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Wet blanks freezing

J

Jay Coulson

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Aug 22, 2009
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Hi all,
Been a while since my last visit. My question for the forum is regarding proper care of wet blanks while waiting to be rough turned during the winter months.

I have a bunch of bowl blanks(various species) that I recently received which are 22-35% moisture. I try to rough turn them as quickly as I can after I receive them but, with the holidays and backed-up gift orders, I am going to have to let some of them sit unturned for a little while. I live in Maryland and, we've finally gotten to the cold weather. My shop is heated..propane heater..but, running that thing all day while I'm at work can get expensive. However, some of the blanks weren't cheap either and, I want to avoid any cracking or other damage while they are waiting to be roughed out.
So, can below freezing weather possibly freeze the high moisture blanks and cause cracking or other damage? Alternatively. if I leave the shop temp at about 45 degrees, would that be preferable? Or, will the wood be ok if they are subjected to the real cold temps during the day and then, a change of temp up to about 65 degrees when I come home and am going to work in the shop for a few hours?
I could leave the unturned stuff inside the house which is about 67 or so all of the time.
Any thought/recommendations/experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Tks,
J
 
Freezing means little moisture loss, so leaving out is an excellent place for them. Certainly better than the average heated home.

I turn frozen wood fresh from the outdoors. I also take the roughs out to the garage for storage out of the dry air of the house. My shop is presently at 35% humidity, which equates to 7% MC. That's too steep a drop for good preservation.
 
Controlled freeze-drying is a component of some inventions, such as #5852880 by Harrison in Alaska. Maryland is probably warmer than Alaska.

FWIW, US patent #6634118, Method and Apparatus for Vacuum Drying Wood in a Collapsible Container in a Heated Bath, teaches use of a dark container exposed to sunlight for energy efficiency. Near the bottom of column 5 of the specifications.

Outdoor storage in black plastic bags could be too much of a good thing, of course. Evaporation inside the bag could promote mold, unless the blanks are frequently aired and/or moved to dry bags.
 
A while back (January?) Joe M. mentioned working on one of his huge pieces for a while and then storing it outdoors in sub-freezing temperature between turning sessions.
 
I agree drying them outside during the winter months is better for them than in a heated house. That being said, if you have any of thoes expensive blanks you need stored for a while i would be glad to provide a spot for them 🙂
Greg
 
Jay,

I sometimes store blanks in the freezer. This keeps them sort of in suspended animation. When using the freezer I wrap them well in several thick plastic bags to prevent moisture loss from the anti frost devices.

I used to teach woodturning classes At Maryland Hall that met 3 hours once a week for 9 weeks. When a class session ended before bowls could be hollowed, I recommended freezing the bowls to keep from cracking during the week. Students who put their bowls in the freezer never had one crack. Students who just wrapped them in plastic bags for a week often got cracks.

If I have a wet piece on the lath and get interrupted to where it may be a day or two before I can get back to it, I'll pop it in the freezer.

By the way MD Hall has a fine woodturning program. Classes for beginner, intermediate and advanced. It sort of like a Campbell or Arrowmont on a local scale.

Humidity is the woodturner's freind. The worst thing for green wood is a low humidity environment. Most heated spaces have lower humidity than non heated spaces.

Happy turning,
Al
 
Last edited:
freezing blanks..

Thanks Al,
Mostly about what I expected for responses. Thanks everyone.
We're going thru a pretty cold patch at the moment in Md....last nite down to about 19 F. Anyway, I've tried both avenues. Blanks seem to be fine in the shop (spelled "garage") with no heat all nite and, all day if I don't go out there and turn some stuff. I've also left the heater on at 45 with no problems so far. So, I guess the verdict is to let them enjoy the cold as much as necessary. Can't hurt my gas bill.
Suppose this question really stems from buying a bunch of blanks and leaving them in the house during the summer. More cracks than I want to think about...some of them in only a day or two after arrival. So, I was concerned that the cold weather could present different scenarios. Of course, some of them crack during shipment or, are shipped that way to begin with. Amazing how the picture of "the exact blank" that you will receive doesn't even remotely resemble the real thing that UPS drops...except for the lot number written on the side.
Oh well, I've found some reliable outfits to get nice, sound pieces from.
Getting away from the e-bay auctions although, I must admit that I saw an ambrosia blank on there about a month ago that was simply unbelievable. think the bid prices was already about $150 and, it had about 10 days to go.
I usually don't go that high. Of course...then, what if that booger cracks? Ouch.
Thanks again,
J
 
weather and blanks...sorry Al

Al,
forgot to mention. Not familiar with Maryland Hall. I'll have to look it up.
J
 
Jay Coulson said:
Thanks Al,
Mostly about what I expected for responses. Thanks everyone.
We're going thru a pretty cold patch at the moment in Md....last nite down to about 19 F. Anyway, I've tried both avenues. Blanks seem to be fine in the shop (spelled "garage") with no heat all nite and, all day if I don't go out there and turn some stuff. I've also left the heater on at 45 with no problems so far. So, I guess the verdict is to let them enjoy the cold as much as necessary. Can't hurt my gas bill.
Suppose this question really stems from buying a bunch of blanks and leaving them in the house during the summer. More cracks than I want to think about...some of them in only a day or two after arrival. So, I was concerned that the cold weather could present different scenarios. Of course, some of them crack during shipment or, are shipped that way to begin with. Amazing how the picture of "the exact blank" that you will receive doesn't even remotely resemble the real thing that UPS drops...except for the lot number written on the side.
Oh well, I've found some reliable outfits to get nice, sound pieces from.
Getting away from the e-bay auctions although, I must admit that I saw an ambrosia blank on there about a month ago that was simply unbelievable. think the bid prices was already about $150 and, it had about 10 days to go.
I usually don't go that high. Of course...then, what if that booger cracks? Ouch.
Thanks again,
J
Click to expand...

You could buy a couple of logs for $150. 🙂 I keep wod in a freezer in my barn. I turned a couple of pieces this summer that were 5-6 years old. Just like the day I put them in there. 🙂

John
 
Jay,
I live in upstate New York and have a large supply of Maple, Cherry, and Box Elder, up to 18" diameter, sitting outside in the freezing cold. No problem with checking. In the summer I use AnchorSeal, but do not need to in the winter. I have no problem turning frozen wood. I actually prefer it. I agree, placing in process pieces in the freezer is a good way to keep them stable until you are finished. Good turning. Ray
 
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