, and how to make one myself. Making the tool without one to exactly copy is tough! The screw has a tapered metric head. There is a few thousandths protrusion that guards the cutting edge. The screw threads are not perpendicular to the main shaft. The carbide cutters are sharper than standard cutters and some of the angles are different. These slight differences are the difference between a working tool and massive, ugly catches. I have not seen anyone say," I successfully made a Hunter tool" on 7 turning sites that I visit daily! Between my wife's turning studio and my shop, we have seven Hunters in the quivers.
 
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