Drying Green Spindle Blanks

[Don Stephan]

What success is possible trying to dry 12" x 3" x 3" green spindle blanks without excessive shrinkage cracks? 12" x 4" x 4"?

[Richard Coers]

Lots of success. I don't accept any cracks, so excessive cracking is an unusual request in my mind. I have a load of wood ready to go to a symposium this week that are as thick as 8" with no cracks. Species makes a huge difference. You need to work with fresh cut, not wood that has set in the sun and wind for days, and you really need good control of treating end grain. You have to understand wood shrinkage as that is a major cause of cracking. Knots and closer than 1" to the pith are forbidden. And just for detail, all this wood was cut at least 10 years ago, so very dry.
499820

[Reed Gray]

Rough turn them to round. Put a 1/4 round profile on the ends, maybe 1/4 inch radius. Put some titebond or elmers glue on the ends, and down maybe an inch. If you are going to be using them for salt and pepper mills, drill a 1/2 inch or so diameter hole all the way through the center. I have rolling pin blanks that I have done this with and no problems, even with Pacific Madrone. They will need to sit for several years before reaching equilibrium. I start mine on the concrete floor of my shop, then move up to shelves after a year or so, if I remember....

robo hippy

[Maurice Mcmurry]

What type of wood are you working with? I agree with Richard, lots of success should be possible.

[Don Stephan]

The local woodturning group has encountered a lot of splitting in spindle blanks and I was looking for suggestions. I looked at some honey locust 3x3x8 I put aside a year ago after coating the ends, and didn't see significant cracking, but I didn't look closely.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have processed some black locust much like firewood. Start with extra length. I cut a log into 3 foot sections and wait for 5 minutes to 5 hours for the first crack to appear in the end grain. Then drive in wedges and split the log up into fire wood (more or less). Coat the ends and stack off of the ground, in the shade, crisscross, and cover the stack with sheetmetal or rubber roofing. Wait a year or longer, remove the bark and move indoors or to sunny spot, and provide some air circulation, wait as long as you can, or at least several months then mill the chunks with what ever method is available. Then put the milled wood in a kiln or drying cabinet, slowly bring the temperature up over several weeks. finish at 145 degrees or hotter. I have a bunch processed this way but I milled it to 2 inches rather than 3. I am working on two 30 inch trees this week. In a year I will get some lumber out at 3 inches. I have some stump chunks from the tree in my "Black Locust" album that are 3 inches and more, still outdoors.
Maurice Mcmurry's Album: Black Locust (https://sawmillcreek.org/album.php?albumid=984)