Frozen Wood

[JHCameron]

I have two large sections of walnut, that are frozen in my front yard under a tarp; I thought this was a good idea for storing the wood. I have started to turn some of the wood and find that frozen wood turns OK, the chips tend to be somewhat smaller and the wood appears to be harder. I summary, I find that the frozen wood works well and dosn't check. It seems to threw fast and can be turned as wet wood in less than an hour. I have read that it isn't a good idea to turn frozen wood but this isn't what I am finding. Does anyone else my experience turning frozen wood?

 

[MichaelMouse]

You trolls down on 94 don't know what "frozen" means. Of course we don't have walnut by a couple hundred miles, so I guess it evens out. If the wood is tightly frozen, and it does take some time below 32 to do that, the shavings will fold/crack like they do when you use a high sharpness angle on normal wood.

I don't see any real advantage, rather one big disadvantage to turning frozen, that being what happens to my left hand and elbow when they start to throw cold liquid. Nice to be able to toss your roughs out in the garage to wait for summer, though. They will certainly come down slow with the low vapor pressure.

I try to bring frozen chunks in for a day before I cut them. Gives the snow and ice time to melt - elevate them out of their puddle - keeping things dry and warmer for the bandsaw and my poor hand.

 

[hockenbery]

J
there was a nice thread on frozen wood last month.

freezing is a great way to keep wood fresh for turning later.
I have a big blank of Fla rosewood in my freezer now.

it is a bit harder. When I lived where it was cold I would situate blanks in the garage overnight to let them thaw.

al

 

[Tom Hamilton]

I turn frozen wood. I live in Wisconsin and turn in an unheated shop. My logs are all stored outside in the snow.

Lately I've been turning Hard Maple, Cherry, Box wood and Cedar, they all work just fine.

I gave a core that I cored out or Hard Maple to a friend though, and he took it inside before he got to turning it and it wasn't even a week and it cracked in half.

I haven't found a down side to turning frozen wet wood yet.

Tom

 

[TJ Hamilton]

Well that was weird, I looked at the latest post on this thread and saw I had posted...but I hadn't.

So there are two of us!

All the best Tom!

Tom, in Georgia, turning warm wood in a heated shop!

 

[David Wilkins]

Freezing wood serves to stop moisture loss, preventing checking and cracking. Once you thaw it, your back in the same scenario where you need to control the drying process. The only other thing to note is if you end seal a log and then is freezes it is likely that the expanding ice will push out the wax.

 

[n7bsn]

Freezing wood serves to stop moisture loss, preventing checking and cracking. Once you thaw it, your back in the same scenario where you need to control the drying process. The only other thing to note is if you end seal a log and then is freezes it is likely that the expanding ice will push out the wax.

Actually no, freezing does not stop moisture loss. It will slow it but not stop it. The process with frozen wood is called sublimation. Where the moisture (slowly) converts direct from a solid to a vapor.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Actually no, freezing does not stop moisture loss. It will slow it but not stop it. The process with frozen wood is called sublimation. Where the moisture (slowly) converts direct from a solid to a vapor.

Sublimation requires a lot of special circumstances you're not likely to meet in the lower 48. Maybe on a sunny day in Omyakon or down in the Antarctic. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesublimation.html

Of course, dissolved compounds keep the water in the tree from freezing by lowering the freezing point, so even at 20-30 below F they're not tight.

 

[Jorge Castaneda]

I live in Maine and I do turn frozen wood in a non heated shop and I like doing it, no sap flying, no cracking, and then the rough bowls dry in less time than those turned on spring. Sublimation? I think so.
I am turning like there is no tomorrow because it feels like the weather is braking and have not made much of a dent in my blanks pile...