Whether you are a master woodturner or are just beginning, you might wonder, “what other cool materials could I turn on a lathe?” If you have found yourself asking this question or eyeing some non-wood materials, you’re in the right place. Below, we explore several materials besides wood that can be turned on a lathe.
When looking for unique materials to introduce into your woodturning repertoire, Fordite, also known as Detroit Agate or Motor City Agate, is one of the first things you might come across. Although it mimics some of the visual aspects of agate, Fordite is not a gemstone. In fact, it’s not a natural material at all.
Fordite is a material created from paint slag. In the early days of automotive factories, cars were spray-painted by hand, and the excess paint that didn’t make it onto the cars would build up on the bays. These layers were hardened by repeated exposure to the high temperatures used to cure the paint on the cars, and according to Fordite.com, some of the layers were baked more than 100 times!
This excessive exposure to heat hardened the layers of paint residue into an enamel that resembled a gemstone with very distinctive layered coloring. Once the paint was removed from the factory bays, people realized it could be cut and polished fairly easily, and they began creating jewelry and other things from it.
Turning Fordite is not so different from turning wood, as each Fordite piece has a grain similar to wood, but there are some techniques that can help you turn your Fordite blanks as cleanly as possible. It is recommended that you sand the blank to a round shape before using any tools on it.
Once you have finished sanding, turn at a high speed and make short, shallow cuts with sharp tools like a negative rake. It is also a good idea to often cover your blank with a thin CA (superglue specifically made for woodturning) to minimize the chance of chips and to strengthen the piece.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when turning Fordite. First, pieces of Fordite come in varying strengths, so pieces will respond to turning in different ways; handle with care! Some woodturners note that blanks will sometimes “blow up,” so make sure you are wearing your protective eyewear and headgear at all times.
The other thing to consider is the fact that Fordite is becoming increasingly hard to find. Because the automotive industry has moved away from hand-spray painting of cars, there is very little excess paint now found in car factories. Most of the Fordite in existence is from the 1920s-1980s.
If you are looking for pieces of Fordite, eBay might be your best bet, and the blanks will probably be relatively small. You aren’t going to be turning any large vases from Fordite, but you will be able to make some nice jewelry or pens with the blanks you find.
Another interesting material you might try turning on your lathe is resin. We covered resin in-depth in a previous blog post, but if you need a refresher, resin is a sticky substance that is usually clear or translucent. It hardens as it dries and is insoluble in water. Resin can be created organically or chemically. One example of natural resin that many people are familiar with is amber, which is fossilized tree resin.
Resin can also be made synthetically, and synthetic resin mimics the properties found in natural resin; it binds things together and hardens into a virtually indestructible element.
Resin is often used in woodturning as a finish or coating, but it is used in other craft circles as well. It can also be used to coat objects — even organic material like dead flowers or insects — as long as those objects are dry.
There are several different kinds of resin, so you might wonder, “what kinds of resin are best to turn?” The answer is: it depends! Any resin can be turned, but different tools will work better with different kinds of resin, and some people prefer one kind over another because of things like smell. (Polyester resin has a stronger smell than epoxy.)
An epoxy resin like casting resin is most often used to coat objects, and it is possible to turn epoxy resin. Many woodturners recommend Alumilite, which is a popular epoxy casting resin. On the other hand, you can also use polyester resin. Some woodturners recommend Silmar 41, which is a popular polyester casting resin.
When turning resin, it is a good idea to rough your resin blanks to round using a very sharp roughing gouge and then turn at a high speed using a sharp skew chisel or scraper. When turning resin, use carbide tools to prevent chips.
Some people find Alumilite or other epoxy resins hard to work with, as they can be more expensive than polyester resins and it can be difficult to get scratches out. However, epoxy resins are extremely durable and have virtually no smell.
Polyester resins are less durable than epoxy resins and have a stronger smell, but they are also cheaper, and it is possible to make them completely clear, especially if you use a vacuum to remove all bubbles, which you cannot do with epoxy.
One material you may not think about using on a lathe is antler, but it can be turned fairly easily! Items made from antler can be quite popular, depending on where you live. Antler is a kind of bone, which means it has an interior made of marrow. (This is what makes antlers different from horns, as horns have no marrow and are more similar to hair than bone.)
There are several ways to procure antler. The best way to find an antler to turn is to find an antler shed. Deer shed their antlers every year in January through March, which is just after their fall mating season. Shed antlers will be dry and ready to turn.
You can also use antlers from deer that have died, either due to hunting, collisions with cars, or natural causes. However, these antlers may still have some of the blood or marrow in the antler, so it is a good idea to cook the antler thoroughly before working with it to kill any bacteria that may be growing in it.
Turning antler is similar to turning wood. You can use HSS (high speed steel) or carbide tools, but make sure your tools are sharp. Because bone is harder than wood, your tools may wear down faster than they normally would.
It is helpful to find a piece of antler that is straight to make it easier to turn, but it also makes for an interesting piece if you are able to leave a bit of the “bark” or outside of the antler in the finished product.
Once your piece is finished, many woodturners recommend using a CA glue as a finish to help it shine. The CA will also help keep moisture consistent throughout the antler and prevent breakage from swelling or shrinking.
There are some things to consider before you turn antler on your lathe. First, antler can have a strong animal smell. Some pieces will smell worse than others, but even the mild ones will add an odor to your woodshop. You will also need to wear a mask or respirator to help with both the smell and the dust that comes off the antler as you turn it.
Another consideration is the fact that antlers, especially the interior, are porous, which means that you might need to stabilize the antler with wood hardener like Cactus Juice before turning it.
Yet another unique material you might try turning is cork. Cork is a wood-adjacent material; it is not technically wood, as wood comes from the inside of a tree. Cork, on the other hand, comes from the bark of the cork oak, which grows primarily in southern Europe and northern Africa.
Most people will be familiar with the use of cork as a stopper for wine bottles. It is a non-porous, buoyant material that can also be used for things like insulation, flooring, and even shoes. It is harvested in large chunks and boiled to make it easier to flatten, according to WeCork.com.
While natural cork is sold all in one piece, “synthetic” cork is made by gluing small pieces of natural cork into larger pieces.
Turning cork is a bit different from turning wood. As you might guess, cork is quite a bit softer than wood, so standard woodturning tools are not as effective for turning cork, as they will cause rips and chips in the cork.
Instead, try turning at a high speed (2500 rpms) and using sandpaper in different widths to do what you normally would with a gouge, scraper, or chisel. You will want to have different grades of sandpaper ready, from 50 or 60 grit to 400 grit.
Synthetic cork responds better to woodturning tools, so you might try a roughing or bowl gouge on larger pieces of cork, as long as your tools are very sharp. You can purchase yoga blocks made from synthetic cork, which work well as blanks.
As with any other material you are turning, there are some things to keep in mind. First, not all cork is created equal. As WeCork.com notes, “…the quality not only varies from forest to forest but from tree to tree as well. The same tree may even produce varying degrees of quality cork, depending on its exposure to sunlight.” This means that the same techniques that work on one piece of cork may or may not work on the next, so it requires a lot of trial and error. That being said, some woodturners like a good challenge!
Also, natural cork does not respond well to finishes or dyes, so you will need to be satisfied with the natural look of your finished product. You can apply finishes to synthetic cork, but they don’t soak in, so it is not possible to stabilize cork in the same way you can stabilize other more porous materials.
One last material you might try turning is stone. Some of the types of stone that work well for creating bowls, cups, pens, and other unusual items are alabaster and soapstone.
Alabaster is a soft white or translucent stone that is made of gypsum or sulfate. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it has been used for centuries for “statuary, carvings, and other ornaments.”
Soapstone, also known as talc, is a metamorphic stone primarily composed of talc, which is a mineral full of magnesium. Soapstone is usually gray or greenish-gray and it has a soft, soapy feel when touched (hence the name.) It is very durable and has gained popularity in the last several decades as an alternative to granite for countertops, sinks, and floor tiles.
Alabaster and soapstone both respond well to both HSS and carbide tools, so you won’t need to change much if you choose to turn these natural stones. Your turning speed will be a bit slower than for other materials. When roughing out your blank, 400 rpms is a good speed, and for carving, you might increase your rpms to 800.
One thing to keep in mind when turning stone is that it produces a lot of dust. Make sure to wear a mask or respirator to keep the dust out of your lungs and be prepared to do a fair amount of cleanup in your shop. Some woodturners find the finished pieces worth the mess, while others avoid it entirely.
Also, stone requires more time than wood, so you will not want to start a project if you dream of finishing it on the same day. Lastly, because it is soft, alabaster is prone to crumbling, which some woodworkers find makes it more difficult to work with than wood.
Exploring materials beyond wood can add a new dimension to your turning projects, but each one comes with its own quirks.
Always wear protective gear and be prepared for experimentation—these unique materials can lead to stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces.
Delivered straight to your inbox!