Craig Allen Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Hi all, This last Saturday I had the extremely sad task of saying goodbye to my four-legged friend and companion of 13 years. I now want to make an urn for her. I have started looking for lumber and on pieces big enough to make it out of a single piece I'm coming across "cant" material. My question, since I haven't work with a lathe since high school a million years ago, is "cant" suitable for turning on a lathe? Also, how hard is burl to turn? What are concerns when working with burl? Thank you for any and all help you can provide. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 I have turned several urns. A lot depends on the amount of cremains to be contained. You can use a taller urn to compensate for a lack of diameter. Cant wood may not be completely dried. Check the moisture content if you have a meter, or weigh it every few days and see if it is losing weight( which is a sign it's still drying out. Burl can be tricky to turn ,one section might be punky and the next very hard. I wouldn't tackle one if you haven't turned in quite a while . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 i would pick a wood that wont be affected by weather much. even though you seal the lid onto the jar pick something that wont crack or leave gaps in the cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triw51 Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I am new to turning so my question is: What is cant material? Is that material you "can't" use anywhere else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Cant is generally a log that is partially sawn. The log may have one or more flat faces cut on it. I do not turn but I would assume the question about suitability had to do with how such logs dry and stabilize? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egraff Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 First of all, I'm very sorry for your loss. I had one similar just recently so I know how you feel. I'd be careful of using burl. It will tend to split and crumble if you aren't careful or don't really know what you are doing with it. One option if you are really into using burl would be to get some resin stabilizer for the burl. This hardens it and makes it much easier to turn. I've never used the stuff before, but the Woodcraft that I go to every now and then sells kits of it and I once asked the guy there about it - he said it's great stuff and works well. I'm sure many other brands/stores sell similar stuff too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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