24 Hour Turnaround

[Bob Bergstrom]

24 hours ago this white oak was in the log. It had been lying on the ground in a shaded area for over 10 years. The bark fell off. The sapp wood was mush and pealed off with a shovel. The heart wood was a beautiful medium brown and fairly sound. Turned it down to a thickness of a 1/4". Microwave it on short cycles of 15 to 30 seconds on 50% power. Once dry, I mounted it on my vacuum chuck and power sanded it with the lathe stoped. A coat of ting oil and black wax rubbed into the pours

[Mark Greenbaum]

Very pretty oak bowl, there. Not many folks turn oak because if green it really goes wonky. Don't ask how I know that.


24 hours ago this white oak was in the log. It had been lying on the ground in a shaded area for over 10 years. The bark fell off. The sapp wood was mush and pealed off with a shovel. The heart wood was a beautiful medium brown and fairly sound. Turned it down to a thickness of a 1/4". Microwave it on short cycles of 15 to 30 seconds on 50% power. Once dry, I mounted it on my vacuum chuck and power sanded it with the lathe stoped. A coat of ting oil and black wax rubbed into the pours

[nelson lasaosa]

Whether it´s a piece of furniture or a bowl, I love the oak grain look. Very nice Bob.
I know1/4" seems to be the most popular and reliable thickness most of the time for Wood turned ítems. Nonetheless, why is it that for instance: a round bed leg being so thick it doesn´t crack at all ??? is it the hollowness that renders the turned Wood prone to cracking ??? What could happen to your bowl if you had stopped turning it at say 1/2" ?? For experts this may be crystal clear....LOL

[Bob Bergstrom]

I'm not sure about bed posts but a 1" thick bowl would not like being dried that quickly in a microwave. A 1/2" might survive depending on how much tension there is in the wood. Slow drying and anchor sealing bowls is used to slow the loss of water. A 4" bed post drying in Arizona may be much more prone to cracking than one turned in a high humidity environment. It is the rapid loss of moisture that requires a thin turning. Many a pen turner has microwaved small pen blanks.

[Pat Scott]

Nice bowl with nice curve. How big is it?

[Bob Bergstrom]

Nice bowl with nice curve. How big is it?
It's about 10" across. I sanded some of the rim down to give the rim less of a wavy look.

[charlie knighton]

very nice......

[Allan Wright]

Delicate foot and I like the use of the black fill for the grain. Flaunt it if you've got it!

[nelson lasaosa]

Got it ! The thicker the Wood, the bigger the moisture difference between inner deep wood layers and the outer ones. Its the different moisture contents, the different drying rates that cause tensions, thereby cracking ... Should one dare to turn to thicker walls, the Wood better be evenly dry, right ? Thanks Bob !

[Bob Bergstrom]

Got it ! The thicker the Wood, the bigger the moisture difference between inner deep wood layers and the outer ones. Its the different moisture contents, the different drying rates that cause tensions, thereby cracking ... Should one dare to turn to thicker walls, the Wood better be evenly dry, right ? Thanks Bob !
Sounds right to me they sell a lot more anchor seal in the southwest than in than Oregan.