Gathering the Wood

Gathering the wood is often as much fun as doing the turning itself. There is a thrill in going out to collect the wood which rivals the discovery of lost treasure.

Sometimes the wood is found by turners on the side of the road after a wind storm. Other times tree trimmers leave what they deemed as debris only to be recovered by a fanatical wood turner. Many times arborists and home owners will notify wood turners of downed trees to offer unwanted wood to those who would be delighted to rescue the orphaned logs.

Sure, it is rewarding to turn a piece of wood purchased in a store someplace, but nothing compares with the satisfaction that comes from converting a roadside discard into a work of art.

Almost capacity load of Milo wood

Collecting is done when wood is available, not when most convenient. An unexpected phone call will cause turners to drop what they are doing to take advantage of an opportunity to score some choice pieces of exotic wood. Making room for fresh logs and properly storing them can reward the wood turning artist for a long time to come.

A wood turner can never have too much wood. The challenge is more often too little space and not enough time!