Box elder

[Lawrence Tarnoff]

I came into 4 nice-sized box elder logs from a recently felled tree. I haven't hit it with my moisture meter yet, but are there any thoughts about what the moisture content should be before putting this wood on the lathe? If I need to let it sit for awhile, I assume I ought to seal the ends with Anchorseal, oui? Finally, anything special about box elder I ought to know before it meets my bowl gouge?

Thanks,

Larry

[robert baccus]

Really good find. BE is great turning wood color or not. Can have very nice figure around knots ect. Don,t worry about the moisture content--it cuts much better green than dry. Being a weak and light wood it has minimal tendencies to warp/crack. I always turn to almost final size. Set it in an out of the hot and brezzy or wax the outside if worried.

[Fred Belknap]

Larry box elder is very similar to maple. IIRC it is in the maple family. I try to mark the blanks so I can tell the difference.

[Pat Scott]

As for moisture content, I'd rough turn it as soon as you can and then seal. If it's going to be a week or two before you get to it, seal the end grain now.

[Roger Chandler]

As for moisture content, I'd rough turn it as soon as you can and then seal. If it's going to be a week or two before you get to it, seal the end grain now.

I am in total agreement with the info Pat gives here..........rough it, seal it. If you cannot get to it now, seal it.......double seal the end grain!

[Garth Sheane]

Yes, don't wait. Rough turn it now before it even starts drying. Leave about 3/4 to 1" thick for drying after the rough turn. How big is "nice sized"?

[Lawrence Tarnoff]

Nice sized on this group ranges from about 10 to 16 inches in diameter. Each log is about 3-4 feet in length. Thanks for the input folks. I've cut out 4 nice bowl blanks and have used Anchorseal on all the end grain. Turning starts tomorrow!!!