Wet wood
 

What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?

Wet wood
 

F Murtz wrote:

What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?


it depends on what you want to end up with. The easiest to turn is wood
straight from a freshly fallen tree. However, as it dries the piece will
warp because of the nature of how wood dries. So, you will need to do one
of the following, rough turn and let it dry several months and then finish
turning, turn it and microwave it, boil it or treat it in any of several
other ways (these are of different degrees of effectiveness.) My preference
is to rough turn and let it dry until the moisture content stablizes with
the surrounding air.

If you want the piece stable when you finish it, then you need turn dry
wood. Dry wood will not give you those long streamers as the wood comes
off, and will be more difficult, but the piece will be stable when you are
finished.

Deb

Wet wood
 

In article ,
"Dr. Deb" wrote:

it depends on what you want to end up with. The easiest to turn is wood
straight from a freshly fallen tree. However, as it dries the piece will
warp because of the nature of how wood dries. So, you will need to do one
of the following, rough turn and let it dry several months and then finish
turning, turn it and microwave it, boil it or treat it in any of several
other ways (these are of different degrees of effectiveness.)

Aww, you skipped turn it sopping wet to finished form, and enjoy what
happens as it dries. Fancy oval turning with out a fancy ornamental
lathe. Some belt sander or returning (or pin routing, for the fancily
equipped) is usually required to make them sit flat, but they can be
quite satisfying (and if they are not, they burn just fine). In my youth
I turned some birch bowls with walls so thin they were flexible even
after they dried. I'd hate to try that from dry stock.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

Wet wood
 

F Murtz wrote:
What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?

I have never even seen a moisture meter. I rough turn while wet
(green) leaving a thickness of about 10 % of the diameter in bowls.
Then I put them in paper bags with the top rolled over and set them in
the un-heated, un-cooled part of my shop. After about a month I start
weighing them every two weeks and writing the weight in grams on the
rim. When it stops losing weight it is about as dry as it is going to
get in that environment. Then I turn it.

--
G.W. Ross

And I thought phrenology with a
ball-peen hammer was a dying art!

Wet wood
 

On 6/30/2012 3:57 AM, F Murtz wrote:
What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?

as wet as possible. Particularly for fruit wood - keep it under water
until you can turn it so it doesn't check, then turn to final size and
thickness in one session - turn to a wall thickness of 1/8 to 3/16 and
it will not split.

Wet wood
 

Bill wrote:
On 6/30/2012 3:57 AM, F Murtz wrote:
What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?

as wet as possible. Particularly for fruit wood - keep it under water
until you can turn it so it doesn't check, then turn to final size and
thickness in one session - turn to a wall thickness of 1/8 to 3/16 and
it will not split.

Well all this is bad news,I will never get through it before it dries
out. I just felled two gums that were 18" at base and there is another
that fell down up the back yard about six months to a year ago,it is
still above 30% cause I measured it wondering if it was ready to burn.
Probably gum is not the best for turning, I am new at this game.

Wet wood
 

On 7/1/2012 12:48 AM, F Murtz wrote:
Bill wrote:
On 6/30/2012 3:57 AM, F Murtz wrote:
What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?

as wet as possible. Particularly for fruit wood - keep it under water
until you can turn it so it doesn't check, then turn to final size and
thickness in one session - turn to a wall thickness of 1/8 to 3/16 and
it will not split.

Well all this is bad news,I will never get through it before it dries
out. I just felled two gums that were 18" at base and there is another
that fell down up the back yard about six months to a year ago,it is
still above 30% cause I measured it wondering if it was ready to burn.
Probably gum is not the best for turning, I am new at this game.

the way you get better is to turn what you have - if it comes out nice,
great, if it's junk, great. strive for art, strive for technique - you
will become better, your technique will improve and when you look back
on your early "great" items, you will see them as crude and inelegant.
But this all requires making the things and failing - so just make stuff.

Wet wood
 

On Sun, 1 Jul 2012 2:48:50 -0500, F Murtz wrote
(in message . com):

Bill wrote:
On 6/30/2012 3:57 AM, F Murtz wrote:
What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?

as wet as possible. Particularly for fruit wood - keep it under water
until you can turn it so it doesn't check, then turn to final size and
thickness in one session - turn to a wall thickness of 1/8 to 3/16 and
it will not split.

Well all this is bad news,I will never get through it before it dries
out. I just felled two gums that were 18" at base and there is another
that fell down up the back yard about six months to a year ago,it is
still above 30% cause I measured it wondering if it was ready to burn.
Probably gum is not the best for turning, I am new at this game.

Each piece of wood has its own rules - how it likes to be cut and so on. Part
of this "game" is trying to learn what the wood's rules are, and then working
it, following those rules. If you can't be with the wood you love, then love
the wood you're with. Cut up a chunk of that gum so it will fit your lathe,
find a speed that will not make the lathe dance around, and will not be
frightening, and do some lathe work on it. You will discover what works and
you will learn. Listen to your "gut" and if it does not seem safe, stop and
figure out what would be safer. Once the wood is roughed out to round and
reasonably well balanced, you can be a little more adventurous.

Either the wood will get used, or it will be allowed to rot, or it will be
cut up for firewood. As long as you work safely, you have nothing to lose.
This is a great chance to explore and learn. You may very likely also
surprise yourself plus get some memorable pieces in return. Folks have made
some nice stuff from gum. The turning Police will not hunt you down for
making something that is not of show quality. Go for it.

Follow the advice found here for preserving and preparing some turning
blanks, but also be willing to work on some of this wood fresh from the
stump. It's all good.
tom koehler

--
I will find a way or make one.

It will depends on what you would like to come up with. For me, it should be so wet.