Electric Chainsaw + Log = Wood Turning Blanks

Bowl turners are typically scroungers. They’re constantly on the lookout for cool looking logs they can turn into bowls. Once you’ve got the log, how do you handle it to easily and safely turn it into a wood turning blank? Here’s one approach.

Why logs?

When a tree is first cut down, the wood will be very wet. This is called green wood. Turners want to process the log into a wood turning blank and get it on the lathe while the wood is still wet. This makes turning the wood a lot easier, since green wood is softer than dry wood.

Logs also provide a way to get big bowl blanks; larger (and less expensive) than what you might be able to buy. If you can create large wood turning blanks from logs, you won’t have to glue pieces up to make large blanks for yourself.

Why be limited to species of wood a retailer sells? Cutting logs into bowl blanks means you can turn any specie of wood you can get your hands on.

Learning to Turn

Lathe turning can be very addictive. Watching blanks become bowls or spindles is a lot of fun. From body position to sharpening to correctly mounting blanks, there’s a lot to learn.