I only turned a salad bowl from NIP a week ago. Timber was fresh and
it was turned to display the radial branch piths along the base.
It has split around and through all branch points (those that have
seen NIP turned this was will understand what I mean).

I want to try something that was recommended to me recently: Rough
turn item, place in freezer for 1 week; remove and leave in lower
section of fridge for at least 3 weeks. A local professional turner
claims to have improved his yield from green roughed bowls
significantly and now has about 10 old two door fridges as part of his
equipment.

Regards,
Alan

On Mon, 2 May 2005 10:51:56 -0400, (Arch) wrote:

With apologies to Leif and his disciples, not to mention all & sundry
agnostics and disbelievers. This should alienate all sides of rcw in one
post, but I won't go quietly into those dark splits and cracks.

I have some NIP logs over two years old with pith left in that have not
cracked, split nor decayed. They are a little dry, but turned as end
grain, they cut nicely and finish well. Anecdotal, of course, and
perhaps works only in S.E. Fla. and only for me, but if you try it, you
_might_ like it. This is what I do with NIP without blushing. I'm not a
chemist, arborist. botanist, dishwasher, nor manicurist, but I do turn
NIP.

I let fresh NIP (and only NIP) logs lie in "sunshine and in shadow" on
the ground for one or two moons. Then I debark, pressure clean and rough
turn, leaving tenons and/or center dimples. Then I slop any brand of
dish detergent liberally over the entire blank. Then I store the blanks
covered and off the ground until I want to turn them in the years to
come.

Adverse comments, questions of senility and implications of stupidity
are expected and welcomed. Meanwhile I'll turn some old, but uncracked
NIP blanks into ? art.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



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