Sourcing Wood
There are many different options for sourcing turning stock, whether that be going to a sawmill, purchasing online, or harvesting your own wood. All of these options have many upsides and downsides, whether it be cost, quality, or time efficiency.
Firstly, purchasing wood online is a suitable choice especially for a novice turner if you are not going through tons of material, as well as if profits are not your priority. Buying wood online can be very pricey as well, but it tends to be cut to convenient dimensions that are ready to be put on the lathe. There are loads of wood dealers on Etsy, but the wood tends to be very overpriced, despite being cut nicely. I have had very negative experiences buying from Etsy due to false advertising and mold issues. Online wood suppliers, on the other hand, including Bell Forest Products, ship quality wood, cut nicely, and with good grain orientation. The only downside is the price, which is the only reason I don’t buy from them anymore; wood suppliers like them are not a bad option if you want quality wood without spending much time on acquiring it.
Purchasing wood at sawmills is one of my favorite methods of getting wood, as it is more affordable and does not require much time or energy. Sawmills specialize in cutting wood slabs, but slabs are not what we turners are looking for, so they will sell us turners scraps for discounted prices. Many people who run sawmills do not do it full-time, so it is a good idea to contact them ahead of time to schedule an appointment to come by and pick some wood out. Sometimes I do buy slabs from sawmills they are a good deal to make large platters from, but it is a good idea to inspect the board before purchasing for cracks that may run deep into the board, as well as the grain orientation. Ideally, when making a platter, you will select wood that is “quartersawn”, meaning if you look at the board from the end, the growth rings intersect the surface of the board at roughly 90 degrees. The benefit of this is that as the wood seasonally expands and contracts due to changes in temperature and humidity, it will not warp and wobble, but rather remain flat on the table. This is most important when turning large pieces, but for small dishes, the effects are less drastic.
Another method of acquiring wood is through developing contacts with tree removal companies. Especially for the smaller tree removal business, arborists might be willing to sell you nice logs for cheap prices if you ask them. They might even just tell you an address to go to collect some logs they cut down earlier that are nice wood. It's important to note that you can expect an arborist to go out of their way to make just a bit of cash, so make your arrangements with them with that in mind.
Finally, the most accessible method of getting wood is probably from just around your neighborhood or backyard. For most of the large bowls I make, I use logs that I find already cut up in the neighborhood and just put them in the back of our truck and drive them home. I often find logs on the side of the road, and I assume these are from tree services that were not able to take all of the tree with them and instead left it there to get later. Generally, I will not process the log beyond what is necessary to lift into the bed of the truck, so instead, I will butcher the log into a bowl blank once I get to my shop. More often than not, roadside logs will be fresh, so it is a good idea to turn them sooner rather than later into rough bowls to prevent cracking from damaging the log and making it unusable.
