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"js" wrote in message
...
I posted this at rec.woodworking, and was told I would probably get a
better
answer here.

I am making a small pedestal table, and got a hunk of maple, split,
planed,
squared, and turned the pedestal, ans put three coats of shellac on it.
Now
this wood was pretty much as green as you can get


First and huge mistake. There are times and places for turning green wood.
THIS project wasn't either.


but I read that stuff should be turned green.


Second mistake. Ignore what you read. g Third mistake. You kept reading!

Where, per chance, did you read this? Who was the author? I'm going to
guess that either the book made the error of making a broad statement like
"it's easier to turn green wood" or "it's preferrable to turn green wood" or
you make the mistake of generalizing what you read. Like I said above,
there are uses for green woood turning but this wasn't it.



first large piece I have ever turned. I figured the coats of shellac would
seal it, and keep it from splitting. Was i correct to assume this?


No. A simple Shellac finish is mainly a wax and waxes allow moisture
movement through them. Slowly, sure. But it doesn't completely seal the wood
like a hard film building finish. I assume you've sealed all areas (ends
too) and the turned piece is around 4" diameter max and it's all in one
piece so it's fairly long, right? You've set up some stress in that wood
that could (COULD ... you just never know) cause it to split, check, and/or
warp. There's still water in there and it WILL come out one way or another.
A long, thin, wet spindle will likely warp.


anything else I need to know before I go ahead and put this thing
together?


Make a duplicate right now and do it right so that when the first one is
destroyed you'll have one ready to go.


Also while I'm at it, should stuff be turned green?



Sure. Now, what stuff are you talking about? No simple answers here. This
isn't woodworking, you know! g For your pedastel, you certainly can start
it green but you should carefully dry it to the same moisture content as the
surrounding environment. Then it won't move or crack. It's still a gamble
because there are no guarantees in the drying process either. Personally,
in this instance, I would dry the piece of wood first and then turn it. You
don't waste the turning time when your drying process turns bad. It's not
like you're hollowing it or doing something terribly difficult so the dry
wood turning is fine.

I do a lot (actually the vast majority) of my work with green wood and
either let it dry/warp/crack naturally (gives nice character to the piece
that I can work with) or dry it in a number of different ways after the
turning.



and how should it be treated afterward?



That's a whole 'nuther book! Or, actually, a series of books. Everything
depends on so many factors and each decision you make along the way. It all
depends on what you want to achieve too. I HIGHLY recommend finding another
woodturner to speak to. The best is to join a local woodturning club and
ask questions. You can only get so much out of books and videos and the
chaotic/incomplete nature of online answers.

If your pedastel HASN'T warped or cracked yet then I say great. I certainly
hope it doesn't. I also certainly won't place any bet that it won't in the
future. Like I've said before.... there's no easy answers and some pieces
that you just know will have problems come out just fine. Others cause all
kinds of problems that nobody would have suspected. You just never know.
And that's just how I like it. (but I do like to have the odds on my side!)

- Andrew