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Woodturning (rec.crafts.woodturning) To discuss tools, techniques, styles, materials, shows and competitions, education and educational materials related to woodturning. All skill levels are welcome, from art turners to production turners, beginners to masters. |
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#1
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Plum wood drying
I want to turn some plum that a friend gave me. It is a piece off the bottom of the tree just below where it split into two sections of the tree. It is 2X2X1 1/2 feet in size. I want to cut small piece for boxes. Can I rough turn and then boil or microwave until dry. I know the process, not the wood though. Is one better than the other for plum? Thanks for any help. Bob Darrah -- Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon |
#2
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I rough full-length cylinders and use anchorseal on the ends to hold them
until I'm ready for boxes or goblets or such. Not that they're ever ready in the lump for an immediate box. I still rough and either touch a low power in the micro, or leave for a couple of relaxing days before final fit. seem to end up with fewer surprises that way. Microwaving is boiling from the interior out. It muddies the colors a bit much for my taste. Never boiled from outside in, but suspect from the kiln operators experience it'd do the same. "Bob Darrah" wrote in message ... I want to turn some plum that a friend gave me. It is a piece off the bottom of the tree just below where it split into two sections of the tree. It is 2X2X1 1/2 feet in size. I want to cut small piece for boxes. Can I rough turn and then boil or microwave until dry. I know the process, not the wood though. Is one better than the other for plum? Thanks for any help. Bob Darrah -- Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon |
#3
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Are you saying you have a piece of plum tree that is 2 feet x 2 feet x 1 1/2
feet in size? Nice piece of plum! Have never seen a plum that large! Regardless, the smaller pieces that I have turned were pepper grinder bodies. I had the large (imho) branches of about 3 inches in diameter from a recently pruned plum tree. (Hmmh! No double entendre meant!) In any event they were very green. I submersed them in LDD after I had cut the rough lengths and after a couple of days turned the first one over a period of a day and a half, re-immersing them in LDD between turning sessions. Finished them up with wood sealer. Have used them for two years now and no cracks or warping. Leif "Bob Darrah" wrote in message ... I want to turn some plum that a friend gave me. It is a piece off the bottom of the tree just below where it split into two sections of the tree. It is 2X2X1 1/2 feet in size. I want to cut small piece for boxes. Can I rough turn and then boil or microwave until dry. I know the process, not the wood though. Is one better than the other for plum? Thanks for any help. Bob Darrah -- Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon |
#4
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I looked at that measurement and almost put 18 inches. But I didn't and I
got the result I feared. The tree was very old and had grown about 2 feet in diameter. It has some beautiful reds in it. He cut it down because it dropped seeds instead of fruit. Just a seed with plum skin. I would love to try the ldd process but am allergic to the perfume they put in them. There were two or three that offered sent free but that didn't last long. Any ideas how I can work with ldd with my problem? Does the wood take on the smell of the perfume in ldd? My wife and daughters would be ever thankful for finding a way around this. Which ldd do you use? I've thought about driving up to see you use this process firsthand. Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon "Leif Thorvaldson" wrote in message ... Are you saying you have a piece of plum tree that is 2 feet x 2 feet x 1 1/2 feet in size? Nice piece of plum! Have never seen a plum that large! Regardless, the smaller pieces that I have turned were pepper grinder bodies. I had the large (imho) branches of about 3 inches in diameter from a recently pruned plum tree. (Hmmh! No double entendre meant!) In any event they were very green. I submersed them in LDD after I had cut the rough lengths and after a couple of days turned the first one over a period of a day and a half, re-immersing them in LDD between turning sessions. Finished them up with wood sealer. Have used them for two years now and no cracks or warping. Leif "Bob Darrah" wrote in message ... I want to turn some plum that a friend gave me. It is a piece off the bottom of the tree just below where it split into two sections of the tree. It is 2X2X1 1/2 feet in size. I want to cut small piece for boxes. Can I rough turn and then boil or microwave until dry. I know the process, not the wood though. Is one better than the other for plum? Thanks for any help. Bob Darrah -- Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon |
#5
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In article ,
"Bob Darrah" wrote: I want to turn some plum that a friend gave me. It is a piece off the bottom of the tree just below where it split into two sections of the tree. It is 2X2X1 1/2 feet in size. I want to cut small piece for boxes. Can I rough turn and then boil or microwave until dry. I know the process, not the wood though. Is one better than the other for plum? Beautiful! I've had a few opportunities turning plum and the greatest success with boiling for an hour to 90 minutes. The wood has also retained it's reddish-purply and not muddied. (I think the size of the tree you got is a NW thing. The plum I've turned has been similarly large.) -- "To know the world intimately is the beginning of caring." -- Ann Hayman Zwinger |
#6
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I just turned a piece of plum wood. Picked it out of a friend's wood pile.
Heartwood didn't split, sapwood split horrendously. This was after it sat in my basement for a year. "Owen Lowe" wrote in message news In article , "Bob Darrah" wrote: I want to turn some plum that a friend gave me. It is a piece off the bottom of the tree just below where it split into two sections of the tree. It is 2X2X1 1/2 feet in size. I want to cut small piece for boxes. Can I rough turn and then boil or microwave until dry. I know the process, not the wood though. Is one better than the other for plum? Beautiful! I've had a few opportunities turning plum and the greatest success with boiling for an hour to 90 minutes. The wood has also retained it's reddish-purply and not muddied. (I think the size of the tree you got is a NW thing. The plum I've turned has been similarly large.) -- "To know the world intimately is the beginning of caring." -- Ann Hayman Zwinger |
#7
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Bob: The LDD that I use is Costco's housebrand (Kirkland). Unfortunately,
it contains perfume, as I am almost certain all of them do. There might be a hypoallergenic one available, but I haven't run across it nor, to be honest, have I looked for one. There might be some residual perfume in the turned wood, but the finish effectively seals that. Recently had a discussion with an individual who couldn't get the Costco brand and used Ivory LDD. Claims it was not successful. The only LDD I would claim does the job is Costco's brand. Why? Don't know! As to driving up to see me "perform" my LDD magic, it would be a waste of time! I haven't turned in about two years due to back problems. I am just a humble hobby turner who wishes he could spend more time in the shop, but standing for any length of time and/or bending over a lathe puts me out of commission quickly. That plum wood sounds like it would be great for turning, although like most fruitwoods, it will probably be pretty active! Leif "Bob Darrah" wrote in message ... I looked at that measurement and almost put 18 inches. But I didn't and I got the result I feared. The tree was very old and had grown about 2 feet in diameter. It has some beautiful reds in it. He cut it down because it dropped seeds instead of fruit. Just a seed with plum skin. I would love to try the ldd process but am allergic to the perfume they put in them. There were two or three that offered sent free but that didn't last long. Any ideas how I can work with ldd with my problem? Does the wood take on the smell of the perfume in ldd? My wife and daughters would be ever thankful for finding a way around this. Which ldd do you use? I've thought about driving up to see you use this process firsthand. Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon "Leif Thorvaldson" wrote in message ... Are you saying you have a piece of plum tree that is 2 feet x 2 feet x 1 1/2 feet in size? Nice piece of plum! Have never seen a plum that large! Regardless, the smaller pieces that I have turned were pepper grinder bodies. I had the large (imho) branches of about 3 inches in diameter from a recently pruned plum tree. (Hmmh! No double entendre meant!) In any event they were very green. I submersed them in LDD after I had cut the rough lengths and after a couple of days turned the first one over a period of a day and a half, re-immersing them in LDD between turning sessions. Finished them up with wood sealer. Have used them for two years now and no cracks or warping. Leif "Bob Darrah" wrote in message ... I want to turn some plum that a friend gave me. It is a piece off the bottom of the tree just below where it split into two sections of the tree. It is 2X2X1 1/2 feet in size. I want to cut small piece for boxes. Can I rough turn and then boil or microwave until dry. I know the process, not the wood though. Is one better than the other for plum? Thanks for any help. Bob Darrah -- Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon |
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