windshake limbs/lumber

[Max Taylor]

The jury has returned with a verdict in the case of windshake limbs/ lumber.And the sentence is:turn a solid piece to be used as a foot and glue it to the bottom of the suspect and turn it into a foot. from there, chuck it up and turn a nice shape and finish to the outside. Hollow the inside completely into the foot to eliminate any separated wood. Turn a nice lid for it and donate it to the "Beads of courage"organization to be given to children struck down with serious diseases or burns. The wood then, will receive a permanent parole, as having been sucessfuly rehabilitated and can be returned to society without any future danger or damage to society.Max T.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I'll take that as a direct order and proceed to comply as directed.

 

[john lucas]

I'd have to see a photo of the log with wind shake that your planning to turn. Personally I would not turn one with wind shape or ring shake. Too dangerous. However there might be options depending on where it is and what your turning. Too many people have been hurt lately turning poor wood.

 

[Max Taylor]

windshake

John, windshake occurs in mostly mesquite wood. You can see it by looking at the end of the log. it separates in a circle around the center of the log. The reason for my post was to give a way that log could be turned without danger to the turner. It happens when Texas high winds blow the limb and trunk and they bend and finally separate in a circle. If you make a hollow form with it, you turn away the separation without it being able to come loose and possibly injure the turner. Hope this helps explain how it can be turned without harm to the turner. Any questions gladly answered about this wood. MaxT.

 

[John Spitters]

I've experienced wind shake on very large and OLD Douglas fir (growth rings estimate the life of the tree to have been possibly 300 yrs. when cut up into blocks for fire wood there was hardly a need to split the blocks as after one or two strikes with a heavy axe the blocks literally fell apart into semi circular chunks, completely separating on the growth rings. These trees were constantly subjected to high winds near mountain tops.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I am not positive, but the cracking in mesquite may be ring shake. In any event, even with the ring or wind shake in mesquite it is quite stable. Depending on the project, I may or may not decide to fill the cracks. But I very rarely toss mesquite because of cracks. It is very dimensionally stable and I heard in one of the programs at SWAT that it supposedly is the most dimensionally stable of any domestic hardwood. I don't know how that might have been quantified so I just took it as an endorsement that mesquite is good to work.

FWIW, I have never observed any cracking developing as mesquite dries. The cracks that I have foundwere in the green wood when it was cut. Small mesquite is fairly free of cracks, but the very rare mesquites that are huge usually have a lot of ring/wind shake. Often the really large ones are part of a mott. I have a cross section from one that is beetween three and four feet in diameter and it is obviously from a mott that has grown together.

 

[john lucas]

Max I do see where your coming from. I have had to toss some excellent Bradford pear because of ring shake, and probably wind shake. It had it everywhere. This was cut down after a near tornado.
I picked up some Mesquite while in Texas just recently. The ring shake appears to be only on the ends.
The reason I question using it is we are trying to promote safer practices. One of the biggest problems ( in my opinion) is inexperienced turners are using suspect wood or wood with defects. In this case even the smallest catch (and you know they get a lot) can be quite dangerous.
I like your approach, it can save the wood. My preference would be to cut it up into smaller pieces where I completely eliminate the ring shake. I know a lot of turners want to turn big bowls and platters but why risk getting injured when the wood can simply be cut down and used for other projects like Boxes or Christmas ornaments. Then the danger is completely gone.

 

[MichaelMouse]

Not for me. Sometimes it's obvious where they are, sometimes not, but either is likely to result in a projectile when it loses hold. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/HemlockShake.jpg I've played the game with epoxy and CA fills, and the result has never been, as I see it, any more attractive than the unmodified.

As you can see from the annual rings, this tree was well sheltered from light and wind by the surrounding forest. Nothing to do with the wind, though they call them "wind" shakes" up here.

 

[hockenbery]

The Ring shake or wind shake most of us are talking about is one of the biggest dangers in woodturning.
Sometimes they are nearly invisble in a chain sawn blank.
These are splits that occur in the living standing tree around a growth ring and for many feet in the vertical direction.
Basically the tree has a "free floating" cylinder of wood surrounded by a thick ring of wood. The cylinder moves like a piston when the tree bends in the wind.
I assume it is a defense mechanism that keeps the tree from snapping. This has all been said before but worth repeating.

The issue for turners is that the wood is not connected anywhere along the ring shake.
Some ringshakes seem to only go part way round the growth ring.

There is rarely a safe way to turn a piece that contains the ring shake. The holding mechanism must hold both pieces.
Max, your method may be safe. You certainly understand the danger.

That said I have used wind shake pieces to make hollow balls up to about 6" diameter.
These are small pieces. Using a lot of strapping tape to hold things together I turn a rough ball shape.
Then I separate the wood along the ring shake and hollow each side holding it in a vacuum chuck.
I plan the wall thickness by consulting a wood shrinkage chart. Leave the walls thick enough so that I don't turn through the end grain to make it round after it has dried.
I then glue the two pieces together with epoxy. Let it dry for a couple months. Turn the ball.
the glue joint is in a growth ring and just about impossible to see.

These are mostly for woodturners. The general public is not Impressed with a hollow ball.

A few I have put quarters inside so the rattle.
Be careful