wood turning . . . info needed

theburt

Bit random but my dad has taken up wood turning.

I want to buy him a load of bits of wood to use on his lathe but haven't the foggiest where to get it from . . . anyone got any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Ebe_Scrooge

Depends what you want really. Probably the best bet to start with is to see if a local timber yard or DIY shed has any offcuts they could give you for nothing - you only need small chunks. I don't know whether your dad has any experience, but if he's new to woodturning then some old scraps will be great for practising on.

Also, if you have any trees in your garden, then some short lengths cut from branches will be great, after they've been stored for a year or so to dry out thoroughly.

Basically, any sort of wood will do - different woods have very different characteristics, and require different techniques and treatments, but it's great fun learning about them all through trial and error - or through evening classes at your local college if they run any appropriate courses.

I'll take it as read that your dad will be sensible - wear goggles, no loose ties or bits of clothing etc. But as long as you take common-sense safety precautions, wood-turning is great fun, and wonderful for home-made presents :-)

curlyfairy

We used to go here http://www.peterchild.co.uk/ excellant place to visit.

Ben

theburt

that's great, thanks guys.

ebe, yeah he's taken some lessons and is taking it all very seriously safety wise (made me remove ring when i had a go). all in all i think he's really enjoying it. i'll head to the timber yard for scraps and try and buy some nice stuff from the site curly gave me (which my dad would love)

reckon i'll be getting a lot of candlestick shaped xmas presents this year!

John_3:16

I Used to do woodwturning, and teach it I used to use this company and if you live near is well worth a visit for a day out.

http://www.craft-supplies.co.uk/