Crackling (not cracking) sound coming from cooling madrone bowl

[Kalia Kliban]

I've just green-turned a fairly thin-walled madrone bowl and microwaved it (about 15 short bursts of 15 seconds each, cooling between bursts). It's sitting on my desk making a delicate crackling noise, sort of like what you'd hear if you held a paper cup of carbonated water close to your ear. It's been making the noise for about an hour. I heard this once before from a small madrone bowl that I had boiled after rough-turning, then finish-turned before it was fully dry. That one was cool though still moist, so I'm guessing it's a moisture thing and not a temperature thing. Anyone else noticed this sound from madrone? The piece is not cracked or fractured in any way, just sitting there making a fizzing noise.

 

[Tim Tucker]

Sounds like cells in the wood rupturing and the steam escaping...?

 

[robo hippy]

Saw Christian Burshard out of Ashland, OR demo once at our club and he turned a very thin madrone bowl. He passed it around and told us to put it up to our ear. You could hear that same snap, crackle, pop sound. This is typical of madrone in particular, and I think it has to do with cell walls rupturing. I love madrone!

robo hippy

 

[David Shumaker]

I've just green-turned a fairly thin-walled madrone bowl and microwaved it (about 15 short bursts of 15 seconds each, cooling between bursts). It's sitting on my desk making a delicate crackling noise, sort of like what you'd hear if you held a paper cup of carbonated water close to your ear. It's been making the noise for about an hour. I heard this once before from a small madrone bowl that I had boiled after rough-turning, then finish-turned before it was fully dry. That one was cool though still moist, so I'm guessing it's a moisture thing and not a temperature thing. Anyone else noticed this sound from madrone? The piece is not cracked or fractured in any way, just sitting there making a fizzing noise.

I remember a maple bowl that I turned a while back making a sizzling noise as it dried. I thought for sure it would crack but it didn't.

 

[Richard Coers]

I agree with cells cracking. I cut some frozen western red cedar parts for timber framer. After cutting the knee braces I stacked them up and ate lunch. When I came back they sounded like Rice Krispies. Took them outside, put them in a snow bank, and called the builder.