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Wet Maple

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Yesterday I helped cut a sugar maple down from a friends yard. He gave me the trunk, cut into 4-5 foot sections ranging from bottom, 3 foot diameter to the top where it stops about 10 inch diameter and a few of the bigger branches. This was a live tree that was dormant. I turned a small branch, 8 inches diameter and got 3 small round blanks just to see how wet it is. Wow, I covered the lathe and nearby tools with sap.... LOL, spent the rest of the day cleaning. I thought it would have been dryer being dormant for a month.

Anywayz, the rest is sitting outside still on my trailer. Can I leave these whole for 2 to 3 years (?) to dry out? Or do I need to start turning blanks til all done?

If so, I have nothing I can treat the ends with. What should I order? Can these rounds be wrapped with shrink wrap like movers use leaving top/bottom open to slowly dry? What-ever I need to do will have to be ordered unless I get a chance to run to town That's doubtful as the weather is not great for a few days here, maybe this-afternoon if it settles down.

This trip was not un-eventful..... Roads in the am were slick'r than I thought, did not take long for my trailer to slip and slide and wrap around just enough to do some damage to my dually fender.... was a fun day... NOT... LOL Now for the insurance fun....
 

hockenbery

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If it is cold they should last well for quite a few months.
When it gets warm they will spalt and then rot or dry out and crack..
Turning while they are throwing water is best. Least likely to have developed cracks and the best color( unless you want some spalting)

If they are 5 ft long they should be okay for a couple months left in the round. Just plan on 4” waste for checking on each end of the of 5 footers.

I would rip the rounds through the pith if. You have not already done so.
For bowls I try to rip through a line that has the pith midway between the bark.( on lots of logs it will no be the same in the other end of the log so. Do what looks to be the closest to an ideal line.
then I would coat the ends with anchor seal. The ends will check whether they are coated or not if left long enough.
Uncoated the may check 4” or so in the next few months coated they may check more like an inch.

when I cut a blank to turn that has been anchor sealed, I cut 2” off each end and then cut the blanks I will turn.
If the logs were not sealed I cut off 4”.
 
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If it is cold they should last well for quite few months.
When it gets warm they will splat and then rot.
I would rip the rounds through the pith if. You have not already done so.

Kewl, it should not be above freezing until March or so. Good to know I have several months to work these as the next couple weeks will be about the holidays. Thanks for the advice about keeping the pith equal bark to bark.

Would it help if as I split them to go ahead and turn them into rounds then seal the end grain or would I still lose a couple inches off the ends? After I do this, is it ok to put them back outside in the wood shed? That would put them back out in the frigid temps until spring.
 
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I only had log section of sugar maple as it is very rare out here in Oregon. Since it is very wet here during our winter, I figured it would be fine outside. Well, the first bowls were very pretty, though rather plain in color. The section I left outside for a month, when I turned bowls from it was a dingy grey color, and didn't have the luster that the first bowls did. I have noticed that a few other times with some of our maple here. If I turn it fresh, it shines more than the ones that sit. I am guessing that the sugar in it is the cause because all of those things that love to turn good wood into compost really love the sugar. If the temps are closer to freezing where you are, you might have more success. I also don't wrap the rims of any maple bowls with the stretch film. It always molds under the plastic.

You can use titebond 3 glue for an end grain sealer, if you have a gallon of it around. Seems to do an excellent job. I use it on spindle blanks. Madrone is notorious for cracking before you even get the chainsaw out of the truck. Thus far, on the spindle blanks I have tried it on, it has kept them from cracking. Round over the ends of cylinders and coat down an inch or so past the ends of the cylinders. Sugar maple is an excellent wood for rolling pins. Professional cooks always use maple or beech.

robo hippy
 

hockenbery

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Would it help if as I split them to go ahead and turn them into rounds then seal the end grain or would I still lose a couple inches off the ends? After I do this, is it ok to put them back outside in the wood shed? That would put them back out in the frigid temps until spring.

you will get end checking. Cut rounds you can keep for a day or so sealed in plastic.

if you can keep them frozen they will last fine.

I usually keep a couple blanks in my freezer for use in demos. The frozen blanks keep,for years. In the freezer I need to keep them sealed in plastic as the “frost free” will dehydrate the wood and cause it to crack,
 
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Wow, I covered the lathe and nearby tools with sap....
Technically, what you were covered with was water that was contained in the trunk wood. Sap is only in the cambium layer, immediately below the bark. If the weather was cold, leaves were off the tree, and it was dormant, what you and the lathe were covered with was water.
 
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I use titebond 2 to seal ends, it cheaper than #3 and I think about the same rating for exterior use. Probably dont need to worry till spring thaw in ND. Might help to cover the ends with shrink wrap - its just like storing them in the freezer up there. You have a few months to plan how you want to split up the logs - ne bowls, rim bowls, deep or shallow, platters, hollow forms, different size spindle blanks. Full logs can be turned for hf’s with the pith in, but otherwise it comes out. There is some leeway where to cut the pith, just depends on what you want to turn. In the spring Leave bark on anything you wont be turning in the next day or 2 and seal the end grain. Dont cutround bowls blanks thinking they will keep.
 
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John,
It would be a good idea to shelter the ends from the wind. Coating is one way. You've had good suggestions above. Latex paint can also be used. It may not be quite as effective as other stuff, but you're sure to have some laying around.

You probably should also put a tarp over the stacked logs, and make sure it's held snug down to the ground well. Or perhaps large plastic bags over each end instead of the tarp. (For you folks from elsewhere, snow doesn't actually land on the ground in North Dakota, it comes in horizontal from Canada and lands in Nebraska.)
 
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Technically, what you were covered with was water that was contained in the trunk wood. Sap is only in the cambium layer, immediately below the bark. If the weather was cold, leaves were off the tree, and it was dormant, what you and the lathe were covered with was water.

Thank-you, I didn't chose my words carefully. I figured it was just water, was not sticky, just made everything wet. Had to get it off the table saw and lathe bed before it had a chance to start rust.
 
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Sounds like I have until spring thaw to work this maple, I'll wet-turn some of it before then, I hope. I have a lot of box-elder, piss-elm and spalted ash I wanted to do this winter. What is not worked, I will treat it and put in my wood-shed to protect, put some anchor-seal on the ends then. For now it's on a trailer with sides, I will throw a tarp over it to block the wind. I like the idea of cutting some blanks, wrap with plastic and place in the freezer for use down the road. I have 3 freezers but they are pretty full of venison/pork/chicken right now, guess I'll just have to eat more meat to free up some woodworking space in them. :) Also reading another thread about desiccant beads, might try that on a couple turned items. :)
This maple, when dried, would make some good hard mallets? Maybe turn some handles and the rolling pins sounds like a great idea. I sure hope this wood does not turn gray on me. Our winters are usually extremely cold and snow covered with low humidity. IF it does, can it be bleached/returned to white again? That has sure changed lightened up some ash I have with the greenish/black (not the spalting) throughout some of it.
 
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Beware even with temps below freezing drying will occur outside especially in direct sun light so hide them under snow.
The summer of 2019 a friend who lives near the metro area of MN (about 200 miles south of me) cut down a maple with a small burl in the spring then brought it up here in the fall and by that time it was discolored and cracked.
If it is cold they should last well for quite a few months.
When it gets warm they will spalt and then rot or dry out and crack..
Turning while they are throwing water is best. Least likely to have developed cracks and the best color( unless you want some spalting)
This is a small cup form from the non burled portion.
20039Cup.JPG
 
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I have had good luck with the glue on Madrone cylinders. Not sure about olive wood, but from what I understand, it is one that really likes to crack. If you are trying to seal end grain on logs, I would apply at least one very heavy coat, and maybe two. I heard a story about Del Stubbs turning a bunch of olive blanks down in the Chico, CA area, which is very hot and dry in the summer, and really hurrying through them. The blanks were cracking on the ground with a lot of noise. I thought, gee, you should have gotten one of the little kid pools, filled it with water and put the blanks in that. There are a number of reasons for putting wood in water as it can keep for years, like some of those logs they have salvaged from the bottom of the Great Lakes. The old logging mill ponds had multiple functions. If you try to do it in a tub, you will need to change out the water as it will get slimy and stinky, and that will get into the wood. The only method I heard of for using latex paint, that seemed to be very successful, was to slop it on, then while wet, slap some plastic on the paint. The paint will hold it in place, and the plastic is an excellent sealer.

robo hippy
 
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If I cut blanks and put outside in tubs of water, it would freeze solid and take a while to thaw when our very short summer hit. Would that be ok or would that process hurt/destroy the blanks?

If I wrapped them in plastic and throw a bunch in a freezer, can they be turned right out of the freezer frozen, or would they need to be unwrapped and thawed for a time?
 
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If you press the ends into some snow or water and it's really cold out, you might be able to 'coat' the ends in ice. If it stays below freezing, you might actually get that to work. In a normal Nor Dakota winter, that would maybe not be a problem, but with the 'warm' dry winter we're having so far, and the erratic nature of weather with climate change, it's hard to know if it'll stay below freezing reliably. I wouldn't have room in my freezer until the game gets eaten down, probably til spring. But 4 freezers??? Seriously, John? Who do you have stored in there, and haven't I seen this in a famous movie named after your local big city?

I've always just turned frozen blanks as any other blank, though not very often. Others may know of problems, but I haven't had any, except when the shavings come off the gouge, they are real hard on your forward hand--painful even. (it's the only time I wear a glove)

If you store the wood in the freezer, it will dry some. Not as much as outside, but some.
 
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If I cut blanks and put outside in tubs of water, it would freeze solid and take a while to thaw when our very short summer hit. Would that be ok or would that process hurt/destroy the blanks?

If I wrapped them in plastic and throw a bunch in a freezer, can they be turned right out of the freezer frozen, or would they need to be unwrapped and thawed for a time?
ND has at least 3 months of mostly below freezing weather so it is best to try to get them rough turned in that time. The pieces can be turned frozen just have a towel ready to wipe off the moisture from the cast iron ways and your face shield. The upside is there shouldn't be any dust from the turning.
 
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and the erratic nature of weather with climate change, it's hard to know if it'll stay below freezing reliably. I wouldn't have room in my freezer until the game gets eaten down, probably til spring. But 4 freezers??? Seriously, John? Who do you have stored in there, and haven't I seen this in a famous movie named after your local big city?

I've always just turned frozen blanks as any other blank, though not very often. Others may know of problems, but I haven't had any, except when the shavings come off the gouge, they are real hard on your forward hand--painful even. (it's the only time I wear a glove).

Thanks, I'll watch the shavings when I do the blanks. Hate to wear gloves but if like you said, I will. The last 2 winters, and so far this one, your right, it's not reliable. Normally it gets cold and stays cold but so far this winter.... the temps have been all over the place. 4 freezers is not hard to fill (2 chest types and 2 freezer/refrigerator). One is full of brewing supplies, grains/hops, etc. I do keep that one around 40 degrees with a temp controller so usually a few cases of beer in with that stuff conditioning, but the other freezers are full of trespassers until the ground thaws and I can dig a deep hole! I could use the brewing freezer for some blanks if needed. All kidding aside, I butchered around 50 chickens and picked up a lot of beef and pork this year, quite a few fish fillets and ice fishing I have not started yet this winter. Not to mention I managed to tag out on 2 deer so yea, I'm in protein overload for now but it will be eaten this coming year between us and son from town.
 
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