Keep an "In Progress" Turning From Drying Out

[Marty Tippin]

I started working on another hollow form last night but got interrupted and had to stop right about the time I was done shaping the outside. So I took a plastic grocery sack and covered the piece, then used tape to seal it up around the chuck as good as I could. I haven't been out to check on it today yet, but I'm hopeful it hasn't cracked anywhere.

The wood was a fairly green piece of box elder (the moisture meter said about 23% when I started), and is oriented with the end grain at the centers (i.e., like a spindle). One end is in the chuck jaws and the other is supported with a cup center.

Should I have remove it from the chuck? I suspect I'm risking a coat of rust forming in the chuck jaws by leaving it in place. I also considered slathering on a coating of Anchor Seal but thought that might be obnoxious to remove the next day.

What's your method of keeping an "in progress" piece from drying out?

[Roger Chandler]

Marty......if you will be able to return to the lathe within a day, I think you are okay to leave it in the chuck.......that is what I have done, without rusting issues, but it does not hurt to spray some type of moisture barrier[think silicone spray or perhaps WD-40, & wipe off ] on your chucks & jaws from time to time anyway. Make sure to recheck the grip by tightening down a smidgen in case your tenon has shrank down a tad.

I also use a plastic grocery bag and tape it with blue tape to the chuck.......seems to work well when you get interrupted in the middle of a project.

[Steve Doerr]

Marty, you should be good to go with the plastic bag. I use that method all the time and it has been pretty successful for me.
Good luck and keep on turnin'

[Reed Gray]

I will wipe it down or spray it with water if I am leaving for more than a few minutes (lunch break is too long to leave a green piece). I also use the plastic bag over the piece and tie or tape it closed at the bottom.

robo hippy

[Doug Herzberg]

+ 1 to all of the above. If you "unchuck" a piece and intend to "rechuck," your best shot at keeping everything lined up is to mark the outline of the #1 jaw (arbitrary, just be consistent) with a pencil and then make sure you put the piece back the same way.

[Wally Dickerman]

A plastic bag should do the trick. If the wood is very wet and is a wood that's prone to cracking then a heavy coat of Johnsons wax will seal the wood effectively. I doubt that oils or WD-40 would serve as a sealer. I've been using Johnson's wax successfully for many years as a sealer.

[Jon McElwain]

If I know ahead of time that I will not be able to finish turning a piece all at once, I will use a piece of grocery bag between the chuck jaws and the wet piece of wood. I have also placed a paper towel inside a plastic grocery bag that I put over the wet piece. Make sure the wet paper towel is not touching the wood, otherwise it can mold quickly.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Just had this issue the other day - a madrone burl piece - very wet - in the chuck when I was called away and would wind up being away from the shop for a number of days. I sprayed with soapy water (just had a bottle at the lathe) and covered with a plastic bag. The piece survived quite well with no cracks or even warping - remarkable for madrone. The chuck didn't fare as well - the jaws were covered with a light layer of rust on the outside, and the faces that were in contact with the tenon was more heavily rusted. It all cleaned up well, but I'll look into either a silicone spray or other light moisture barrier for my chucks...

[Fred Belknap]

I have had good luck with the plastic bag when leaving a wet turning on the lathe. I have left them a couple days without any serious problems. I put some of my things in alcohol bath at least overnight and if my alcohol container is full I either leave the rough turning on the lathe or bury it in it's own shavings. I have never had any problem with the chuck jaws rusting even with water sling wet walnut. Sometimes the screws get a set that is kind of hard to loosen.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I'm with Doug on this. Mark the #1 jaw (or any other) and take it off the chuck. Rust is always a problem here, I don't like giving rust a head start.
If you bag the piece on the chuck and tape around, wouldn't the knockout hole allow air and moisture through and rust to start on the Morse Taper? Just thinking out loud.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

I've been putting my green turnings in to a freezer if I have to stop working on them for some reason. Been doing it for over 6 years now and it has always worked perfectly every time. I've even left them in the freezer for for months some times before i've got back to them and they've always come out just like when I put them in.

[John Keeton]

When you chuck the piece, simply use a piece of a plastic Walmart bag over the tenon and close the jaws down on the covered tenon. That will prevent rust on the jaws and resolve the question about possible rust inside the spindle taper. Then, when you bag the turning you can put a rubber band around the base, covering the remainder of the turning. That has worked well for me.

[Reed Gray]

I used to use one of my nitrile gloves that I put on when finishing to go over chuck jaws. It worked really well for a recess, and was stretchy. I don't do that any more, just use the lemon juice on the wood to remove metal stains. It should also work with a tenon.

robo hippy

[Roger Chandler]

A plastic bag should do the trick. If the wood is very wet and is a wood that's prone to cracking then a heavy coat of Johnsons wax will seal the wood effectively. I doubt that oils or WD-40 would serve as a sealer. I've been using Johnson's wax successfully for many years as a sealer.

Wally........my reference to silicone spray or WD-40 was about the chuck not rusting......apply a coat from time to time to keep rust at bay......a regular spray from time to time and wipe off excess does provide some protection from rust and keeps the jaws running smoothly........

It was not to seal the wood. A day covered with a plastic bag should not harm the chuck if some regular protection is added to the chuck from time to time.:)