Pepper mill problem!!

[Joe Pierce]

I purchased 4 marble wood blanks from woodcraft, the 1st of December. I put them in my shop for a coulple of weeks, and then drilled them and turned them. I finished them with behlens wood turners finish, a friction polish. I gave. 2 for gifts and have 2 at home. I discovered this weekend that they are starting to crack. The cracks are on the exterior from top to bottom, on the outside. What did I do wrong?

[Mike Minto]

Joe, the first thing that comes to mind is that they might not have been dry enough. Most 'exotic' woods come from climates much more humid than that here in the US - even if not that, fresh wood is 'wet', and needs to dry to around 10% to be safe to woodwork - turning or flat work. Otherwise, as the wood loses moisture, mostly out of the end grain, it's gonna crack/check, and nothing in the world, not even glue, is gonna stop that. Not all wood that is sold, even from places like WC, is dry and ready to work. :o:(. I recently dedicated an upstairs closet to storing wood, my good wood and that to be worked soonest, so it can dry and hopefully not crack.

[Ted Calver]

Joe,
What Mike said plus I usually put a coat of shellac on the inside of the mill. I'm thinking you finished the outside of the mill but not the inside. Maybe
sealing the inside would help control rapid drying and cracking.

[steven carter]

Joe,

I made my first pepper mill for my wife in december, and looked at a blank at woodcraft in Cincinnati. Denny, a good guy that works there advised that if I wasn't going to turn the blank for several months, it would work just fine. He said to go home and scrape all the wax off the sides and let it cure for several months. Instead I used a piece of walnut I had that was dry. Sorry that you didn't get the kind of good advice from the woodcraft that I did.


Steve

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Mike that the wood was to green. That happened to me a few years ago when I turned my first peppermill. I got the wood from woodcraft which my first mistake and second I didn't let it dry. I only turn mills out of kiln dried wood now. Sorry to hear about the cracking.

[Joe Pierce]

Thanks guys! I thought that might be the problem. Well, you live and learn!! I should have known better, just didn't think it through.