"william_b_noble" wrote in message
news:1128191922.53dd79d62054bf1d3fae7b8a069ab2f1@t eranews...
here's an easy experiment to prove that cutting heats the wood - I won't
waste time arguing about the mechanism

put a 24 inch wet bowl blank on your lathe, take a 3/4 inch bowl gouge,
and hollow agressively, so that the shavings are about 1/4 inch thick by
1/2 inch wide - make a nice long cut so you have a good pile of fresh
shavings - Oh, Look!! they are steaming - Gee, they must be getting hot!!
Amazing isn't it. Oh, feel the tool - not very hot.

now, back to the arguement already in progress

Congratulations, you've just demonstrated that water absorbs heat faster
than steel. I'm sure it's not news to most of us, since we use water to cool
steel beginning with blooming in the mill, to grinding at the wheel. Now,
would you care to tell us what it has to the question at hand, which is
whether hotter wood is softer than cooler?

Of course, I'd prefer to save my elbow and hollow cleverly, rather than
aggressively so I don't build up all kinds of heat.