Kiln dried or green?????

[Barry Stratton]

I know many of you have access to a bunch of great turning wood and prepare your own blanks. I end up buying most of the wood I use and having it shipped to me.

For those of you who buy turning wood (not including pen blanks), do you prefer kiln dried or green?

I just ordered 12 box blanks - kiln dried walnut 3X3X6". While the price was higher than what I paid for some green ash also on the way, I was wondering if the cost would be made up for due to the lower shipping costs of kiln dried, lower chance of "failure" due to rough turning, then waiting to dry while rolling chicken bones, and the ability to finish immediately.

Thanks.

[Curt Fuller]

I think if I was going to buy wood I'd want it dried and end sealed. Free wood is almost always green and it's also almost always unpredictable. I've never bought very much wood but at the prices they want for it I'd want a little assurance that it's not going to warp, split, or any of the other things green wood does.

[Corey Hallagan]

I buy all of my wood dried and prefer to turn dried wood, either air dried or kiln dried and get it shipped. All of the dried wood I have turned so far did not move at all. It is more expensive that way, but I don't have to mess with DNA and all that. Also, i don't do bowls. Most of what I turn is 3 - 4 inch thick stock or less. Small stuff for me which also makes the dry stuff a little more affordable. Just my preference.

Corey

[John Hart]

Hmmm....I like everything....But then, I'm kinda goofy.:o
I'll turn kiln dried wood if I want something done all in one session, but the green wood that is available laying around can often times be striking and gnarly and turn into the most dazzling pieces. To get a striking and gnarly piece of kiln-dried wood is pretty expensive.

Kiln dried is harder to turn and generates more heat. Green wood tends to move and is somewhat unpredictable. I bet if you listed all the pros and cons.....they'd come out even.

[Joe Fisher]

When I buy wood, I buy KD. As you say, you're getting what you paid for that way. You also don't have to pay to ship water.

That said, 95% of the turning I do is with wet wood. I don't mind dealing with the unpredictables; I think it makes for a better experience. I've found some great sources of free wood (FreeCycle, Craigslist), and now have so much wood, I've got to start splitting it for firewood just to make room!

-Joe

[Jim Becker]

For spindle work, including pens, you want dry wood for stability. For anything else, you want green or partially green.

[Jim King]

Coming from a different part of the world than most of you I have never tried turning dry wood. My experience watching and listenening to others is that waiting for a 6 inch thick blank to dry and watching it slowly crack would not be a pleasant experience. I rough turn every thing to about an inch thick and then boil it for a minimum of four hours or more no problem. The wood dries very fast and is extremly stable. Attached is a photo of a 12 " x 12" covered bowl turned fresh and boiled. If you look at the turning process on my web site www.exoticwoodworld.com (http://www.exoticwoodworld.com) you will see a very interesting article and photos about boiling wood.

[Jim Becker]

Coming from a different part of the world than most of you I have never tried turning dry wood.

Jim, welcome to SMC!!! I hope you'll post frequently as I've really enjoyed all the interesting species you've displayed at WoW. Fantastic!

[Jim King]

Jim: Thanks for the welcome in, I will try to post some interesting peices. The problem is we have actually been working day and night on wood exports and not that much time to play.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Barry spindles, some boxes and pens I like to turn dry. I like to turn bowls and also like to turn boxes green.

[Mike Ramsey]

Like Jim, I prefer green for everything but pens and spindle work.
But if the spindle work is made from mesquite like my bonker (small) then
I prefer green.

[Scott Loven]

Barry, FYI you can have your suppliers send you wood in USPS flat rate boxes. $8.10 from anywhere in the US to any other location in the US up to 70 pounds. The boxes are free from the USPS. Box sizes are 11*8.5*5.5 and 11.875*3.375*13.625. I use this service to ship Kreg screws, clamps and other small high weight lower price items.
Scott

[Michael Stafford]

I prefer dry wood for boxes, just as Jim Becker says, for stability reasons but I have successfully dried green wood blanks using the alcohol method developed by Dave Smith. I find that I must season the wood a little longer even after the normal drying process by placing it in a warm spot. I use my hot water heater closet. Boxes need to be turned thin and this will also minimize problems. Some folks microwave box blanks but I have not experimented with that as of yet.