Turning blanks --- Cut and dried or dried and cut? Or not dried at all?

[Bob Borzelleri]

I guess, if I had one of those nicely sealed prefab turning blanks from Woodcraft or thereabouts, I could scrape off the sealer and check out the moisture content, but I don't and I was wondering...

Are these pieces dried to a standard prior to being shaped into a block and sealed?

[Steve Vaughan]

Bob, thanks for that question. I was wondering about the same thing and if they need to be rough-turned and dried before finish-turning. Looking forward to answers.

[Michael James]

My experience is NO. I have not really had any problems with pen blanks, but spindle stock cut down to pen blanks has been costly a few times.
Good luck!

[Dick Strauss]

You should assume that they are wet if they are sealed. If they are dry, there is no real reason to seal them, right?

If I had a moisture meter with short pins, I'd check the blocks before I bought them. That way you'd know a little better about what to expect during the turning process.

[Alan Trout]

Most of those blanks are not well dried. When I buy a piece of that stock I scrape off the wax on everything but the end grain and usually wipe the surface with DNA or other thinner to make sure it is clean of the wax and let it dry for a while. I have a piece of Rosewood that has been drying for over a year and it is quite a bit lighter than it was when I scraped off the wax and no cracks so the method seems to work well.

With all this being said if you want to turn wet wood to finish thickness turn it very thin and usually it will not crack but it will warp. Proper rough turning and letting it dry is your best bet if you don't want a warped piece.

Good Luck

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

If it has wax it is not dry and most of what I have bought (from Woodcraft or Rockler) has from 20% to 48% moisture and it does move.

[Bob Borzelleri]

Thanks guys for the replies. I kinda figured if it was sealed, it was probably wet, but what with so many marketing decisions being driven by liability, who know, they might have been sealing them to protect us from splinters.:rolleyes: