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Fig...

bluntchisel

bluntchisel

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Hi, Guys,

Had a short length of fig in the workshop from 2012 still in its bark so thought I'd make a pen blank. Turned some bark off and noticed splits that were not apparent before then, and also the coarse grain. Rather than go through the process of turning it only to toss it in the bin, I thought I'd upload for comments. It is yellow in colour.
Has anyone turned fig, and what was the outcome?

Bob.


Fig..JPG
Thanks, chaps.
 
Doug

Doug

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Take a guess
Branch wood can often be like this, best bet would be to try & salvage some pen blanks from it.
 
paulm

paulm

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No help here either Bob but give it a go. If is very fibrous, give it a bit of thin ca when you're getting close.
 
Penpal

Penpal

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Looks like the bark holds on why not with the thin branch pieces try a rustic natural bark pen there is in Tasmania a species called the horizontal tree that holds its bark used for souveniers of that state. A long biro firm fit in the end you have a conversation piece pen. Splits satay where they belong.:thumbs:

Peter.
 
Neil Lawton

Neil Lawton

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I have turned a pen out of Fig, a few years ago. The wood is prone to having internal shakes that are not visible from the outside, so blanking up is a bit hit and miss.
In the end I discovered that it was best to leave it unsealed in the round. Yes, some of the smaller stuff didn't survive, but the larger pieces developed one or two significant cracks from the pith to the outside. Cutting a blank from between these shakes seemed to alleviate the internal problems.
After all that, the wood finished to a very bland creamy white, though I do suspect it would colour well.
Neil
 
bluntchisel

bluntchisel

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Hi, guys,

Thanks for your replies. I think I'll leave it as it is at the moment to see if those cracks get worse.

Bob.
 
rowdyyates115

rowdyyates115

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Bob, give it a go - cut up some blanks and when you come to turn them fill the cracks and splits with a contrasting colour and CA. (Metal Powders etc...) Just a thought.... :thinks::thinks:
Could look nice....
 
Penpal

Penpal

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Kind regards Peter.Couple of quick out the yard pics of treen using that Horizontalis I mentioned before useful uses for bark on timber. Turned by a famous Turner lives near here and has sold incredible numbers of them.

Kind regards Peter.
 

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