First Attempts Roughing Green Wood - Mucho Pics

[Steve Mathews]

My first attempt to rough green wood wasn't as easy as expected. Cutting with my chain saw and band saw was easy enough but visualizing where to make the cuts and what I wanted to do with them was difficult. Maybe I'm short a gene that carries visualizing skills and artistic ability. After struggling with the process I just dove in and began marking and cutting. The end result was not what I first had in mind but it's done. I also forgot to stock up on some end grain sealer so I used what was available, sanding sealer. I hope that will work until the pieces are turned. The large piece I'm hoping will be a bowl, approx 10" in diameter. The 2 smaller pieces will be bowls too at about 5" in diameter. I'm planning on making the rectangular piece my first attempt at hollow forming when my system is fabricated. Here are some pics showing the process of cutting and the finished roughed out pieces. I believe the wood is Olive and smelled great when cutting.


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[Steve Mathews]

Here are the last 2 pics that I couldn't include with the OP.

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[daryl moses]

Not too bad of a job Steve. You'll get better with practice.
I'm not sure how you cut your blanks but you will find that the log will cut a lot easier if you cut it lying on it's side not standing on end.
Good job none the less!

[Bob Bouis]

Cutting blanks is a lot easier when the logs are larger, clear, and haven't cracked that much. Working with degraded wood can be really frustrating.

Also, sanding sealer's probably not going to cut it in Arizona. Put them in plastic bags.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I agree with Bob - use plastic bags. It will keep the wood from drying out and you don't have to deal with the mess anchorseal makes when turning the blank. Don't leave the wood in the plastic bag for too long though without airing it out every now and then or you will open the bag to find a gooey mess because mold loves dark/wet wood!

[Steve Mathews]

Everything is now in plastic bags. Thanks for the suggestion.

Part of what was throwing me off where to cut was the location of the pith. It was within an inch of one side, the side that was almost completely flat. Strange.ur

I would like to turn the large bowl green and see how it reacts in the drying process. I intend to let the other pieces fully dry before working on them. Overall, this was an interesting experience. Can't wait to do it again.

[Prashun Patel]

Rough turn them as soon as you are able. I find that green wood is at its most unstable when it is cut into blanks. Once roughed out at even thickness, i find it stands its best chance at survival. That's a pattern not a rule.

Despite the mess that anchor seal may make, I like it on my blanks and rough outs. My green blanks develop mold too quickly in bags. An anchor seal substitute is also easy to make: Melt wax in mineral spirits.

[Steve Mathews]

Rough turn them as soon as you are able. I find that green wood is at its most unstable when it is cut into blanks. Once roughed out at even thickness, i find it stands its best chance at survival. That's a pattern not a rule.

Despite the mess that anchor seal may make, I like it on my blanks and rough outs. My green blanks develop mold too quickly in bags. An anchor seal substitute is also easy to make: Melt wax in mineral spirits.

I would like to try the melted wax in mineral spirits for at least the small pieces today. What are the percentages of the wax/mineral spirits mixture? I assume the process would be to melt the wax (largest percentage?) first in a water bath and then add warmed mineral spirits. Does the mixture stay in liguid form when cooled? Is paraffin wax OK to use?

[Brice Rogers]

yes, paraffin works fine. I have heated wax until it melts and then add in room temp paint thinner and stir it up. I don't recall the exact proportions but by volume I think that I added about 30% paint thinner.

I have also brushed on the still liquid hot paraffin with a disposable paint brush onto the end grain of wood. If it hardens before it is all brushed out, I will take a heat gun and briefly aim it on the waxed end grain. The paint thinner helps to keep the wax softer which lessens the chance of it chipping off. I sometimes paint on the wax/paint thinner solution and cover it with some stretch wrap (or saran wrap).

[Grant Wilkinson]

Any latex paint that you have left over from painting your house will work very well as log sealer, too.

[Steve Mathews]

The first attempt at turning green wood isn't working out too well. I decided to tackle the big piece this morning but quickly discovered some knots and cracks. After chasing most of them down the size of the intended bowl has shrunk considerably. It's very frustrating discovering embedded knots that can't be seen on the outside. And I haven't even gotten to the inside of the bowl yet. This is not fun.

[Steve Schlumpf]

This is not fun.

Well, it could have been worse. You could have waited for a year for the blank to dry - then found out about the knots! I have found it best (for me) to rough out whatever form I want, then allow it to dry if I like it. Sometimes there are hidden objects that ruin the intended purpose. Sometimes you find grain/curl that you didn't expect either - so just have fun with it anyway!

[Steve Mathews]

Well, it could have been worse. You could have waited for a year for the blank to dry - then found out about the knots! I have found it best (for me) to rough out whatever form I want, then allow it to dry if I like it. Sometimes there are hidden objects that ruin the intended purpose. Sometimes you find grain/curl that you didn't expect either - so just have fun with it anyway!

Good point Steve! I didn't think of it that way. I should also remind myself that it's a good opportunity to practice my tool handlin' skills.

[Prashun Patel]

Steve keep at it. While there can sometimes be small bark inclusions, knots usually show up in the outside. I would say that it becomes relatively straightforward to interpret what you will get from a blank.

But I agree that rough turning is a good idea for me.

As for mixing your wax sealer, you have to experiment. About 25pct wax I s a good place to start. You have to find a safe way to heat the ms and melt in the wax a little at a time. The room temperature consistency will vary depending on the time of year but I find that you can stir in more ms as necessary usually without heating. Imho you are aiming for a liquid that is thick and brush spreadable but not pasty. A little runnier than maple syrup.

[Steve Mathews]

Steve keep at it. While there can sometimes be small bark inclusions, knots usually show up in the outside. I would say that it becomes relatively straightforward to interpret what you will get from a blank.

But I agree that rough turning is a good idea for me.

As for mixing your wax sealer, you have to experiment. About 25pct wax I s a good place to start. You have to find a safe way to heat the ms and melt in the wax a little at a time. The room temperature consistency will vary depending on the time of year but I find that you can stir in more ms as necessary usually without heating. Imho you are aiming for a liquid that is thick and brush spreadable but not pasty. A little runnier than maple syrup.

Thanks Prashun! I didn't get around to mixing any of the stuff today because of being sidetracked with turning one of the green blanks. Eventually I'll get back to it and take in your advice.

[Steve Mathews]

I finished roughing out my first green wood bowl. What started out as plans for a 12" diameter bowl end up being half that size because of knots and cracks. At least something came out of the effort besides more practice. Below is a picture of the end result. I wrapped the outside of the bowl in plastic film and placed it in a small cardboard box with wood shavings. I think the plastic wrap idea came from Robo Hippy. The cardboard box and shavings idea came from someone else on YouTube. So now I wait for a few months until it dries.

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