Platter Blanks Green or Dry ?

[Sonny Kemp]

Ive never turned a platter.Do most turn from dried blanks or can they be turned green and follow same process as bowls?

[Michael Mills]

I haven't turned a lot of platters but the ones I have were turned dry to start.
In Mike Mahoney's video he turn green, then sets back to dry, and then finish turn as you would a bowl.
I believe it will be best for the blank to be cut quartersawn or as close as possible to quartersawn to resist warping.
In Mahoney's video the blank was taken just to the side of the pith.

[John Keeton]

I have turned several platters and much prefer dry wood. With a larger diameter platter, some of mine will exceed 20", one gets enough movement from just removing material let alone moisture issues. A little bit of warp goes a long way at 20"!! Since one usually starts with 2-2.5" material, roughing out doesn't mean as much IMO. It is hard to disguise warp in a platter and I prefer my platters remain as true as possible as I am cutting heavily profiled faces on them.

Just my thoughts based on the style of platters I do. I am sure there are some interesting platters that are allowed to warp.

[Sonny Kemp]

I have turned several platters and much prefer dry wood. With a larger diameter platter, some of mine will exceed 20", one gets enough movement from just removing material let alone moisture issues. A little bit of warp goes a long way at 20"!! Since one usually starts with 2-2.5" material, roughing out doesn't mean as much IMO. It is hard to disguise warp in a platter and I prefer my platters remain as true as possible as I am cutting heavily profiled faces on them.

Just my thoughts based on the style of platters I do. I am sure there are some interesting platters that are allowed to warp.
John do you buy blanks or dry them yourself.I turn bowls mostly green and as there are no kilns Im aware of close I am a ways out from drying blanks myself.

[Justin Stephen]

With the "bead weaving illusion" platters that I turn, I kind of have to start dry. But even if I was turning more "normal" platters, I would probably still almost exclusively turn dry, even if that meant harvesting green and letting pieces a full 2" of thickness or so dry unturned. It's easy to buy (or buy and glue up) 8/4 lumber to turn into platter blanks from hardwood retailers, albeit sometimes rather $$.

[Ralph Lindberg]

I've had poor results with green. Bowls work fine, but for some reason green plates always seam to fail.

[John Keeton]

Sonny, I buy most all of my blanks, though some are milled green and I wait for them to dry. Some are kiln dried. I do harvest green wood, but in order to get dimensional platter blanks, I am willing to pay to have them sawn. But, it is difficult to find really wide platter blanks - green or dry.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Quarter sawn dry wood works the best. Flat sawn dry works, but curl as they get larger. I used to turn 20 lazy Susan's from dry oak lumber. Too thin and they would wobble when rotated. I would advice not to turn a platter from wet wood unless you want it to wobble?

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I’ve turned all kinds of platters, and all from fresh wet wood, yes dry planks are easier but that does NOT guarantee it will not move or warp, as we all know wood does never stop moving with the changing moisture in the air affecting the wood.

I have always used wood that had something extra to make into a platter, straight grain planks never inspired me.

Yes Quarter sawn or right next to it does help minimize warping, and, it does take time to let the wood dry and settle, I’ve rough turned platter blanks that have been sitting 10 to 20 years, as I’m no production turner, just love turning and have been doing it for better than half a century, I have gotten quite a stack of rough turned pieces, and there will be lots left when I’m gone :).

So here a couple that are from 12 to 20 inches and it would be hard to find pieces of wood like that at the lumber yard I’d think.

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[Dave Fritz]

Here's one of the first I did while wet. 350981 It warped so fast as I turned it I couldn't get a lip on it at all. It's now on my wall and pretty to look at.

[Dennis Ford]

Easier to turn platters from dry wood if you have it. If you have only green wood, it will dry faster if you rough turn it first.

[Justin Stephen]

But, it is difficult to find really wide platter blanks - green or dry.

For some species, it is going to be about impossible to fine really wide blanks. However, part of the scarcity problem even for species where the harvested trees might be wide enough is that there just isn't that much demand. Sawmills know that they will often have an easier time moving three 8" wide 8/4 boards than they will one 24" wide board, so they cut it up into 8"s. So unless it is unusually wide and has very pretty grain, in which case it will likely end up as a table slab (not cost effective for platters), its probably going to get chopped up. On more than one occasions when I have found an usually wide board, I have had the lumberyard owner tell me that it is nice to see someone finally buy it as it has been there for a long time unpurchased.

The best bet is sometimes just to deal with the sawmill owners themselves and let them know in advance what you want. If they know "that guy that keeps calling me" will buy a 20" wide cherry board, they will be more likely to cut one and call you. :)

[Justin Stephen]

...yes dry planks are easier but that does NOT guarantee it will not move or warp, as we all know wood does never stop moving with the changing moisture in the air affecting the wood.


Yup. When I turn something like this (which is about 19" wide):

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Getting the beads just right is the most critical part and I have learned that it is best to do the beads as early as possible to avoid the almost inevitable wood movement. I true up the bottom and create a recess but remove almost no thickness. Flip it around, turn and sand only the top of the rim, and put in my beads (usually with a bowl steady on the back side) before I have removed wood on the underside of what will eventually become the rim. If I wait until the rim has been turned to thickness, there is usually movement. Not much, but enough to make the beads uneven.

[John Keeton]

Justin, that is a superb piece! I like the opposing movement you created with the color variations. I assume you used acrylics? Are the lines between the beads burned?

[Dane Riley]

[QUOTE=Leo Van Der Loo;2643127] I have gotten quite a stack of rough turned pieces, and there will be lots left when I’m gone :).



/QUOTE]

If you ever sort thru that stack, I'd love to have some of the discards.

[Justin Stephen]

Justin, that is a superb piece! I like the opposing movement you created with the color variations. I assume you used acrylics? Are the lines between the beads burned?

Thank you! I use acrylic ink. I have tried "liquid acrylics" (thinned acrylic paint) and found that it looked too painted on, as in it sat on top of the wood too much. Acrylic ink soaks into the wood a bit due to its watery consistency but still offers substantial opacity and I can still blend colors and create shading just like with paint. I have done pieces on much darker woods (walnut, sapele, jatoba) and still get vibrant color when I want it.

Yup, burned, basically just a variation of the "basket illusion" technique. Here's a closeup of the same piece:

351027

[Bob Bouis]

The reason to rough turn bowls is to speed up drying and prevent thick blocks of wood from cracking as they dry (which they almost always do).

Green wood in platter thickness dries relatively fast and is much less likely to crack, so there's not much of an incentive to rough it out. IME/O, of course.

[Pat Scott]

The best place to get platter blanks is from the pith out (quartersawn). But to get a 20" quartersawn platter you need a tree that is around 45" across (20" on either side of the pith minus waste).
351086


The next best place to cut platter blanks is on either side of the pith. If you want a 20" platter then you need a tree 23" to 25" across. I don't run across 45" trees very often, which is why I usually cut my blanks from either side of the pith. Even if the tree is big enough that you think you can cut two blanks from each side, don't. The growth rings are starting to flatten out and you will get too much movement.
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I cut my platter blanks in 2" inch slabs and let them dry. I used to rough turn platter blanks but don't anymore. There are several reasons but I think it's kind of a waste of time and doesn't buy much in the end. If you can't cut a straight line with the chainsaw then you will have to put the blank between centers and make it a consistent thickness (but don't hollow out or create a recess/tenon).

The main reason I don't rough turn platters is because now I have committed myself to which is the top and bottom and I can't change my mind. Sometimes the piece will warp during drying and I would rather make the bottom the top or vice versa. Or a crack will happen that could be turned away if I could switch the top/bottom. Or I changed my mind and like the looks of one side over the other. If you rough turn it you're locked in.

[John K Jordan]

The best place to get platter blanks is from the pith out (quartersawn). But to get a 20" quartersawn platter you need a tree that is around 45" across (20" on either side of the pith minus waste).


Pat, great diagrams and advice.

I also turn all platters dry, large or small. I slice 2" thick slabs on the woodmizer and sticker to dry.

One thing I've found, eastern red cedar dries surprisingly quickly (compared to hardwoods) and is quite stable, even when cut through-and-through. When I saw big cedars I always try to cut some slabs. I think cedar makes great platters - platter maker Frank Penta agrees and I've given him some of the slabs. Big ERC typically has a lot of bark inclusion and is often bad at the pith but I usually can find good sections with interesting figure

Here is one short log from a few years ago, over 24" diameter:

351089 351090

I've found that cedar slabs even cut from near the bark still don't warp. I wouldn't try this with oak or cherry! BTW, I have clear 30" white oak on the ground now if anyone nearby wants some "almost" quarter sawn planks. It is destined for firewood.

JKJ

[kevin nee]

I only use dry blanks. I have logs & burls cut on a bandsaw mill and let them dry longer than the 1 year per inch rule.
I dry in a tent or under the barn. Large flat figured platters make the turning experience a joy.

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[kevin nee]

Another note: I feel the bottom of bowls and platters is just as important.

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[John K Jordan]

Another note: I feel the bottom of bowls and platters is just as important.


Many agree. It is a nice surprise to turn over a platter and see some detail. It's hard to remember that at one time everyone glued green felt on the bottom of bowls and platters!

Have you seen the multi-axis platter base that Frank Penta teaches? He has a document about it on his web site: http://www.frankpenta.com/ Click on "Documents and Downloads / Projects / Frank Penta Platter Handout PDF. (He will be demonstrating this at TAW later this month.)

After hanging out with Frank I made this one. Sapele wood.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=350995&d=1483813900

BTW, the secret of making a platter look big is get a small person to hold it. :)



JKJ

[Pat Scott]

Beautiful platters Justin, Kevin, and John.

I also detail the bottom, lately I've been playing with my Sorby Spiraling tool.
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[Justin Stephen]

On my beaded pieces, I make a little mini-beaded ring on the bottom to go around the little pewter inserts I use:

351234

I may start doing this even on non-beaded pieces as well. It takes a couple of hours to do though, so we'll see.

[Sonny Kemp]

Those are all beautiful platters.Far beyond my present ability,but Ill get there.Do you all leave the blanks you cut in plank form or cut to shorter lengths?Do you dry them same as you would lumber? With the top covered and where air can circulate with stickers between? Thanks all for the replys.

[John K Jordan]

Those are all beautiful platters.Far beyond my present ability,but Ill get there.Do you all leave the blanks you cut in plank form or cut to shorter lengths?Do you dry them same as you would lumber? With the top covered and where air can circulate with stickers between? Thanks all for the replys.

I leave the slabs as as long as possible, at least as long as they are easy to store. I don't cut them into smaller platter-sized pieces because I don't know ahead of time what I want to turn. From a 20" slab I might make one big platter or several smaller pieces, 9", 12", etc. If not cut up I can make better use of what would otherwise be wasted corners left over when rounding the blank on the bandsaw. I also like to slide a clear plastic template around on the wood to find the best orientation for the figure., defects, etc.

Air dried like any green lumber, stickered with weight on top, out of the sun/rain, plenty of air circulation.

JKJ