Is it dry yet?

[Jerry Ingraham]

Ok, this may seem, and probably is, a naive question but what the hey! I have been purchasing some blanks on ebay and I'm wondering how do I tell if they're dry enough to turn to completion or not? I do not have a moisture meter and I obviously can tell if they're quite green by the shavings and the way they come off, but what about one that has been drying for say six months in it's 3" thick form? When you turn it, it seems dry but is it? Maybe if it seems dry, it is:rolleyes: . I'm still relatively new to this and am trying to avoid the trial and error of drying time by calling upon the vast amount of experience here! Thanks.

Jerry

[Mark Cothren]

I don't have a good answer for you... my method is "when in doubt, drowned it in DNA and let it dry a couple of weeks".

If you're spending money for these blanks on e-bay (or anywhere else), I'd err on the side of caution.

Just my .02 worth...

[John Timberlake]

Good question, Jerry. And I don't know the answer. You really need to know before you start turning, and a thicker blank may be "dry" on the outside but not on the inside. And what is dry for turning is probably not as dry as you need for furniture or boxes. And of course the coating on the outside of most blanks will affect how long it needs to dry. I turn mostly "dry" blanks, so I am very interested in the answers you get.

[Raymond Overman]

Does it feel dry? Is it heavy? Does it feel cool when you put it to your cheek? Has it been cut in the last two weeks? month? two years? When left in an area of fairly constant humidity does the blank lose weight over a period of 2-3 days? Do you really want to turn bone dry wood from rough to finish?

Now for the real answer...

If you rough turn a wet blank, coat the end grain with sealer inside and outside of the bowl, and set it aside where there isn't any air currents it will lose moisture to the point of equilibrium with it's environment. (I've heard this from multiple pro-turners including Bill Grumbine I think) The general rule is wood dries at 1" per year. That being said, if you rough a bowl to 1" thick, let it sit for 6 months, and turn it to finish you should be fine as long as the blank doesn't inclue any pith wood.

For bowls and vases, rough turning, drying, and re-turning is SOP. For hollow forms does it really matter if the piece is slightly oval shaped as long as there are no cracks and the wall thicknesses are uniform?

Good luck.

[John Miliunas]

Does it feel dry? Is it heavy? Does it feel cool when you put it to your cheek?

You know, I tried that once. A trip to the ER and now I've got this nasty scar on the side of my face!!! :eek: The ER doc wasn't a woodworker but suggested that maybe I shoulda' turned the lathe "off" first???? :confused: :D :cool:

[Rich Stewart]

When I buy wood from ebay I just ask the seller if it is dry. He is going to assume you will be able to tell when you get it so he probably won't lie to you. If it isn't I keep looking. I can get all the green wood I want for free. There are so many people selling pen blanks on ebay there isn't any reason to buy green blanks.

[Raymond Overman]

You know, I tried that once. A trip to the ER and now I've got this nasty scar on the side of my face!!! :eek: The ER doc wasn't a woodworker but suggested that maybe I shoulda' turned the lathe "off" first???? :confused: :D :cool:

John,

You're the reason they put the line in a chainsaw manual, "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands." Thanks for reminding us about safety.

[Dennis Peacock]

You know, I tried that once. A trip to the ER and now I've got this nasty scar on the side of my face!!! :eek: The ER doc wasn't a woodworker but suggested that maybe I shoulda' turned the lathe "off" first???? :confused: :D :cool:

Makes my face hurt just thinking about that John!!!!:eek:

[John Hart]

You know, I tried that once. A trip to the ER and now I've got this nasty scar on the side of my face!!! :eek: The ER doc wasn't a woodworker but suggested that maybe I shoulda' turned the lathe "off" first???? :confused: :D :cool:

Yeah but...you never did say whether it was cool to your cheek. Did the bloodstain affect the finish? Did you bother to wrap it up in newspaper before you went to the ER? So...is this what is known as a Face Turning?:confused: :rolleyes: :) :)

[John Miliunas]

Yeah but...you never did say whether it was cool to your cheek. Did the bloodstain affect the finish? Did you bother to wrap it up in newspaper before you went to the ER? So...is this what is known as a Face Turning?:confused: :rolleyes: :) :)

LOL!!! :D You guys are just way too much! Guess that's why I love this place and the people here! :D But, to answer your questions, John, I don't rightfully remember; My head was just spinnin'!:D :cool:

[Ian Abraham]

Jerry

If you have some digital kitchen scales you can weigh the piece of wood.
Write down the weight and leave it for a week.
Now weigh it again, if it's got lighter, then it's still drying.
Once the weight is approx the same for several weeks in a row, then the wood is as dry as it's ever going to get.
It's not super accurate, and wont tell you what the MC actually is, but it will tell you when the wood is properly acclimatised :)

Cheers

Ian