Green wood and cold weather

[Tim Elett]

I have a few maple chunks about 12 to 14 inch long 12 inch wide ,its been setting inside but in the cold ,30 ,moisture is at 42 % from my meter, will it hurt to bring it into 60 degrees and turn? I will be cutting this blank with chain saw.

[Dave Bunge]

I've turned green wood that literally had ice or snow on the surface. Didn't notice any difference vs green wood that was already at room temperature.

[Tim Elett]

Good to know, also I'm reading a older book ,a piece by Alan Stirt he wrote that he used past wax if he needed to stop for a few minutes to prevent checking. I have gone in for lunch, and came out to see the checking started, and ruin a project.

[Don Stephan]

In the back pockets of my turning smock are several plastic grocery bags. When phone rings, someone comes to door, . . . the piece on the lathe gets bagged, even if only a 5 minute interruption is expected.

[John K Jordan]

It won’t check if it’s kept wet. Some spritz with water then wrap with plastic wrap to keep the piece wet during a break.

For an extended delay you can always take it off the lathe and toss it in a tub of water. Will easily keep for weeks or months if kept in clean water, the cooler the better.

[Richard Coers]

Don't bring it all in, just one piece at a time. I once was commissioned to but some 6x6s into porch post knees. Cut them and went to lunch. Came back into the shop and it sounded like wet Rice Crispies. Cells were breaking and splitting as we looked at them. Quickly took them outside and set them in a snow bank.

[Dave Bunge]

I definitely agree that you should protect green wood on the lathe from drying out if you're planning to leave it for any length of time. I wrap with a grocery store bag if I'm stopping mid turn for lunch or other distraction. But I do this in the summer too.

[Thomas Wilson80]

Agree with all the above comments. I spritz with water then cover the piece with a plastic grocery bag - When I first did this, I didn't get back out as planned and left it for a couple days. The wood was fine, no checks, but my chuck jaws had some surface rust.
Tom

[Tim Elett]

Agree with all the above comments. I spritz with water then cover the piece with a plastic grocery bag - When I first did this, I didn't get back out as planned and left it for a couple days. The wood was fine, no checks, but my chuck jaws had some surface rust.
Tom
Is the center of a crotch prone to splitting? I tried to post pictures but not able to.

[roger wiegand]

Is the center of a crotch prone to splitting? I tried to post pictures but not able to.

Yes, absolutely. Lots of things pulling in different directions, it's a miracle when one doesn't split. Best hope is once-turned, get it as thin (and uniform) as possible as quickly as possible, then dry carefully.

I was turning some fresh green maple a few years ago and having a terrible time, finding it very difficult. After a while the light bulb came on and I realized it had been outside in single digit temperatures (Fahrenheit) and was very wet and frozen solid as a rock. After putting it in a plastic garbage bag and letting it thaw for a day it was back to normal easy turning for green wood.

[John K Jordan]

Is the center of a crotch prone to splitting? I tried to post pictures but not able to.

Curious, what was the problem in posting a photo?

[Tim Elett]

Curious, what was the problem in posting a photo?
I have not posted anything in quite some time, I guess that I have forgotten how.

[John K Jordan]

I have not posted anything in quite some time, I guess that I have forgotten how.

Posting a photo:

Prepare the photo (crop and reduce the file size if necessary)
Click the "Insert Image" icon just above the message input area:

473552

Place the cursor where you want the photo in the message.
Click "From Computer" if not selected then click the "Browse" button.
Locate the directory and file on your computer, and click "Open" at the bottom of the dialog.
Then click "Upload File(s)" below the "Browse" button on the Insert Image dialog.

JKJ

[Tim Elett]

473555This is the wood,but found very bad and knoted.i needed to go to full site to upload photos. I believe also this is oak and not maple, lol.

[Paul Williams]

I just finished several crotch pieces of boxelder. It is cold here in Minnesota and they were fresh cut and stored outside. The humidity in my heated basement shop is only 10%. The first one I turned to 3/4-inch wall thickness and covered with anchor seal. It cracked within a few days. The others I have turned to about 3/8 inch, coated with shellac and none have cracked. Those with a good amount of the red covering I coated with two coats of water-based spar varnish and they have not cracked.

[Dave Mount]

Is the center of a crotch prone to splitting? I tried to post pictures but not able to.

Hi Tim--

If you're asking about cracking of the crotch you later showed a picture of, that dark bark inclusion down the seam indicates the crotch is not actually grown together and will not only separate in drying, it will be inclined come apart on the lathe unless held together by surrounding wood, is held to a larger faceplate or other fixture that allows secure fastening of both sides of the crotch, or is otherwise stabilized (thorough soaking with epoxy). Be careful spinning that piece. If you hollow from the bark side, it can seem solid until the cut enters the bark inclusion and suddenly you have two pieces of wood instead of one.

In my neck of the woods, one of the main turning woods is maple, and maple (at least in our area) is very prone to having crotches that are not fully knitted and instead have a bark inclusion separating the two halves of the crotch as shown in your pic of the oak crotch. As a result, standing trees with a fork in the main stem are very prone to have one side split off under severe snow/ice and/or wind loads. Always disappointing to have a big crotch section only to cut it apart and find that it's not sound, which is usually the case. Other species, like walnut and cherry (which we don't have locally) seem to produce nicely inter-grown crotches.

Best,

Dave

[Tim Elett]

I just finished several crotch pieces of boxelder. It is cold here in Minnesota and they were fresh cut and stored outside. The humidity in my heated basement shop is only 10%. The first one I turned to 3/4-inch wall thickness and covered with anchor seal. It cracked within a few days. The others I have turned to about 3/8 inch, coated with shellac and none have cracked. Those with a good amount of the red covering I coated with two coats of water-based spar varnish and they have not cracked.
Thanks for the advice, I have other chunks of the same wood to turn that look a lot better, I have a compost site near by, wood around here, like Minnesota grows on trees!