Drying Wood

Re: Drying Wood

Michael Kratky

Jerry don't know what part of the country you're in but here in the Adirondacks I've been coating my roughed out green wood turnings with anchorseal for the last 15 years then storing them on drying racks in my basement, have never lost a single blank since. The basement averages 62-72 year round and I run a dehumidifier in the summer. Sometimes I get lazy and leave them in my shop unsealed but bagged or left in a pile of sawdust and get the results you mentioned.

Re: Drying Wood

John C Lucas

Jerry. Your cracks didnt dissapear they just got to small.to.see.and will.probably open up again as the.wood.dries. first you have to be sure there arent any cracks before you start. Wood cracks when the end grain looses moisture faster tha side grain. Thin wood dries faster than thick wood. Wind and sun dry the wood faster. To gi e me the best chance i dont leave any sharp edges and leave all walls even. Then i seal e nd grain areas with anchor seal. Then put the bowl in an area with little air movement and no direct sun.

Re: Drying Wood

gbalock

Jerry,

I agree with John, the cracks just got smaller. The reason it works for potters is the clay will "heal". Wood will not.

If I watch the tree being taken down, then I know it isn't checked, otherwise, I assume there is considerable end checking. I will cut off up to a foot of the wood to get to unchecked log.

George

Re: Drying Wood

John C Lucas

What i like to do when cutting blanks off a log is to cut off 3/4" off the end and then try to break it. If it wont break then it probably doesnt have any cracks. Then i cut my blanks from this.

too fast

GaryG in MD

As already stated, cracks come from uneven drying -- if you turned your roughouts to a uniform thickness, then it probably means they dried too quickly.

And, yes, they may have been micro-cracked before you roughed them.

I always put my roughouts into closed, double, brown-paper bags, stored in a cool, dark, humidity-controlled basement room (a.k.a. wine cellar), and rotate for a few days if they're damp (don't want to encourage mold). Anchorseal on the end grain would certainly be an alternative. ...GG

Re: Drying Wood

robo hippy

That method for 'repairing' cracks is supposed to work if you soak it in a mix of about 1/2 white wood glue and 1/2 water. The gluewater infuses the cracks, and the expansion kind of clamps it up as it dries.

For the cracking you describe, I have found that on dead standing trees that are clear when you first cut them, but go back the next day and the end of the log looks like a spider web. I have noticed that trees with the spring sap running tend to have less cracking than late summer trees. This is more true for Madrone which starts to split before you even fire up the chainsaw....

robo hippy

Re: Drying Wood

Barry L Elder

Jerry, "local maple" always behaves itself, as that's all it can do. Your neighbor to your left will have different results, or not. Your neighbor on your right will also have different results, or not. Trust your local barometer and weather center to keep you informed as to your conditions.

Re: Drying Wood

Ryan

I'm in the Pacific NW and turn a lot of maple. I always turn the walls to even thickness then coat the end grain (inside and out) with anchorseal. They're dried in an unheated shop for 8-12 months. I rarely lose a blank - usually if I do it was a hairline crack that I missed when roughing.

Re: Drying Wood

Jerry Maske

I live along the coast of Maine and have fairly high, stable humidity. Been cutting and turning green Maple for a long time and never had a problem until this one. Usually I rough turn them and set them aside for several months in a room where the temperature and humidity are pretty consistent. Did that with these two and got a batch of cracks.

However, the wet paper towel trick seems to have worked. Yes, I understand that the wood swells and the cracks may still be there but are so small I can't see them. If they are, they'll get filled with finish and covered nicely. My guess is I've had them before and never saw them. If it worked before, it'll work again.

Thanks for the advice, folks.

Jerry

Re: Drying Wood

philip f Duffy

Any time I do green wood turnings I boil them in water (staring cold) for an hour then let them cool naturally in the water, if time permits, before wrapping them in newspapers for a few weeks. This cuts the drying time by about 2/3 and the wood does not crack-- - usually. Success is dependent on the species, time of year, and a bit of Irish luck. P.

Re: Drying Wood

Dick Hines

I turn mostly wet wood. For years I have soaked the roughed bowl blanks in denatured alcohol. I leave the walls on my blanks about 1". Then they are put into a big trash can of DNA for at least 24 hours. Some stay in longer than that because I forget them or an out of town.

Then they are set on a rack to dry. Then wrapped in brown craft paper and put in a cool place in the shop where no sun can get to them. Most will be ready to return in 30-45 days.

Works for me may not work for others. KEEP FLAME AWAY FROM THE DNA CONTAINER!!!!

Re: Drying Wood

Don Stephan

Jerry

Like the others I expect the cracks are still there, and will open as the wood dries. Be very attentive if you try to turn later, as the cracks may have made the piece unsafe. These may not be like cracks that appear late and stay short and closed.

Re: Drying Wood

John C Lucas

Dick thats why i ha ent tried the alcohol trick. I simply dont have a place to store a large quantity of flammable material.

Re: Drying Wood

Michael Kratky

Can't possibly imagine the cost involved with denatured alcohol, the evaporation loss and the associated storage problems just for the sake of some cheep green turning stock.

Re: Drying Wood

mikeee12345

I have tried the alcohol method on several occasions, after 4 or 5 drinks the

cracks really don't matter, until the next day when you need to start all over. :-)

Bagging or sealing the freshly turned wood item right away helps reduce cracking.

A slower drying process reduces the odds of the piece cracking if turned correctly.

Just like processing wood logs, you want to seal the end grain as soon as possible

after cutting the logs into smaller pieces. If you leave the wood log end grain exposed

for a day or two the hair line cracks are already starting.

Re: Drying Wood

Wayne Kuhn

Rough turn evenly to one inch +-, weigh it, write weight date and species on bowl, pack in wet shavings in a brown paper bag, close it forget it for month or so, weigh it again note the date and weight. Remove shavings at third weigh in. once weight stops changing, put on the ready to finish turn box with all the others. Simplicity and consistency works for me.

Re: Drying Wood

Michael Kratky

LOL, new topic wine paring; what wines and alcohol content go best with maple?

Re: Drying Wood

Sean Troy

Not many but some Maple varieties can be prone to wind/ring shake. That could explain your uncommon problem.

Re: Drying Wood

ebd

I had a load of black walnut from a tree base about 4 feet in diameter and lengths about 2 feet. After I wet turned them, I buried them in the shavings. After coming to equlibrium there were no cracks. This done in a barn outside with a barrel stove for heat. Vast temperature highs and lows over short periods of time in the winter.