When is wood dry enough or too dry to turn?

[T...K21]

Been watching other how to videos on turning. From what I gather turning green wood is preferred over dry wood then just cut over-sized to allow for shrinkage?

A friend and my FNL suggested after I cut the tree, to paint the ends and allow it to sit in the shop for about a year before I can turn it.

How can you tell if the wood is dry enough to turn? How do you know when wood is too dry to turn?

Thanks, T

[Whaler]

Buy yourself a moisture meter, they are not expensive. A lot of people that turn bowls use green wood but for small work like pens it doesn't work. I like my wood under 12% moisture content. As far as I am concerned it can never be to dry.

[BigguyZ]

I don't think you can say wood is too dry to turn. As long as the wood is aged enough that the moisture level is fully acclimated to the enviroment's natural moisture level, you should be fine. Just don't take a chunck of wood that's been in Arizona for 10 years and turn it in Seattle or Michigan....

Green or wet wood is ideal to cut because the moisture makes the wood softer. Cutting is typically smoother, and your tools don't get as dull as quickly. But as you mentioned, you then have to turn the item twice. Once to get it roughly to shape, and a second time to make it completely round. The nice thing is, the wood also will of course dry faster once rough shaped than it would if you have to wait for the solid block to dry to the final moisture level. However, you also risk the bowl drying too quickly and cracking. For that reason, some people will but rough turned vessels in a paper bag with the wood shavings from the turning to slow the rate of drying. Other methods for drying are also used- including boiling.

[dbhost]

Turning blanks are typically chosen green because it is easier to turn. However when it dries, shrinkage / warpage becomes a real possibility, sometimes this can actually be desireable in say a natural edge hollow form, but generally speaking, from the turners I have talked to, as long as it isn't slinging water at you when you turn it, it's dry enough to turn.... If it explodes on you when you touch a tool to it, it's too dry...

Dick has it right though, depending on where you are mind you, but here in coastal Texas, I am happy turning at 12% MC.

[gerti]

Stay away from kiln dried wood though, not fun to turn and very dusty.

[LCHIEN]

Been watching other how to videos on turning. From what I gather turning green wood is preferred over dry wood then just cut over-sized to allow for shrinkage?

A friend and my FNL suggested after I cut the tree, to paint the ends and allow it to sit in the shop for about a year before I can turn it.

How can you tell if the wood is dry enough to turn? How do you know when wood is too dry to turn?

Thanks, T

the reason for sealing the ends of a log are to keep the ends from drying out through the end face faster than the center which can only dry by letting the moisture out through the sides of the log. By sealing the ends the moisture at the ends has the same length path as the moisture from the center so it drys at the same rate, not faster. Uneven drying, where moisture gets out the ends leads to checking and splitting of the ends of the wood.
Painting or sealing with wax are common means of doing this.