Drying platters.

[Ian Jeffcock]

I have been rough turning several large platters from box elder. Most are in the 24 to 26 inch range.
I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are on drying. Due to the size I have been just anchor sealing them and putting them in a cool corner of the shop, stickered on the concrete. My question is would there be any advantage to stacking or adding weight to curb the warpage as they dry, or would that create problems later. In other words should I let them move where they want to now and fix it later, or try to control the wood.
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.
Ian

[Dan Hintz]

I see little point in trying to control warpage... when you thin it out, that stress will come out, either in the form of cracks or unexpected warping. Let it do its thing while drying, get it out of the way, and have fun with the final turn.

[Marty Eargle]

Like Dan said...you're going to be able to do very little to hold off warpage if that wood really wants to move. I would just make sure you have a consistent thickness across your pieces...that's what'll kill you.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Ian,
I would keep them off the floor, especially a concrete floor. Box elder is loaded with moisture, especially if it was summer cut. Keeping it too damp may cause it to mold. I would have wrapped it in several layers of newspaper and changed the paper every day or two for a couple weeks. I would store it in a dry location but not too warm. Warmth may encourage mold. I stored some 18" rough outs on my concrete floor and in a week they grew mold that looked like hair. It's cold there now. Do you have an unheated garage. I would start there. Move them indoors in a couple months. That won't discourage warping. Box elder is incredibly stable. I doubt it will try to warp a lot. Just let it dry slowly, especially at first. Good luck.

faust