More Rookie Questions

[William Young]

We hear a lot about drying processes for bowls but how about using green wood for stuff like I just used for this thinga-ma -jig , Whaterver it is thing. I was just practicing on some green pearwood with no real plan in mind and this is what evolved .
But I got thinking (that can be dangerous) . . . this was so nice to turn green that maybe I could modify the next one (s) and incorporate captive ring (s) on the stem.
But this is green wood . Is it going to warp all out of shape on me over a period of time ? Should it maybe be placed in a paper bag and allow to dry slower than in open air? I didn't want to just rough turn and then dry and finish turn something delicate like this so I turned it, sanded it , and applied a shellac friction finish and then a final finish of carnauba wax all in one step right after the other. Will that finish and wax possibly be enough to let it just slowly air dry as is without warping or cracking?

The wall of the top part is about a consistent 1/8" thick and the base is about 1/4" thick and I parted it off with a high concave towards the centre to hopefully equalize drying tensions.
W.Y.

 

[nroper]

Awfully nice looking goblet for a beginner! I've never turned pearwood but have always understood that fruitwoods rank up near the top in amount of movement when turned green. With a little luck it will not crack and if it does warp you can just say, "That was my plan all along!" I have seen some interesting goblets intentionally allowed to warp. As far as drying it after the fact. At 1/8 of an inch it probably looks different already. About the only way I can think of to preserve it's shape at this point would be to embed the entire thing if you have any knowedge of casting. It is also my understanding that about the only wood you can cut and turn the same day is Mesquite, but I am no expert on that either. Just an admirer of those that are. Beautiful wood we just don't have in Kansas.

 

[Norm Smith]

Hi William,
It probably will warp and may crack. With a small project like that I usually roughturn it to about 1/2" and zap it in the microwave about 10 times, depending on the wood and than finish turning it on the same day.
Norm

 

[William Young]

nroper;
I had to chuckle when you said this . You were right on... ... ..

At 1/8 of an inch it probably looks different already.

because just a couple hours after finishing it I can see a slight oval shape on the top rim already 😀
It will be interesting to see what develops in a few days with this one. We still put a wood fire on for heat here every evening even though it is around 15 to 18 celcius in the daytime lately so I will see what happens to this one when I purposely sit in the same room as a cozy fire. Should be interesting.

Norm;
Thanks for the microwave suggestion. I tried it years ago when I had a lathe for a short time but didn't work well for me on bigger stuff. Perhaps it will work better on smaller ones like this. Certainly worth a try. Practice and failures are both good teachers. 😉
W.Y.

 

[Ken Grunke]

I think your hunch that putting finish on a turning right away will help slow down drying and maybe avoid some warping is correct--I've done this occasionally but haven't done any controlled experiments.
But here's something else to consider when doing this--as the wood dries, you'll get some raising of the grain. So even if you've sanded the green wood to 600 or better grit, for example, you'll still have to sand it again after the wood dries. My point being that a woodturning is not done until it's dry and stabilized.
Nice little goblet, I hope it ends up a keeper and doesn't do something wierd on you!

 

[Austin]

Beautiful wood we just don't have in Kansas.

That is a real nice looking goblet, good job.

I couldn't help but notice your from Overland Park nroper. I only about 25 minutes away to the north.

Austin

 

[dkulze]

Hey Bill.

I think that, when we originally talked about your being a novice turner, you snookered me a bit. You seem to turn out pretty detailed and beautiful stuff for a novice. Your goblet is lovely and the pear wood is just beautiful.

One thing you'll get from turning wood green, doing a full sand, and putting finish on without drying it first is a reemergence of the grain pattern. This will be especially apparent when the grain isn't even, such as burls and crotches. I've found that finishing a partially dried vase or bowl with grain character then letting it dry leaves a wonderful textured surface and no loss in finish quality.

By the way, you snookered me when you said there was no good turning hardwood up there too. That pear is lovely and, if you can get a crotch or two, you'll find that the grain and depth is a knockout.

Sincerely and well snookered,
Dietrich 😉

 

[nroper]

haha Nothing psychic to be sure, I've experimented like that myself. People say that you can never tell how wood will react, but I find that it is extremely consistant for each species.

nroper;
I had to chuckle when you said this . You were right on... ... ..

because just a couple hours after finishing it I can see a slight oval shape on the top rim already 😀
It will be interesting to see what develops in a few days with this one. We still put a wood fire on for heat here every evening even though it is around 15 to 18 celcius in the daytime lately so I will see what happens to this one when I purposely sit in the same room as a cozy fire. Should be interesting.

Norm;
Thanks for the microwave suggestion. I tried it years ago when I had a lathe for a short time but didn't work well for me on bigger stuff. Perhaps it will work better on smaller ones like this. Certainly worth a try. Practice and failures are both good teachers. 😉
W.Y.

 

[nroper]

Greetings Austin,
That's Williams Goblet. He's pretending to be new, but really a scroll sawing Guru as I recall.
Good to hear from someone close by.

That is a real nice looking goblet, good job.

I couldn't help but notice your from Overland Park nroper. I only about 25 minutes away to the north.

Austin