On 9/19/2011 9:23 AM, jtpryan wrote:
As in it is dry enough?

"CUT FROM A TWO YEAR OLD LOG AND WAX SEALED"

I see this in a lot of ads on eBay.

-Jim

could you explain "ready to turn" - I have no idea what you mean by
that. Wood of absolutely any age, from freshly cut to 100,000 years old
and never sealed can be turned. Please elaborate on your question

Thank you all. To elaborate, Bill, I meant is it dry enough to turn. I thought wood had to be of a certain "dryness" in order to turn it successfully. I guess where all this is going is patience, or the lack thereof. I do a lot of different things in the shop, and sometimes I wake up on a Saturday and think "I'd like to try turning a small bowl, or plate, or whatever", but I don't have anything readily available. But I do have a Woodcraft store close by and they have these waxed sealed turning blocks similar (I think) to what I've seen in the online ads, but usually a bit more expensive.

So, my question was if I had a couple of these on hand are they generally in a state that I could work with them on the lathe and maybe have a finished product in a weekend? Or am I over thinking the whole thing?

-Jim

On 9/22/2011 4:39 AM, jtpryan wrote:
Thank you all. To elaborate, Bill, I meant is it dry enough to turn. I thought wood had to be of a certain "dryness" in order to turn it successfully. I guess where all this is going is patience, or the lack thereof. I do a lot of different things in the shop, and sometimes I wake up on a Saturday and think "I'd like to try turning a small bowl, or plate, or whatever", but I don't have anything readily available. But I do have a Woodcraft store close by and they have these waxed sealed turning blocks similar (I think) to what I've seen in the online ads, but usually a bit more expensive.

So, my question was if I had a couple of these on hand are they generally in a state that I could work with them on the lathe and maybe have a finished product in a weekend? Or am I over thinking the whole thing?

-Jim

ok got it - now that I understand the question, I personally prefer
turning the greenest possible wood - it's much more pleasant experience,
less dust, faster cutting - I turn to final size with thin walls, sand
to whatever standard I think is appropriate, and by then the wood is
usually pretty dry, so I lay on some thick coats of lacquer and let it
turn for a while on the lathe at a few RPM, then finish sand, polish,
reverse in a vac chuck and finalize the foot, spray that, polish and I'm
done. Even very active wood that can crack a lot is fine if your final
wall thickness is thin enough - I usually aim for well under 1/4, often
1/16, but it depends on the wood, the design aesthetic of the piece, and
so on

On Thu, 22 Sep 2011 6:39:02 -0500, jtpryan wrote
(in message
11352945.24.1316691549401.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@yqgn17):

Thank you all. To elaborate, Bill, I meant is it dry enough to turn. I
thought wood had to be of a certain "dryness" in order to turn it
successfully. I guess where all this is going is patience, or the lack
thereof. I do a lot of different things in the shop, and sometimes I wake
up on a Saturday and think "I'd like to try turning a small bowl, or plate,
or whatever", but I don't have anything readily available. But I do have a
Woodcraft store close by and they have these waxed sealed turning blocks
similar (I think) to what I've seen in the online ads, but usually a bit
more expensive.

So, my question was if I had a couple of these on hand are they generally in
a state that I could work with them on the lathe and maybe have a finished
product in a weekend? Or am I over thinking the whole thing?

-Jim

No matter what you do to a piece of wood, it will continue to move and change
and do whatever is in its nature, until such time as it is reduced to either
dust or ashes.
The only sure thing you can do is try it, and see if you like the results.
Each piece of wood imposes its own rules on the artisan. Your own experience
will inform you what those rules are.
Part of the value in a piece of woodwork is the risk that it will change in a
way that you do not want or expect.
I may sound like I am pontificating or trying to be profound. I am not. I
apologize for my writing style. This is intended to be a friendly and honest
reply to an honest and legitimate query.
Go for it. Be bold. Be willing to follow what the wood tells you, as you work
it. The act of shaping a piece of wood is enjoyable and pleasurable. Go for
it.
Respectfully,
tom koehler


--
I will find a way or make one.