First Bowl

[hockenbery]

Hello turners, I put my first green bowl in a paper bag to start the drying process and I was just wondering could I put a rough turned second green bowl in the same bag with the first bowl? I also have a roll of brown paper, same brown paper as the brown bag is made of and I guess that could be used also?

Interesting question. I would say no. The new wet bowl will disrupt the drying of the older turned bowl and the newlly turned bowl might loose moisture too fast with the partly dried bowl in the same bag.

If you turned two bowls on the same day they should be ok in the same bag but I would put them in different bags to prevent mold. If one of the bowls has mold on it then both will get mold if they are in the same bag.
In different bags only one gets the mold. A wipe with Clorox kills the mold.

 

[Fred Belknap]

Hello turners, I put my first green bowl in a paper bag to start the drying process and I was just wondering could I put a rough turned second green bowl in the same bag with the first bowl? I also have a roll of brown paper, same brown paper as the brown bag is made of and I guess that could be used also?

Paper bags are a dead air zone and the more wood you put in one bag will slow down the drying, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. At the very best you will lose a few bowls to cracks. I cut my own trees and deal with the drying process and sometimes you just can't win. I cut a large walnut tree last January and lost about 10% of the wood to cracks, cut one this spring and the loss was probably less than 1%.

 

[Lamar Wright]

Interesting question. I would say no. The new wet bowl will disrupt the drying of the older turned bowl and the newlly turned bowl might loose moisture too fast with the partly dried bowl in the same bag.

If you turned two bowls on the same day they should be ok in the same bag but I would put them in different bags to prevent mold. If one of the bowls has mold on it then both will get mold if they are in the same bag.
In different bags only one gets the mold. A wipe with Clorox kills the mold.

Thanks Al for your reply. Just to be safe I will use separate bags to dry my green bowls. I bought me a digital scale so that I can weigh the bowls each month and check MC loss.

 

[Lamar Wright]

Paper bags are a dead air zone and the more wood you put in one bag will slow down the drying, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. At the very best you will lose a few bowls to cracks. I cut my own trees and deal with the drying process and sometimes you just can't win. I cut a large walnut tree last January and lost about 10% of the wood to cracks, cut one this spring and the loss was probably less than 1%.

Hi Fred, thanks for your input on this subject. As I replied to Al, I'm going to follow your suggestions and use one bag for each bowl. I have a lot of maple logs to dry naturally also just picked some green Hackberry yesterday to add to my pile.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Thanks Al for your reply. Just to be safe I will use separate bags to dry my green bowls. I bought me a digital scale so that I can weigh the bowls each month and check MC loss.

Lamar contrary to what most say about how long to dry a bowl Mine dry in much less time. My shop is a/c and I start with bowl in shavings from the same log. I weigh it every other day and change bags if it is damp. In roughly 2 weeks when weight loss slows I dump the chips out. Then continue weights and in bag will weight loss below 7-9 GM a day then out of the bag. Weights continue till two weights show no loss or less than 1 GM. True that is not MEQ but is very close and after returning will still lose some of the moisture. I usually do not get to return right away when weight loss stops so that is another factor. This has worked for me with some cracked bowls but less than 5% loss. Oh the time has never gone over 10 weeks and is usually 4 to 6 weeks.

 

[John Torchick]

Not an experienced turner or green wood turner but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once. I would wrap them separate so each would lose moisture at its own rate. Happy turning!

 

[Lamar Wright]

Lamar contrary to what most say about how long to dry a bowl Mine dry in much less time. My shop is a/c and I start with bowl in shavings from the same log. I weigh it every other day and change bags if it is damp. In roughly 2 weeks when weight loss slows I dump the chips out. Then continue weights and in bag will weight loss below 7-9 GM a day then out of the bag. Weights continue till two weights show no loss or less than 1 GM. True that is not MEQ but is very close and after returning will still lose some of the moisture. I usually do not get to return right away when weight loss stops so that is another factor. This has worked for me with some cracked bowls but less than 5% loss. Oh the time has never gone over 10 weeks and is usually 4 to 6 weeks.

Thanks Gerald, my shop is a/c also so that should help some. Saw your photos Gerald and like so many others, your work is fantastic. Happy turning!

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Give it a few years and you won't worry about drying the wood... I rough turn, write the date and forget about it. Then a client comes in, likes one, I check the date, and I turn it... I keep a lot of them on shelves, in the shop and in a huge shed outside... Some have been drying for years! LOL Nice and humid all year round , I have a very good success rate, loose one now and then, then again I expect some to crack, pushing the limits on some crotches...

 

[Lamar Wright]

Give it a few years and you won't worry about drying the wood... I rough turn, write the date and forget about it. Then a client comes in, likes one, I check the date, and I turn it... I keep a lot of them on shelves, in the shop and in a huge shed outside... Some have been drying for years! LOL Nice and humid all year round , I have a very good success rate, loose one now and then, then again I expect some to crack, pushing the limits on some crotches...

Thanks Emiliano, that's what I plan to do as well. I have green maple and hackberry to keep me busy for a while plus I will be getting a lot of practice turning bowls and platters ect. Thanks for your input Emiliano and Happy turning!

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Give it a few years and you won't worry about drying the wood... I rough turn, write the date and forget about it. Then a client comes in, likes one, I check the date, and I turn it... I keep a lot of them on shelves, in the shop and in a huge shed outside... Some have been drying for years! LOL Nice and humid all year round , I have a very good success rate, loose one now and then, then again I expect some to crack, pushing the limits on some crotches...

One thing to think about is tropical woods in Hawaii will dry differently from domestic wood in inland states.

 

[John Torchick]

Differences- between Florida and Lousiana, New Mexico and south Arizona. I would think where the rough wood is stored would have a lot to do with moisture loss. Fortunately, my shop/basement are heated and ACed.
Question- Do certain woods dry faster than others? Never thought of this until now. OK, so I'm a bit slow.

 

[hockenbery]

Differences- between Florida and Lousiana, New Mexico and south Arizona. I would think where the rough wood is stored would have a lot to do with moisture loss. Fortunately, my shop/basement are heated and ACed.
Question- Do certain woods dry faster than others? Never thought of this until now. OK, so I'm a bit slow.

Different Woods do dry at different rates. There also start with different MC
The forestry service has several brochures on drying lumber. This one gives lots of details for different woods and different climates. These give figures for 1" lumber which sort of works for 1" thick bowls until we do things like put it in bags or coat it with anchorseal.
https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr117.pdf

Basic - how dry or wood will get a RH is given in this chart


How wood dries in various climates outside


Days for different species to dry to 20%


How blanks cut from different parts or the log will warp
I do mos of my work with wood centered on the tree. I get predictable symmetric warp
When I do crotch piece the the warp of the two branches and the main stem all works against and with each other.
The warp is predicable but must be slowed down by slowing the drying.

 

[Lamar Wright]

Different Woods do dry at different rates. There also start with different MC
The forestry service has several brochures on drying lumber. This one gives lots of details for different woods and different climates. These give figures for 1" lumber which sort of works for 1" thick bowls until we do things like put it in bags or coat it with anchorseal.
https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr117.pdf

Basic - how dry or wood will get a RH is given in this chart
View attachment 23241

How wood dries in various climates outside
View attachment 23242

Days for different species to dry to 20%
View attachment 23243

How blanks cut from different parts or the log will warp
View attachment 23244 I do mos of my work with wood centered on the tree. I get predictable symmetric warp
When I do crotch piece the the warp of the two branches and the main stem all works against and with each other.
The warp is predicable but must be slowed down by slowing the drying.

Thanks for this information on drying wood Al. I did not realize that various climates make that much of a difference how slow or fast wood drys. Happy turning!

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

One thing to think about is tropical woods in Hawaii will dry differently from domestic wood in inland states.

I believe we have it easy in Hawaii... I always wonder why so many beginners, even here, worry about so much the drying process... I used to, but then I guess I found a way that works, its not perfect or fast, but works... Then again, I'm lucky, our family ranch has unlimited amounts of Koa, I wouldn't call it free, its hard work to go get it, but when you have truckloads and truckloads of wood, you tend not to worry much about the drying, some will crack, then I apply pewa patches, very, very few, will end up in the deep gulch where the green waste goes, most will be finished someday... Rough turning still my favorite part of turning...

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Different Woods do dry at different rates. There also start with different MC
The forestry service has several brochures on drying lumber. This one gives lots of details for different woods and different climates. These give figures for 1" lumber which sort of works for 1" thick bowls until we do things like put it in bags or coat it with anchorseal.
https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr117.pdf

Basic - how dry or wood will get a RH is given in this chart
View attachment 23241

How wood dries in various climates outside
View attachment 23242

Days for different species to dry to 20%
View attachment 23243

How blanks cut from different parts or the log will warp
View attachment 23244 I do mos of my work with wood centered on the tree. I get predictable symmetric warp
When I do crotch piece the the warp of the two branches and the main stem all works against and with each other.
The warp is predicable but must be slowed down by slowing the drying.

Super interesting chart! One thing I should add. I live up at 1700 feet elevation, close to the rain forest, on the slopes of the extinct volcano Haleakala. Bone dry Koa is 12.4. Down at ocean level, in Kihei, goes down to 9.4...

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Thanks Emiliano, that's what I plan to do as well. I have green maple and hackberry to keep me busy for a while plus I will be getting a lot of practice turning bowls and platters ect. Thanks for your input Emiliano and Happy turning!

Happy turning! You have come to the right place for help!! Aloha

 

[John Torchick]

hockenbery, thanks for the info on drying wood.
Emiliano, did you know that I am up for adoption? Aloha! When was the last time the volcano erupted? Curious.