Remove The Pith?

[Rob Cunningham]

I've roughed out my first hollow form and have it soaking in DNA. The pith runs between centers so there is a little section of it in the center of the base. Is it best to remove this and plug it so it won't crack as it dries? If I should plug it, when in the process should this be done? Thanks in advance.

[Chip Sutherland]

Most of the excess moisture is out by the time I get it out of the DNA....mainly because I forget about it for days (weeks occasionally). If I'm worried about the pith moving, I zap it with the thin CA once the DNA moisture has evaporated....then wrap it with newspaper and stick it in a plastic bag until I get around to turning it.

Sometimes I will tape the newspaper to the edges if they are thinner than the rest of the piece in hopes of slowing the drying/cracking process. I only do this because somebody told me that was the correct way of doing it.....Sometimes I don't because I'm stubborn and don't like to do the right thing, either.

I don't come across enough trees in Texas that are big enough that I can afford to lose the pith. I like to turn bigger pieces so I just deal with it. I've used colored epoxy and inlace to fix a crack in the pith...and call it a feature. ;)

[Bill Mitchel]

Hey Rob

If it's not very big I would give it a good soaking with thin ca. After you take it out of the dna I would just keep it wrapped in a paper bag with an opening in the top for a couple of weeks and then check the weight.(after about a day in the paper bag I also check to see if there are any cracks that need to be hit with ca)

Good Luck

[Ryan Baker]

As long as the inside is turned fairly thin and even, you shouldn't have any problems with the little bit of pith in the bottom (usually -- there's always exceptions). I've done lots of hollowforms that way and haven't had problems. If you do get a little cracking, a little CA will take care of it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Rob - some woods are more likely to check than others - so any checking depends on what you type of wood you roughed out, how thick you left the piece and how fast you allow the piece to dry. Being that the pith is located on the bottom of the piece - I wouldn't worry to much as you can be creative with fills if needed after final turning.

Good luck with it! Looking forward to seeing your hollow form!