Roughing green cherry blank

[Joe Tedesco]

I have a nice cherry burl log that I split in half (I made a few pen blanks with a piece of it). I would like to start a bowl, but my first attempt on a green maple blank was a disaster.

This is what I did.... I split a log from a freshly cut tree and made a 10 x 4 inch blank on the band saw. After learning to use the chisles (and scaring the crap out of myself) I roughed out a bowl leaving the sides about an inch or so think. The blank was extremely wet, to the point that moisture was flying off the wood onto my face when turning it. I put the blank on my workbench and when I looked at it a day later it was cracked everywhere. What did I do wrong, and more importantly, what should I do with the cherry burl? Or, was it just a bad piece of wood ;)

-Joe

[Bernie Weishapl]

Joe there are several things you can do with the blank. I soak with Denatured alcohol for 3 to 5 days on fruit wood, then wrap in a brown grocery sack. You can use newspaper but I have found a grocery sack seems to work better. Here is a excellent article by Dave Smith who has been doing this for a long time. http://www.utahwoodturners.org/mags/smith-jan05.pdf

Another method I use is one I saw by Mike Mahoney. He is a pro turner and his method is to rough turn the bowls to 10% of the width of the bowl blank. Once roughed he coats his with anchorseal and puts them on the floor not more than 2 to 3 ft above it. These blanks take longer to dry but I have had really good luck doing this.

There are a lot of methods out there to dry blanks. Boiling the wood is another way. Microwave them but I haven't had real good luck and don't use the wife's microwave.:D You can put them in a brown bag with the wet chips and seal it. You need to check it on occasion to make sure it isn't molding. Just sitting it on the bench will almost asure you of cracks because it is drying to fast.

One other thing. It is a good idea to use a faceshield when roughing out these blanks to keep the water off your face and if you get a catch to keep the blank if it flies off from damaging your face. Don't ask me how I know this. Hope this helps.

[Richard Madison]

Good advice from Bernie. +1 on anchorseal the whole piece. Try to make your wall thickness as uniform as feasible and round over any sharp corners, as that's where cracks like to start.

[David E Keller]

I use the anchor seal method currently with reasonable luck. I'm a little short on patience at times, so the DNA method will probably get a shot next batch of roughing.

[Tony De Masi]

Joe, the only thing you did "wrong" was you left out the last step. How to dry the bowl slowly. Bernie mentioned the most popular methods that I'm aware of and they all work. I personally use the DNA method and then wrap in grocery sack. If you are a bit concerned then maybe that burl shouldn't be your next piece. Try something that you wouldn't have too much heartache over.

Tony

[Thomas Canfield]

Joe,

If you are preparing multiple blanks, I recommend putting the roughed bowls in a plastic bag for the short time you are doing others and then seal or handle all at once. I have never used DNA but guess you can start the soak process as finished and keep adding. I seal with Anchorseal and hate to mess up my brush and can more than I need to. I roughed 6 items yesterday using the plastic bag, anchor seal, and then put all in a paper sack along with some shavings to allow for air space between the bowls.

I did finish a 10" and 14" Bradford Pear bowl today that were rough turned back in June and only sealed with An chorseal and left on the floor in a stack. There were some checks but no major crackis and those blanks were worked in the hot summer and wood had laid on ground a couple of days.

[Bill Bulloch]

One method not mentioned was Freezing. Bruce Bell from Australia demonstrated at our club last year and said that he turns his bowl green and puts them in the Freezer, then in a paper bag to dry. Something about freezing breaking the fiber in the wood reduces the chance of cracking. It still takes several months to dry though. I have tried it 10 or 12 times and only had two bowl crack and one that warped real bad. DNA works much faster with what seems to be about the same results.