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wrote:
Mark:

I bought a small microwave from WalMart for $29 when they were on sale,
and it only does two things: dry wood, and heat my coffee when I am at
the last (cold) cup from the pot. The $30-$40 bucks you spend on a
small micro is well worth it.

On the other hand, you can experiment and see what happens. Try your
thinnest (smallest) oldest wood that you have for turning. Raid your
firewood pile.

If you have to turn something that is a little green, the turn as much
as you can on it and then immediately seal it with something like
shellac which will stick to green wood. It may not dry, but it will
provide some kind of coating.

Some green woods will crack so fast that you will sent cracks after a
bathroom break or a quick phone call. Some will crack from the heat
generated from sanding. Some will reject any kind of finish as long as
they are green.

I cut an oil lamp out of a piece of black walnut that was about one
month old from cutting. It shrank so much in the next year that the
lamp wouldn't fit anymore.

I made some really nice tool handles out of some finely grained red oak
that stayed sticky for about 3 months after I finished them.

So you take your chances with green wood. Not many of the species are
forgiving enough for you to count on final turning, sanding and
finishing, all in one session without problems.

Get the micro. Raid last year's the firewood pile. I think these are
your best bets.

Robert

Robert,
Thanks for the reply and great information. We are in a bit of a unique
situation with regards to the microwave in that we live in an off-grid
home (solar) and while we could easily run a microwave on our system it
is just something we never used even when we lived on the grid. I could
surely pick one up on the cheap or even for free from one of the
neighbors getting rid of one for a new.
It seems that may be the route to go given the time constraints if I
want to make this happen. One thing I dont want to do is make a bunch of
gifts that fall apart or look like sh*t in a week/month/year. That would
be worse than giving nothing at all.
Thanks again for the good info, its greatly appreciated.

Mark