More alcohol drying
MikeinCapeMay
>Just some info to pass along. I turned a 12" green end grain piece of spalted beech to a platter about 1/2" thick. I turned this more for experimental purposes than for any real hope of getting something from it. It's very gnarly, with knots and a bark inclusion, lots of things to go bad during drying. I submerhed it in alcohol for 24 hours, removed it and set it on a rack without any kind of paper wrapping or covering of any kind. After one week it's bone dry, one knot which had been very ragged shrunk and fell out. The other knots and bark inclusion have stayed put. No cracking, warping or checking.
I also turned, from green beech, a bun type foot, such as used beneath furniture. This was also an experiment. I need eight of these feet for a furniture piece that I'm going to build for SWMBO and decided to test the waters by doing just one to begin with. This foot is 4" tall and 5" wide tapering to a narrower circumference at top and bottom. I left it solid, no hollowing. Removed from lathe and submerged in alcohol for 24 hours, removed and with no paper wrapping or other covering place on a rack to dry. After 1 week it is also bone dry with no cracks or checks. This was a clear hunk of wood but like the other very wet.
I'm not sure what this means, I'm hoping it means that the DNA will dry solid hunks of wet wood that are free of knots and other defects without cracking and checking. As for the endgrain piece, maybe this was just luck. Maybe the same for the solid piece.
Certainly not a scientific experiment and not enough evidence to draw a firm conclusion but interesting nonetheless and I thought that I'd pass it along.
Has anyone else experimented with solid pieces such as my bun foot?
