Ariculated arm computer fan to aid in finish drying inside boxes/vases/hollowforms

If u turn wet wood, do u let it dry first. I understand this is for finishing.

Charlie Knighton said:

If u turn wet wood, do u let it dry first. I understand this is for finishing.

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There's a line from the great John Wayne comedy, The Quiet Man, I feel I must paraphrase here, when I turn wet wood, I turn wet. When I turn dry, I turn dry. (In the movie, whiskey and water and drinking are the things mentioned.)
I believe any time you turn wood, you should make sure it is dry before applying a finish. This fan is intended to circulate air so that the finish will dry faster. Oil finishes inside turned containers (vases, hollowforms and especially boxes with lids) are much harder to dry the finish as it is harder for the air to circulate in these restricted spaces.
If the wood is not dry before applying a finish, the water in the wood may well interfere with the finish drying correctly. I think in flat work, this is what causes blushing of a finish, where it gets a white cloudy appearance. I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Oil and water don't mix". So an oil finish on wet wood is probably not a good move.
Even if it is a water based finish, I would still let the wood dry before applying it.

Odie measures moisture level of blank, turns, and waits til turning quits movement to finish turn. He does not tell us if turning has a moisture level , just that it has quit movement. We get average rain in Virginia but have periods of drought and periods of excess rain/ snow. These boxes to have a tight fit I would rather be in Arizona except they have irregular weather out there. I guess just do the best you can, because that all you can do. I've just always put stuff in drawer so that there is no air movement/dust.

Charlie Knighton said:

Odie measures moisture level of blank, turns, and waits til turning quits movement to finish turn. He does not tell us if turning has a moisture level , just that it has quit movement. We get average rain in Virginia but have periods of drought and periods of excess rain/ snow. These boxes to have a tight fit I would rather be in Arizona except they have irregular weather out there. I guess just do the best you can, because that all you can do. I've just always put stuff in drawer so that there is no air movement/dust.

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Wood is very unlikely to ever get completely dry, but when said to be dry it is a matter of reaching a stable state. In a desert climate, like Arizona, wood will get dryer than say Florida. Lots of people weight their pieces too, rough turning, weighing and then putting them aside to dry and checking every month or so. If the weight hasn't changed in a month, it is considered ready (dry enough) to finish turn.

This fan is not intended to dry the wood, really just speed up drying the finish...the finish applied inside a box/vase/hollowform. Probably best to ask over in the forums about the best way to dry the wood, either for finish turning or to the point it is ready to have a wood finish applied. But thanks for showing interest in my project.