Fabulous hour of wood-browsing!

[Jamie Straw]

I spent more than an hour today browsing the lumber, blocks and logs at Coyote Woodshop (http://www.coyotewoodshop.com/contact.html)here on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. Going through the yard and the lumber display at an active milling site with an eye toward turning is a new experience! David Kotz has stacks of hunks of figured maple, spalted this 'n that, and towers of big logs waiting to be milled.

Actually, there's a question lurking here: There's plenty of figured maple to choose from that's probably at the 12%-18% moisture level, I was thinking about buying a couple pieces to cut up for bowl stock. How close to finished thickness could I cut a smallish bowl and be relatively safe?

[David E Keller]

If you're talking about rough turning, the 10% rule is about the most popular guide... In other words, turn the bowl to rough shape with an even wall thickness equal to about 10% of the bowl's diameter.

[Ryan Baker]

It depends on whether you want it to warp or not. If you don't mind the warping, turn it to finish thicknes and let it move. If you want it round, rough turn it to 10% of the diameter, let it dry, and return it to finish thickness.

[Wally Dickerman]

Jamie, if you plan to just cut the wood into bowl blanks, get some wood sealer and use it generously. If you don't it WILL crack. The guy at Coyote can help you with that.

I have a cousin who lives on Bainbridge Island. Same last name as mine.

Wally

[Jamie Straw]

David, Ryan, Wally: So if the wood is down to 15% MC plus/minus 3%, I still need to treat it exactly as if it were, say, 30%++??

I've got a gallon of Anchorseal, am saving it for super-wet maple and alder that's laying around our property. I guess I'll grab a couple small blocks from David when I'm ready to turn my first bowl (after practicing) and just turn it down to "close" and then bag it or whatever technique seems appropriate, see what happens. Trying to find that happy medium between free/super-wet stock and dry/super-expensive stock. :D

[Wally Dickerman]

David, Ryan, Wally: So if the wood is down to 15% MC plus/minus 3%, I still need to treat it exactly as if it were, say, 30%++??

I've got a gallon of Anchorseal, am saving it for super-wet maple and alder that's laying around our property. I guess I'll grab a couple small blocks from David when I'm ready to turn my first bowl (after practicing) and just turn it down to "close" and then bag it or whatever technique seems appropriate, see what happens. Trying to find that happy medium between free/super-wet stock and dry/super-expensive stock. :D

Jamie, by all means do use the wood sealer. At least on the end grain. Why risk having cracked wood when it's so simple to brush on some sealer.

Wally

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jamie you are going to find out as you go along that wood even at 8% to 10% kiln dried will still move somewhat. Try a lidded box out of 8% KD wood without letting it sit for a week or so. I completed a few boxes that I thought at 8% kiln dried would be fine. Had sit in the shop for a week or two. Turned several lidded boxes and the next couple of days the lids would not fit properly because the wood had moved. Not much but enough that the lids wouldn't fit. Like Wally said if in doubt don't be afraid to use some anchorseal and do the end grain for sure.

[Thomas Canfield]

The 10% of diameter thickness seems to work fairly well for the green Sweet Gum bowl I turned recently. The bowl had 1/2" difference in oval (16 1/4 x 15 3/4 outside and inside same 1/2"). I trued up the tenon and then put in chuck to true up the outside using a large cone on live center in tailstock for additional support. I then trued up the interior and found that the exterior needed to be trued up again. I was glad to have the 1 1/2" rough thickness to get the bowl to turn true. Checking some of the smaller green turned bowls (Pecan, Bradford Pear, and Sweet Gum) it looks like the oval runs about the same. This was the largest bowl and first one that had the problem of glemoing out of round after turning the interior. The Sweet Gum did have a lot of different grain pattern that might have been the contributing factor.

[Jamie Straw]

Thanks guys, it all makes sense. I'm eager to turn a bowl or box soon! but headed off for the desert to visit sis and bro for a week. When I return, I'll pop open that can of Anchorseal and get to work!