Moribus wrote:
I am new to turning and recently turned a bowl from green wood (fresh
cut, really fresh). Took it off the chuck and set it inside to dry out
a bit and it split badly. I have read that you can turn green wood,
but nothing about keeping it from splitting. Any suggestions for a
turning "greenie"?

What species of wood? Some behave better than others while drying.

A bowl that is being finished in one turning needs to be turned thin
enough that it can flex as it dries, rather than split. 6mm - 10mm
should be ok. OTOH, if you are doing a twice turned bowl to get a round
finish, the walls will have to be much thicker, in which case I seal the
endgrain areas with wax emulsion.

Taking the piece inside to dry was probably a mistake, depending on the
current climate where you live. It needs to dry slowly, starting in a
cool damp (high relative humidity) environment and later into warmer
drier environment. A hydrometer is a useful tool to have. I like to
start drying at over 70%RH and finish at less than 40%RH, or
thereabouts. It's not rocket science. If your climate is too dry for the
initial drying, you can increase it locally by wrapping in paper or
burying in wet shavings as someone else mentioned.



--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com - a blog for my customers
http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com/TheToolrest/ - a blog for woodturners