Productive weekend but

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  • poolhound
    Veteran Member
    • Mar 2006
    • 3195
    • Phoenix, AZ
    • BT3100

    Productive weekend but

    This weekend I managed to be quite productive but didn't quite manage to finish any projects. That is unless you call bowl blanks finished. I guess they are finished blanks :-)

    I got out the chainsaw and started to attack a pile of logs culled from last summers storms. I only managed to get through a smallish Palo Verde and a large piece of Mesquite. Did yield quit a few still greenish blanks but once it gets hot here I would hope they dry out by mid summer to fall. I did also go through my off-cut pile and found some 2-3" thick boards that got turned into blanks while at the bandsaw.

    I also went to see a local arborist who was advertising turning wood so went and picked out a few more logs for the pile, some is still green and some is seasoned. as he does seal anything after they are cut the older ones may have too many cracks to yield anything large.

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    Jon

    Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
    ________________________________

    We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
    techzibits.com
  • atgcpaul
    Veteran Member
    • Aug 2003
    • 4055
    • Maryland
    • Grizzly 1023SLX

    #2
    Green bowl turning really does sound like the long game, huh? Rough the blank, maybe turn it to a rough shape and then let it sit on the shelf for a year. Is that right? I'm not sure if I have that kind of patience.

    Comment

    • Black wallnut
      cycling to health
      • Jan 2003
      • 4715
      • Ellensburg, Wa, USA.
      • BT3k 1999

      #3
      Looks to me like you got lots done!
      Donate to my Tour de Cure


      marK in WA and Ryobi Fanatic Association State President ©

      Head servant of the forum

      ©

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      • poolhound
        Veteran Member
        • Mar 2006
        • 3195
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • BT3100

        #4
        I am very new to this turning game and I know what you mean. From what I understand fresh cut lumber air drys at a rate of approx 1 year per inch of thickness. Even "fully" season blanks thicker than 3" are not necessarily "dry." I think that starting out one just has to build a stock of varingly aged wood (logs, green blanks, roughed green blanks,and dry blanks) as time goes by everything will get into sync. Its not hard to get fresh wood here, either from gardeners and arborists or just waiting until the annual monsoon and watching out for felled trees after the bigger storms. turning the logs into blanks will speed the process and rough turning make it faster still. I dont yet have the personal experience but from what I understand if you rough turn small to mid size green blanks it would only be a month or 2 before you can finish them off.

        I would certainly be interested to hear from some of the long time turners out there as to how the source and process their wood.




        Originally posted by atgcpaul
        Green bowl turning really does sound like the long game, huh? Rough the blank, maybe turn it to a rough shape and then let it sit on the shelf for a year. Is that right? I'm not sure if I have that kind of patience.
        Jon

        Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
        ________________________________

        We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
        techzibits.com

        Comment

        • Bill in Buena Park
          Veteran Member
          • Nov 2007
          • 1865
          • Buena Park, CA
          • CM 21829

          #5
          Jon, great work on your bowl blanks. I may have missed it, but didn't see you mention sealing the end grain on your blanks. Unsealed blanks will check pretty quickly, so if you don't plan on rough turning within the next day or three, might be a good idea to get some anchorseal on those. And some woods, even with the anchorseal, will check. I make note of these (like California Peppertree), and when I get those woods, try to rough-out and seal within a day or two of cutting the blanks. Green wood turning is definitely more "user friendly" than turning dry (especially the hard woods like ash, maple, etc.) because the wet wood tends to slice ribbons more readily. If I haven't already mentioned Reed Gray, a.k.a. "Robo Hippy" on Youtube, he has a bunch of great bowl turning videos, and his bowls are all turned to finish from green wood (which is fairly thin and will warp, but he seems to prefer those results.)

          My sources for wood have been an arborist friend, and my neighbor who is somehow connected to a guy that does land-clearing and brings him interesting logs. Those I get from my neighbor are the honorarium, if you will, for having me cut up all his timber into blanks with my 12" bandsaw (he doesn't have the riser on his.)
          Bill in Buena Park

          Comment

          • poolhound
            Veteran Member
            • Mar 2006
            • 3195
            • Phoenix, AZ
            • BT3100

            #6
            Thanks for asking Bill and yes I did seal them. I have some of rockler green wood sealer which I got last summer when I got the logs. I am so new to this please don't assume I k n ow anything! Thanks for the link to robohippy some of his work looks awesome.
            Jon

            Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
            ________________________________

            We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
            techzibits.com

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