Sealing wood??

[Darrin]

Hello! A co-worker of mine has began logging some large cherry trees and has offered me real nice sized pieces. I have taught myself turning and spindle work is fine, but bowl turning I always have a tearout problem that I cant sand out at the 3 & 9 position. My dilema is this-I have to figure out a way preserve this fresh green cherry for about 3 mos untill I can drive to the local WOODCRAFT in Rochester and get some hands on from a bowl turning course they offer.Any suggestions on what to use, and if preserving cherry at roughed out circles is able to be preserved that long? Is it economical?? Thanks for any advise. Oh yeah, Im awaiting a new gouge and round nose scraper for this project as well-want to upgrade to some good tools as the learning of grindinghas taken a toll on my china made ones. Thanks again!
Darrin

 

[Charlie Knighton]

cherry cracks

cherry cracks very easily, but is beautiful wood

anchoseal the endgrain or at the very least paint the endgrain
store blanks off the ground preferable with a tent type structure overhead but with air flow at two ends

a pallet with a tarp strung up works

 

[john lucas]

Leave the logs as long as possible and then seal the ends with anchorseal. Cover them to keep the sun and wind off if possible but not so tight that it keeps the heat from the sun in. When you get around to using it cut the check ed parts off. Then cut another 1/2" and try to break it. If it breaks easily cut another 1/2". When this doesn't break you can cut your bowl blank out of it. Then seal that end. Hopefully you can salvage a lot of the log this way. Cherry cracks quickly but I've had good luck using the above method.
If you have to cut the logs into short pieces you will have to cut the checks off each end but I've usually gotten a bowl out of the middle although sometimes it's a small one.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Bark on, in the log, and winter will provide the cold storage. You won't even get much darkening of the sapwood when it's nice and cold and snow-covered. Cherry has a way of hiding its heart checks from the lustful eyes of turners who are looking for deeper bowls, so you have to pay special attention to their location when ripping. I generally rip the big ones away and turn below the small ones.

The heart end grain is under stress from both the radial shrink which drops the long grain sides and the tangential which shrinks the diameter of your bowl, so I haven't had much success trying to stop it with CA or any other glue. Wet the piece and watch for wicking into the hidden splits. If they're greater than about a 30-degree angle to the rim, best to turn them out. Less than thirty will survive.

The joys of turning wood fresh from the winter pile are great. I thaw mine overnight to get the snow and ice off, but the inside stays mighty cold anyway. I keep some warm water around to dunk my hand from time to time after the shavings flow over or accumulate on it. I won't wear gloves, so it's the best way I've found to cope.

Get one of these kind of gouges and cut your way through those pickup areas with good support from bevel and rest. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=43177&cat=1,330,43164,43175 Love 'em. They save me a lot of sanding.

 

[Barry Elder]

Sealing Wood

Since you are relatively close, why not call UCW Coatings in Buffalo and arrange to have some sent to your doorstep. I'm in Florida and their service is great! Order it on-line!

 

[Darrin]

Thank's for the info. Im currently browsing for a local dealer for Anchorseal. what is that coating place in buffalo?? I couldnt find them via google. Im in syracuse. I want to seal these quickly. I had planned on storing the logs on a pallet in my garage where my lathe and shop Is even though its unheated..(I really need to address this issue being in upstate NY). Again thanks for all the helpful info. BTW...do I just seal endgrain, or the whole thing?

 

[MichaelMouse]

Syracuse! Betting that McCarty's on S Salina doesn't sell a bowl of oyster stew and a short draft for a buck any more. I got to see Larry Csonka block for Floyd Little on a 2-8(?) team way back when as a grad.

The objective is to equalize loss, or at least control it, so coating of the endgrain, which loses 10-15 times as fast as face, is all that's required. In the log, I don't bother, especially in the winter. Loss is at best an inch, two in the summer, and I do a log in a weekend easy. If not, a cardboard tacked over gives plenty of protection.

When you rough a piece, you only need to coat the outside end grain, because the inside is under mechanical pressure which closes any incipient checks.

 

[waltben]

Logs

What you use to seal the end grain depends on where the logs will sit. If it's outdoors under cover, you can use a wax-based sealer, but if water splashes on it it'll deteriorate. Alternatively you can use any outdoor latex paint (big box store rejects run about $7/gallon for good stuff) and it won't weather. If the logs will be indoors or sheltered, the wax stuff will work fine.

 

[Dave Peebles]

Here ya go Vinland,

No address listed, but a P.O. box and a phone number. They are located in Buffalo N.Y.

https://www.uccoatings.com/base_history.php

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[Darrin]

Thanks!!

I stumbled onto their site saturday last weekend and ordered it. $30 delivered to my door. I must say this stuff is amazing. Goes on like milk and dries as wax. VERY NICE!!The 'abundance of logs, lets just say the guy may have exaggerated. Although I have gotten 2 pieces of cherry that are cut about 8 " thick by 19" around, and another piece 14" thick sawn in half down the pith. Again, thanks for all the info!!
Darrin

 

[dkulze]

To store for 3 months, sit the log on end (one side is now sealed) and put a garbage bag over the other end (or lay it on and pile on some dirt/rocks if too big). If it stays warm, you'll get some mold on the very end but fresh cut cherry will hold up to this for quite a while before it goes more than an inch or two deep (unless it's already started).

dk