I just couldn't get larger red oak bowls (14-24")to dry without cracking
until I tried boiling.
I have a 55 gallon drum cut across the middle. one half sits with the cover
down and makes a super container. The other sits with the cover up and with
some of the sides removed makes a dandy stand. Put the bowls and water in
the top and light a fire with the trimmings in the stand. Weigh down the
bowls with bricks etc. boil for an hour or so and then leave overnight to
cool. Remove and let air dry and then bag and dry slowly.
Greg

"Owen Lowe" wrote in message
news
In article . net,
"Maxprop" wrote:

This weekend another turner was telling me about a seminar he attended.
The
instructor--sorry, I've forgotten his name--recommended accelerating the
process of drying a rough green-turned bowl by boiling it in water for
approx. 30 minutes. He claimed it reduced the drying time from 6-9
months
to more like a few weeks.

Has anyone heard of this? Is it valid?

Yes it's valid. I've used the technique on some
hard-to-dry-without-splitting woods like plum and filbert - though I
boil much longer than 30 minutes.

I picked up an enameled lobster-sized pot at a thrift or yard sale for a
couple bucks. Fill it about 1/2 way with water, drop the turning in and
start the heat. I let it soft boil or simmer for at least an hour or 90
minutes then just turn the heat off and let it cool down with the water.
I then let it surface dry for a few hours and place it on a shelf in my
basement to finish up for a month or two.

I've had much better success (practically perfect) with boiling over
microwaving in regard to cracking. It's very easy to overdo the nuking
and end up with a bunch of small or not so small checks. I believe the
heating in the water alleviates any rapid moisture loss that can occur
when microwaving.

(Hmmmm - I was complaining about my experience with Red Oak and its
tendency to split when microwaing and/or bag drying. I'll have to see
how boiling works on that - for some reason, just didn't consider
boiling...)