Wood Turned Tiered Platter From Reclaimed Rotten Log

As a wood worker have you ever been going for a walk in the woods and you see a rotten, spalted, and just UGLY piece of wood. And you're like... "I wonder if I could make something out of that! As a wood turner this happens to me quite often. While going through the woods, or even doing fire wood. 😉 Today I am going to take you through my steps for turning this log and seeing what we can make out of it.

Material List

Wood Lathe

·        https://normand.ca/ca_en/saturn-dvr-wood-lathe-nova-55241.html

·        Face plate (the one that came with your lathe should work fine)

Turning Tools

·        https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07T9R5C6J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Face Shield

·        https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/3m-face-shield-0550263p.html

Sandpaper

·        https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-sandpaper-pack-sanding-block-200-pc-0542211p.html#srp

Paint Brush

·        https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/premier-plastic-handle-flat-paint-brush-1-in-0491243p.html#srp

Wood Finish

·        https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/zinsser-bulls-eye-shellac-finish-sealer-473-ml-0489680p.html#srp

And... a big spalted rotten log!

This project involved a VERY spalted piece of wood. It was full of worm holes and ant tunnels. So when you decide to turn a piece like this it is important to inspect it carefully for cracks. Cracks can be a problem. Small ones may be ok but a big structural crack might cause a safety hazard.

After inspecting your piece you need to decide how to hold it on the lathe. I used a face plate with screws at the head stock and brought up the tailstock with a cone center for support at the other end. With the nature of the wood we are using I don't recommend mounting between centers with just a spur drive at the headstock.

Once you have mounted the log on the lathe with the faceplate and the tailstock is tightened up for additional support, give it a spin with your hand. This will make sure it clears on all sides and isn't hitting anything. If something hits, Ex: your tool rest is in the way... make the correct adjustments.

After making sure the wood is mounted properly,( and your face shield is on 😉) turn your lathe on to its SLOWEST setting and slowly increase the speed. You don't need to start turning that fast. The wood will be out of round and the outside is punky. * I started around 200 rpm. The first step in the turning process is to rough out the log into a round cylindrical shape.( I used carbide tools but traditional tools work for this as well.) Starting out at the headstock pushing straight in to the wood take light cuts. A square carbide cutter works well for this application. begin taking cuts in and working your way down the tool rest. Once you've went down the length of the tool rest turn the lathe off and readjust it. Keep doing this until the log is pretty much turned to round. It doesn't necessarily have to be perfect but a round log runs smoother and you can turn the speed up a little.

Once you have turned the log to round it is now time to stop the lathe and do a little planning. Do another inspection of the wood. Is there major soft spots and rot that will need to be turned away? In my scenario the ends were quite punky and I made the platter a little shorter and had to turn the ends off. Once you have decided where your platter trays will be, begin removing the excess wood on either side to begin the shaping process.

Now things are starting to get fun! The next thing to do is get creative and turn your platter to your desired shape. I recommend removing the bulk of the material around the top platter and shaping it first. Then work your way towards the base. Leave enough wood though at this stage for the tailstock to support the platter yet. Once most of the shaping is completed do a quick sand. You don't have to get to thorough at this point because the wood needs to dry out yet and you will be sanding again later.

For the rest of the turning process you will want to lower the lathe rpm again. The next step is to remove the nub at the top of the platter and finish smoothing it into a eye pleasing curve to match the rest of the tray.

Then go to the base and remove a lot of the excess wood. Take a hand saw and finish cutting the platter the rest of the way off from the lathe.

Take your turned platter an get it ready for drying.

Drying can be done with several methods

• set it aside on a shelf
• put it in a bag with shavings
• use a kiln or drying oven

I stuck mine in my kiln that I made from an old dishwash. (Might do an Instructable to show you how some day)

Then I put it in the oven on the lowest setting. (170 *F) This gets rid of any bugs that might still be in the piece and also sterilizes it.

Now you are ready to sand.... and sand.... and sand.... ( I know it's not the most fun part of the project 😉)

Make sure you sand up through the grits as this will help with the finishing process.

Now comes the GREAT REVEAL time.

Applying finish helps bring out the grain and details in the wood.

I used a shellac based finish applied with a paint brush.

After the first coat your piece might look good... It also might look HORRIBLE like mine did. This may be a result of an uneven wood surface to start with. Luckily this is an easy fix. Take some 220 grit sandpaper and sand the finish back until you get a relatively smooth surface.

Apply a second coat. Sand. Reapply

(Keep repeating until you get the desired finished result)

There you have it! The steps to making your own beautiful platter. I really enjoy making things from reclaimed pieces of wood. If you have any questions or if there is something that needs to be rewritten to be clear... put it in the comments below. Check out my profile to see my other wood turned instructables!