When is the best time of the year to harvest pine for green wood turning?
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Harvesting Green Wood
- Thread starter Big Dog
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Big Dog;
I doubt if a time of year has much bearing on it if you are going to turn it green but if I am wrong on that I am sure I will be corrected.
I can only imagine that there would be more sap flowing in the early spring (depending on your geographical location) so that may be a consideration.
Have you turned much pine before. ? I am curious how you made out with it. I just rough turned a 10.5" deep bowl yesterday from green blue spruce (similar to pine) as an experiment with turning softwood.
I was told by some to forget it for turning and by others that they have great sucess with it so I figured the best way would be to give it a try.
I am trying the alcohol system of drying it before final turning. That is also a first for me as a drying / curing method..
W.Y.
I doubt if a time of year has much bearing on it if you are going to turn it green but if I am wrong on that I am sure I will be corrected.
I can only imagine that there would be more sap flowing in the early spring (depending on your geographical location) so that may be a consideration.Have you turned much pine before. ? I am curious how you made out with it. I just rough turned a 10.5" deep bowl yesterday from green blue spruce (similar to pine) as an experiment with turning softwood.
I was told by some to forget it for turning and by others that they have great sucess with it so I figured the best way would be to give it a try.
I am trying the alcohol system of drying it before final turning. That is also a first for me as a drying / curing method..
W.Y.
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William: did you turn that wood with or without a face shield???
Hey, Bill.
How'd that sap issue work out?
Dietrich
How'd that sap issue work out?
Dietrich
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Ray;
Thanks for the concern but I havn't got a face shield yet. It is on my * get soon list*.
Iwas real pleased with the way that lathe handled that big hunk of wood. Of course I am only using a 3/8" bowl gouge but it is turning out nice long curly shavings . Takes a little extra time than it would with a more powerfull lathe and bigger gouge but I'm not in a hurry . I do it for the enjoyment rather than for speed.
Dietrich.
There was not a problem at all with sap. Possibly for two reasons.
(1) This wood is not 'totally' green as in cut yesterday. The trees were cut down over a month ago and a lot of sap was coming out of the ends when I chainsawed the logs into 16" firewood lengths so maybe a lot of the sap had already left the wood.
(2) The logs were about 20" diameter so I was able to trim the sapwood off the bottom and both sides with the chainsaw and still have a nice big piece left in the middle for turning.
Here are a couple pictures of it rough turned and fresh out of the alcohol and before the brown paper on the outside was applied. The darker colored endgrain showing is now lighter . I guess it soaked up a lot of alcohol. There is a nice looking knot in the bottom but a smaller dark one on the rim that I dont particularly like and think it spoils the whole look of the bowl but I know some would say that gives it character. Depends on the individual.. I am pretty sure that knot on the rim is going to require some CA treatment for final turning.
I dont really care if the whole thing turns into firewood or not because of the species of the soft wood because it is good practice for when I make some with some nice tighter grained hardwoods.
W.Y.
Thanks for the concern but I havn't got a face shield yet. It is on my * get soon list*.
Iwas real pleased with the way that lathe handled that big hunk of wood. Of course I am only using a 3/8" bowl gouge but it is turning out nice long curly shavings . Takes a little extra time than it would with a more powerfull lathe and bigger gouge but I'm not in a hurry . I do it for the enjoyment rather than for speed.
Dietrich.
There was not a problem at all with sap. Possibly for two reasons.
(1) This wood is not 'totally' green as in cut yesterday. The trees were cut down over a month ago and a lot of sap was coming out of the ends when I chainsawed the logs into 16" firewood lengths so maybe a lot of the sap had already left the wood.
(2) The logs were about 20" diameter so I was able to trim the sapwood off the bottom and both sides with the chainsaw and still have a nice big piece left in the middle for turning.
Here are a couple pictures of it rough turned and fresh out of the alcohol and before the brown paper on the outside was applied. The darker colored endgrain showing is now lighter . I guess it soaked up a lot of alcohol. There is a nice looking knot in the bottom but a smaller dark one on the rim that I dont particularly like and think it spoils the whole look of the bowl but I know some would say that gives it character. Depends on the individual.. I am pretty sure that knot on the rim is going to require some CA treatment for final turning.
I dont really care if the whole thing turns into firewood or not because of the species of the soft wood because it is good practice for when I make some with some nice tighter grained hardwoods.
W.Y.
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Sorry Big Dog
I'm sure that William didn't mean to steal the thread, but my reply for safety, was a concern.
Why would you want to turn pine?? we turn old christmas trees after they'd dried out - 8 months or so. the trunk can make interesting ornaments. I would think you would be in a nasty pitch thowing fest with the green stuff.
I'm sure that William didn't mean to steal the thread, but my reply for safety, was a concern.
Why would you want to turn pine?? we turn old christmas trees after they'd dried out - 8 months or so. the trunk can make interesting ornaments. I would think you would be in a nasty pitch thowing fest with the green stuff.
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My Apologies.
My apologies to you Ray if you felt that I stole the thread.
You had asked me about the face sheild and I answered you .
Dietrich asked me about the sap issue and I answered it to the best of my ability.
Sorry if my response to either Ray Dewey or to Dietrick was out of line . If it was , perhaps the moderator or administrator would be kind enough to remove my entire response and I will fully understand why.
In no way do I have any intention of upsetting any members of this site..
I am here to learn from others and help out whenever I can.
Best regards to all
W.Y.
My apologies to you Ray if you felt that I stole the thread.
You had asked me about the face sheild and I answered you .
Dietrich asked me about the sap issue and I answered it to the best of my ability.
Sorry if my response to either Ray Dewey or to Dietrick was out of line . If it was , perhaps the moderator or administrator would be kind enough to remove my entire response and I will fully understand why.
In no way do I have any intention of upsetting any members of this site..
I am here to learn from others and help out whenever I can.
Best regards to all
W.Y.
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Big Dog - I don't know how much difference it woud make in turning a piece of pine, but I do know there is less water in the wood in winter time. Pine is logged for sale in this area by the ton and loggers would prefer summer cutting because it weighs more per unit of volume. Buyers, of course, would prefer winter cut pine logs.
Sap runs alot slower in late fall to mid winter. Early spring, it starts shooting up and can make the wood more prone to cracking and moving, in addition to making tools gummy with some woods.
Past that, cut it when you got it, mill out the pith, coat it with anchorseal or use some other method to prevent checks and cracks (boiling, freezing, alcohol soaking, paper bags, etc) and enjoy the free bounty. Worse comes to worst, you've got some nicely milled and seasoned firewood.
And, Bill, get the face shileld before you turn anymore. Just hit any hardware store and they'll have something. I don't want to lose ya, dude. I'm wanting one of those bandsaw boxes.
Dietrich
P.S. (bowls look good. let me know how the alcohol drying works out)
Past that, cut it when you got it, mill out the pith, coat it with anchorseal or use some other method to prevent checks and cracks (boiling, freezing, alcohol soaking, paper bags, etc) and enjoy the free bounty. Worse comes to worst, you've got some nicely milled and seasoned firewood.
And, Bill, get the face shileld before you turn anymore. Just hit any hardware store and they'll have something. I don't want to lose ya, dude. I'm wanting one of those bandsaw boxes.
Dietrich
P.S. (bowls look good. let me know how the alcohol drying works out)
Thanks to everyone who replied. The time of year information is what I was looking for concerning the pine. I am here in southern california and because of all the rains we have been having over the past two weeks a lot of trees have fallen and I have taken advantage of the opportunity, something my wife is not exactly enamored with. It is amazing what a guy can get with a big truck and a chainsaw. I have also found some Acacia, Jacaranda, Eucalyptus, Ficus and Palm. Can anyone give any advice on working with these woods.
Robert
Robert
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Hi Big Dog: I'm more familiar with the pines in the north-east, real sappy, gooey and sticky. What are your pines like in S. Cal.? The other species you've mentioned sound like a challenge as being very hard - except palm, we never see that kind of wood in the great white north.
Michael O'Donnell, in his book Turning Green Wood , states that if you plan in retaining the bark (for use in natural edge), winter is the best time to harvest becasue the cambium layer is at its strongest when the tree is dormant. If the bark is not to be retained, there is no best time to harvest according to O'Donnell.