Saving green turning slabs - how?

What I did...

steve antonucci

>Same problem... about 8 months ago.

All of the upper limbs and crotches were first sawn "oversized by~50%" and left in log form. If it was 15" wide, I cut it about 24" long. Ends were free to check, since I knew they would even if I sealed them. Sure, it's a lot of waste, but when you have a whole tree, you don't really have a choice.

After picking through the best stuff, I cut "rounds" and sealed them with Anchorseal. While the weather was cooler, it stopped all checking, but I've seen some since the summer came here. (NJ)

Next was rough turning. Wood was still very green, so after roughing to ~10%, I sealed the entire roughout with AS. Waiting about 3 or so months to finish turn, others will tell you longer.

Worked pretty well for me. I still haven't slabbed the the main trunk, which is 26" at the base, so I can not help you with that.

Good luck.

Steve

Re: Saving green turning slabs - how?

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In Jersey

>Anchorseal will slow the drying as well as anything. Paint the endgrain well until the product drips off, allow to dry, then do it again. You can also do the face grain if you want maximum storage time.

You can, of course, submerge in water until you're ready to turn, but that's rather more trouble.

Anchorseal is a parafin emulssion [sp], but you can melt wax and seal as well. Big hassel, though, because you've really got to get that wax smokin' hot and it's a big mess.

Mark

-2=mail

Re: Saving green turning slabs - how?

Ron in Drums PA

>There is a saw mill by me that specailizes in thin veneer of exotic woods. A $10,000 log may sit for 2 years before they start cutting into slices. For long term storage they use roofing tar to seal the ends and when they ready to start on a log they will chainsaw off a couple of inches or so. For short term they use anchorseal.

Re: Saving green turning slabs - how?

Don Henthorn

>I have read that Wally D waxes his turning blanks. I assume it is just plain old Johnson's wax. I have checked Home Depot, HEB, Walmart, and another place or two and haven't been able to find any Johnsons wax. I wonder if Wally can buy it in bigger cans than the average. I still haven't found any.

Re: Saving green turning slabs - how? *LINK*

Dave Peebles Lyons, Ohio!

>Hello Don,

I think I got my first and last can at Home Depot, it lasts forever. But you can also get it at most of the Ace Hardware stores.

Here is a link that I found.....

Best wishes,

Dave


SC Johnsons Wax

Re: Saving green turning slabs - how?

Mike Rubes, Apex, NC

>Hi Don,

I use Johnson's Paste wax on occasion myself. Here in NC it is available at the grocery store in the cleaning aisle. It's near stuff like brooms, mops and other floor stuff. A lot of people use it on furniture, so there's stuff like End-Dust and other "polishes" near it in the store.

I've had good luck with it and have used it on bowls, but primarily use it to wax the cast iron surfaces of my tools.

Good luck,

Mike

Re: Saving green turning slabs - how?

Brad Vietje

>Wayne,

All these suggestions will be helpful. I strongly recommend Anchorseal or End Grain Sealer from another source. Store away from direct sun, and out of the wind -- both will dry the wood too fast, and cause checking.

Here's another tip -- For short-tern storage, until you can rough out a number of bowls --

pile up your blanks w/sealed ends, and shovel all the chain saw shavings all over them. This will help keep the moisture in a little longer.

I coat all cut surfaces w/Anchorseal on any choice Cherry blanks. Fruit woods like Cherry and Apple are MUCH more likely to check than some other woods. I'd also recommend gettinmg into "production mode" for a few days to process the green blanks into roughed-out bowls. This is quick and dirty, turn 'em thick, coat 'em, toss 'em in a box, and get on to the next one sorta work. You should be able to rough out at least 15 - 20 bowls in a day with some practice (assuming you have a bandsaw and chainsaw available for creating lathe-sized blanks), and concentrate on any fine details 6 to 12 months from now, when you create your works of astounding beauty !

Safe Spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT