>I have been looking at some of the blanks from a sight called NCWOOD.com, they sell there blanks through Ebay.
I was looking at the 10 piece wood and under the discription it says "Processed green and sealed with wax", This mean the wood is still green, and I would have to dry myself?
Was thinking of purchasing some so I could have a variety of wood and shapes to begine with.
Any thought if these are worth bidding on up to the buy price or should I try other pieces.
>I am a little Scotch, but advise not buying wood if you can find good green wood locally.Beginners are sometimes intimidated by the thought of ruining a piece of pricy wood, and the best way to learn to turn is by spending time actually turning!So raid the neighbors firewood, check with the road clearing crews,find a tree trimmer,visit the dump- wood is everywhere if you learn to look.
>Mark, the other guys have answered your questions pretty thoroughly, but to add something new - look down the page for my maple burl bowl post - the blank I bought for that came from NCWOOD - same place you're considering. I'd buy from them again, probably will.
As for turning green wood - its awesome. Turns very nice, more forgiving then dry wood. The drying process is somewhat technical, depending on the species, and its so well covered here that if you do a few creative searches, you'll find plenty on the subject.
If you're just looking to practice, turn away! Don't worry about how it'll dry, just chuck up a piece of a log and have at it. If you want a final/finished product - buy DRY blanks. They're more expensive but they stay the same shape you turn'm. (mostly)
If you can get up this way i would be more than happy to give you some green blanks. Heck I will even let you run the chain saw to set them free. And i have a good supply of dryed ones too. Just email me if you need a hand. I think your only 2.5 hours away.
>I have more fun turning green wood. If you tell all your friends you are looking for freshly downed trees you will get more wood than you can deal with. If not you can get a truck load of green unsplit fire wood. If you must buy some dry turning stock, drive to Moweaqua IL near Decatur there is a place there has the best prices I have seen and huge selection of turning stock.
Oak leaf wood N Supplies Inc
210 N Main
Moweaqua IL 62550
I am a satisfied customer and have no financial interest in this store.
You have some good advice here. You might like to check out my web site under "turning green wood" as well. Just before Christmas I get a cord of elm "free." All it took was time and some wear and tear on the van, the Stihl, and me.
Generally, like most responses you've had so far, I'd say avoid buying wood at all, unless you need a real special burl or exotic. I have also bought a primo piece of figured Yellowheart or Mahogany for a platter, but mostly turn wood I got for a few hours work.
You can try tree services or arborists in the yellow pages (though they've probably been called many times before), try your local AAW chapter and ask about obtaining wood, or even place an ad in the paper: "Green wood wanted -- will pick up". You might also try town highway departments or Parks and Recreation folks in larger towns. Even the smallest town has trees that need to be removed after storm damage, when roads are widened, etc... Some towns have an active "stump dump" where the chunks too big for the chipper are left to rot. If the town garage is heated with wood, bring a bowl in to show the folks who work there, and ask if there is ever any wood that could be turned into bowls instead of burned.
You never know -- the worst they can do is say no, and at best, you might get some free wood, make a friend or two, or even pick up a few new members for your local turning club ! If there isn't an AAW chapter near you, you might try an ad. in the paper looking for other woodturners, and the "Capital Area Woodturners" might be launched this spring from your kitchen table !
>I'll offer up something a little different than Mike's view:
If you need a finished product QUICKLY, buy a dry bowl blank. Otherwise, learning to rough turn green wood, and allowing it to season just takes practice and time.
The key to drying rough turnings is to keep them in the proper conditions: moist enough that they won't dry too quickly, but not so damp that they rot, and away from all drafts and breezes. The second part is often forgotten, and a lot of green wood is ruined because it was left in an area with too much air circulation, or in direct sunlight.
There are at least 2 ways to do this. Either seal the wood with something to slow down the dehydration of the wood (Anchorseal, Green Wood Sealer, paste wax, etc ...), or store them in a controlled environment.
Here's one method that works: rough out a half-dozen bowls, leaving them thicker than the intended finished bowl (usually 10% of diam). Put them in a cardboard box with a section of the newspaper in the bottom. Cover with another section of newspaper, close and seal the box closed with packing tape. (Do not seal the entire box !) Put in a relatively cool place, away from direct sunlight, wind, or heat sources for 6 - 8 months. Once a month or so, open the box to check things out, if you care to, then re-seal. Some woods may be ready in just 3 - 4 months, but the longer you can wait, the better. While this box is drying, fill a few dozen more, and finish turn a few things while green to keep your interest up.
If the box has no leaks where air drafts can get at the wood, the bowls should be fine. (Check the bottom, where the flaps come together, which might need tape, too.) The cardboard has just enough permiability to let the moisture out very slowly, and the air very slowly gets in. I only rarely lose a bowl this way. Very low tech -- works nearly every time. However, NOTHING will prevent cracking of a bowl made from a blank that has already got end checks in it. A lot of blame is aimed at green wood turning when bowls crack, when in reality, the cracks are often there before the bowl is made !
Drying one bowl at a time is the problem, as we can't wait 'till its dry and finished. Drying batches works better because there is a large enough mass and enough moisture to create a moist, but not too moist environment. When twice-turning green wood, the key is to have lots of bowls drying, so you aren't waiting for one to be finished before starting the next.
