I have come across a fair quantity of west coast maple- from a 4' dia stubby. This stuff would not split so was sawn into pieces averaging 1 cu. ft.Very heavy. What is the best way to stop from checking. I have surplus varathane. Do you coat the entire block or just the end grain. Thanks. Ron.
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Treating/ curing wood
- Thread starter Ron Rutter
- Start date
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
THis is just my opinion but if you just use Anchorseal or some other such end grain sealer, it will still check. It will take longer but it will. The only thing that has worked for me here in Tennessee is to coat all sides with wax. I use regular old canning wax. I melt it in an old electric skillet that I've glued the temperature knob to the setting that just barely melts it, for safety sake.
The wood will still check using this method but I've save problem woods like Apple and cherry for about a year and half before it starts to check. In fact a piece of cherry that I cut into a bowl blank almost 2 years ago at Thanksgiving was just starting to check so I turned it this weekend.
I've been doing tests for the last 5 years on different methods because I work full time and don't have that much time to turn. It seems like when I get wood I get a lot of it and it always goes bad. I've been trying to figure out how to save it, or at least some of it.
What I do now is seal the ends with anchorseal as soon as I get it. I try to get some of it cut into bowl blanks and some of it roughed but you know how that goes.
I keep an eye on the rest. If it starts to check I cut it into manageable lengths with the chainsaw and then split it through the check and through the heart. Then I take this to the bandsaw and cut it up into 4x4, 3x3, 2x2 etc spindle blanks. I seal the ends with wax. Now that I've been doing this for 5 years I'm starting to have dry wood for boxes, tool handles, candle sticks etc. It's working so well I'm going to start roughing it into hand mirror size boards so I will have dry stock for those in a year or so.
The wood will still check using this method but I've save problem woods like Apple and cherry for about a year and half before it starts to check. In fact a piece of cherry that I cut into a bowl blank almost 2 years ago at Thanksgiving was just starting to check so I turned it this weekend.
I've been doing tests for the last 5 years on different methods because I work full time and don't have that much time to turn. It seems like when I get wood I get a lot of it and it always goes bad. I've been trying to figure out how to save it, or at least some of it.
What I do now is seal the ends with anchorseal as soon as I get it. I try to get some of it cut into bowl blanks and some of it roughed but you know how that goes.
I keep an eye on the rest. If it starts to check I cut it into manageable lengths with the chainsaw and then split it through the check and through the heart. Then I take this to the bandsaw and cut it up into 4x4, 3x3, 2x2 etc spindle blanks. I seal the ends with wax. Now that I've been doing this for 5 years I'm starting to have dry wood for boxes, tool handles, candle sticks etc. It's working so well I'm going to start roughing it into hand mirror size boards so I will have dry stock for those in a year or so.
Thanks John. Wouldn't cutting into bowl blanks be worst as you would have thinner sections. I suppose blanks would be good if you had a water trough to put them in! Unfortunately the rounds cut off this large trunk are short. Ron.
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
Ron I've just had better luck cutting them up. I tried treating half log ends and just always had trouble. I started cutting the bowl blanks just as a fun test and it seems to work. It has the added advantage of being already close to round so when you have a free 1/2 hour or so you can grab one of these and rough out a bowl.
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Keeping wood fresh
Go out and buy your self several lagre chest type freezers that are NOT the frost free kind. They are very cheap at Habitat For Humanity and older junk stores. About $20 to $40 each. Wrap the blocks in Saran Wrap, available at Cosco or Sam's club in large comercial rolls .
Stack the blocks in and they are good basicly for as long as you keep the freezers running. I have pulled blocks out of mine after 6 to 8 years and the are like the day they were cut
Go out and buy your self several lagre chest type freezers that are NOT the frost free kind. They are very cheap at Habitat For Humanity and older junk stores. About $20 to $40 each. Wrap the blocks in Saran Wrap, available at Cosco or Sam's club in large comercial rolls .
Stack the blocks in and they are good basicly for as long as you keep the freezers running. I have pulled blocks out of mine after 6 to 8 years and the are like the day they were cut
Super
Hi, It is interesting that the freezing of wet green wood doesn't cause splitting.As a way to reduce costs I guess one could fill a dead freezer with blanks & then fill it with water!! Cheers guys. Ron.
Hi, It is interesting that the freezing of wet green wood doesn't cause splitting.As a way to reduce costs I guess one could fill a dead freezer with blanks & then fill it with water!! Cheers guys. Ron.
Filling a dead chest freezer with water and wood sounds like a biological waste site in the making. You would have to add some bleach or other products to keep down the algae and other stuff that would grow. Just letting blocks sit without enough air flow will get you all kinds of fuzzy stuff growing on the wood. The best way to keep it from checking is get on your horse and "Turn, baby turn". Get it roughed out as fast as you can. I've set a record on turning cherry this summer so I can keep it from checking. I'm starting to see the checks showing through the Anchorseal now, so a month and a half is about the limit keeping it in the basement with the Anchorseal. Good luck!
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Anaerobic conditions and cool temperatures will preserve wood pretty well. Have to keep it submerged, of course, and dark will keep the green algae at bay. Might want to skim a couple times to get the sap off the surface before you commit to long-term.
Works for Lake Superior....
Ron,
As with most things it a matter of degrees of good. Dick is right that roughed out blanks or wood sawn into board and coated keep the best.
I think second place is long logs with cut edges coated with Achorseal. Off the ground is best. I might be influenced to think that way because I own a 2 acre lot on which to store long logs. Its out of the way so no one can see and I can't offend a sole back there with my mess.
Third place is bowl blanks slabbed out and thoughly coated with Anchorseal. Even if I intend to rough out within hours they get coated. Roughed out blanks will keep if cut wisely. If the wood is questionable either rough it to find out or don't counted it surviving.
Tied for fourth place are fresh halves, short logs, chunks, coated then the next group is same fresh shapes uncoated
Next is old halves, short logs, chunks. This group is further lowered in value by the presence of bugs.
Last place comes pieces from an outdoor firewood pile, but hey if that is what you have to turn, turn it.
It comes down to resources of space and time. I am still guilty of hauling home lots of mistakes but I am getting better at realizing my wrong and either cutting the poor choices into a useful form or putting it on the firewood pile.
My last piece of advice on wood storage is share. If you have been blessed with a big find share, sell, trade, or give it away. It's just wood, it grows on trees! (OK, after you get a couple hundred blanks stashed away, then share. I add this in case someone who has visited my shop reads this.)
As with most things it a matter of degrees of good. Dick is right that roughed out blanks or wood sawn into board and coated keep the best.
I think second place is long logs with cut edges coated with Achorseal. Off the ground is best. I might be influenced to think that way because I own a 2 acre lot on which to store long logs. Its out of the way so no one can see and I can't offend a sole back there with my mess.
Third place is bowl blanks slabbed out and thoughly coated with Anchorseal. Even if I intend to rough out within hours they get coated. Roughed out blanks will keep if cut wisely. If the wood is questionable either rough it to find out or don't counted it surviving.
Tied for fourth place are fresh halves, short logs, chunks, coated then the next group is same fresh shapes uncoated
Next is old halves, short logs, chunks. This group is further lowered in value by the presence of bugs.
Last place comes pieces from an outdoor firewood pile, but hey if that is what you have to turn, turn it.
It comes down to resources of space and time. I am still guilty of hauling home lots of mistakes but I am getting better at realizing my wrong and either cutting the poor choices into a useful form or putting it on the firewood pile.
My last piece of advice on wood storage is share. If you have been blessed with a big find share, sell, trade, or give it away. It's just wood, it grows on trees! (OK, after you get a couple hundred blanks stashed away, then share. I add this in case someone who has visited my shop reads this.)
mainly for bowls
Here in Australia I find that no one method will do for all types of wood.
So I have several methods and it depends on location as well as timber type.
Any blanks I get from Tasmania seem to be very very wet. So with these they are coated with wax all over and slowly scrap some of the wax off starting about 6 months or so after they have coated and can take a couple years or more to finish drying.
Desert timbers like Gidgee, Deadfinish etc.and so are allot more predictable/stable and I leave the bark on and seal the ends.
Local grown timber from around where I live [Sydney NSW ] Some will be soaked in a plastic 40gal drum and generally change the water 3-4 times until it remains clear. I add a couple of table spoons of eucalyptus oil to water if it gets a bit too smelly.Soaking can 6-8weeks or several months depending on my time available to turn.
Softer timbers like camphor laurel I rough turn and leave about an 1" of wall thickness. Paint the outside with BLO and invert on the shelf for about six months then finish. Or turn to within 10% or so of the finish size and soak in DNA 24-72 hrs. Then dry in a cardboard box or paper sack this takes around 6 weeks.
Any timber thats considered fairly stable. I just rough turn to an 1" or so wall thickness and store several at a time in cardboard boxes and inspect them for checking from time to time and fill any checks with CA when small.
For those who are not so familiar with Aussie timbers heres a good website to look over.
http://www.ttit.id.au/
Here in Australia I find that no one method will do for all types of wood.
So I have several methods and it depends on location as well as timber type.
Any blanks I get from Tasmania seem to be very very wet. So with these they are coated with wax all over and slowly scrap some of the wax off starting about 6 months or so after they have coated and can take a couple years or more to finish drying.
Desert timbers like Gidgee, Deadfinish etc.and so are allot more predictable/stable and I leave the bark on and seal the ends.
Local grown timber from around where I live [Sydney NSW ] Some will be soaked in a plastic 40gal drum and generally change the water 3-4 times until it remains clear. I add a couple of table spoons of eucalyptus oil to water if it gets a bit too smelly.Soaking can 6-8weeks or several months depending on my time available to turn.
Softer timbers like camphor laurel I rough turn and leave about an 1" of wall thickness. Paint the outside with BLO and invert on the shelf for about six months then finish. Or turn to within 10% or so of the finish size and soak in DNA 24-72 hrs. Then dry in a cardboard box or paper sack this takes around 6 weeks.
Any timber thats considered fairly stable. I just rough turn to an 1" or so wall thickness and store several at a time in cardboard boxes and inspect them for checking from time to time and fill any checks with CA when small.
For those who are not so familiar with Aussie timbers heres a good website to look over.
http://www.ttit.id.au/
Thanks for sharing
Hughie-what a neat web site!!!! Gretch
Hughie-what a neat web site!!!! Gretch
Wax on wax off
I am fortunate to have an occational score from south american. Mostly small pieces. I made the mistake of not sealing one time and lost most of the wood given to me. My wife had an hot wax bath they make for you hands that was not being used..put some wax in it and leave it on. Now when I get new stuff or I cut a piece off a good piece of wood I just dip and throw it back in the wood box. I picked up a bigger one at the thrift store for $3.00. It doesn't get hot enough to cause a problem and it sure makes it easier to seal the end grain. The big one will do a 12" x 2" board and a 6" log.
Bill
I am fortunate to have an occational score from south american. Mostly small pieces. I made the mistake of not sealing one time and lost most of the wood given to me. My wife had an hot wax bath they make for you hands that was not being used..put some wax in it and leave it on. Now when I get new stuff or I cut a piece off a good piece of wood I just dip and throw it back in the wood box. I picked up a bigger one at the thrift store for $3.00. It doesn't get hot enough to cause a problem and it sure makes it easier to seal the end grain. The big one will do a 12" x 2" board and a 6" log.
Bill
Thanks
Thanks everyone. One problem - many solutions. It does make a case for making built up bowl blanks - not for the production guy but certainly for the hobbyist.
Cheers. Ron.
This page has gone strange. Hope the site is OK!
Thanks everyone. One problem - many solutions. It does make a case for making built up bowl blanks - not for the production guy but certainly for the hobbyist.
Cheers. Ron.
This page has gone strange. Hope the site is OK!
In the medical world, these are known as a paraffin bath, in case anyone goes looking. Keep in mind that anything medical will be 3 times as expensive as the same thing at a hardware store. The thrift store sounds like a good route, or maybe the local senior center's equipment resale.
Dean
Wow, the time it takes for wood to dry! I'm afraid to get any more raw wood as I might not live long enough to turn it!
John Jordan
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Sharing and/or freezing are hard to beat. 🙂The only wood I have ever had trouble freezing is camphor laurel. Totally exploded, but then it's a sub-tropical wood, although I have frozen other tropical woods. Southeastern hardwoods wrapped as suggested above will be the same years later as the day you put it in. 🙂
I keep most of mine in logs/sections covered with a tarp. The bugs/fungal growth still work on it, but keeping the rain off at least minimizes some of the staining/fungal growth.
John
PS. There's a couple of articles on my website about this subject in general.
I keep most of mine in logs/sections covered with a tarp. The bugs/fungal growth still work on it, but keeping the rain off at least minimizes some of the staining/fungal growth.
John
PS. There's a couple of articles on my website about this subject in general.