How best to dry Cherry & Walnut ?

Re: How best to dry Cherry & Walnut ?

Doug Trembath

>Pete, order Anchorseal from the manufacturer, U-C Coatings. Google them up and order a 5 gallon pail, probably about $40, plus shipping. Seal the entire bowl, and keep them in a low spot where there's not much air movement, and not too hot. Crawl spaces, root cellars, etc work extremely well. Unused basement corners, along the wall in the garage, I've seen many different places work. Cut some 1X2 scraps to fit into the rims of the cherry roughouts, and place them so they touch the side grain perpendicular to the end grain to keep them more round. Don't force them too hard, it just restricts the elongation some as they dry. Walnut doesn't seem to need them, in my experience.

Let 'em dry, and return them. As to the value, it depends on quality, locale, demand, market, and your salesmanship. Kind of a gray area, especially as to quality, so it's hard to give you a starting figure. Make them, then take them around and see what you can get for them.

Doug Trembath

Studio in the Woods

Re: How best to dry Cherry & Walnut ?

John K Jordan

>I also anchorsealed a bunch of roughed bowls in cherry, maple, walnut, etc. I paint it inside and out. I've noticed no significant cracking after 1 and 2 years of drying.

I've never tried the stick support but sounds interesting. (BTW, my black walnut distorts as much or more than other woods - probably because the orientation of the blank in the tree.)

If you haven't seen it, the book, Turning Green Wood is full of useful information about blank orientation, shrinkage, drying, etc.

JKJ in East TN