Roughing green wood

[Mike Vickery]

I have worked very little green wood. I got some mesquite a little while ago and I am not sure how long it had been cut but their were several large cracks at the pith. The wood was definately still wet though. I promply cut the log section into two bowl blanks using the method Bill Grumbine lists on his web site (includeing removeing the pith) and sealed the ends with anchor seal.
Last night I roughed it to about a nine inch bowl and it looked fine after doing the outside, while working the inside I noticed a couple small cracks formed on the outside of the bowl before I was done roughing and placing in the DNA bath. I do not turn very fast so it was probably about 2 hours from when I bandsawed off the anchor sealed end to when it went in the DNA.

Question - Were the cracks formed just becuase I took to long roughing it? Is this common and is their a way to help control this other than turning faster? For example should I be wetting down the outside every 15 mintues or something while I hollow. I had considered waxing the outside when I was done before hollowing but I thought it would be a bad idea with the DNA bath assuming the wax would hinder the DNA from absorbing into the wood and would probably dissolve in the DNA possibly contaminateing my DNA.

Thanks in advance

[John Taylor]

HI

When I am rough turning wet wood after finishing the outside I always cover ti in clingfilm, I think it is called saran wrap in the US. It can be awkward getting it to stay on but it does stop the outside drying out and cracking.

john

[Robert Mickley]

I had that problem when I first started turning.
I would get the outside close, move to the insideget it close, back tot he outside and finsih roughing it then finish up the inside.

Some woods are worse than others cherry, walnut and maple never semed to give me much trouble. American beech, osage orange and locust gave me the most trouble

Never turned mesquite

[Dario Octaviano]

Mike,

As far as I know, mesquite is one of the more stable wood when it comes to drying so I doubt the cracks happened while you are turning.

Mesquite is very heavy and some wood may be under enormous stress before it was cut down. Cutting the logs in smaller sections sometimes releases the stress and cause the cracks...even before any drying starts. I've dealt with a lot of mesquite and I see these stress cracks often.

[Brad Schmid]

I agree with Dario. I turn green Mesquite all the time. I never have problems with splitting. It is very stable and the radial and tangential shrinkage is very close to the same, so warping is very minimal as well. My guess is it was probably split or wind checked before you started, and turning exposed the condition.

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

HI

When I am rough turning wet wood after finishing the outside I always cover ti in clingfilm,
john

Great tip John! I'm gonna try that!

[Harvey M. Taylor]

You mentione Mesquite. Here is what I do in turning it. I didnt 'invent' this procedure, but I use it. Mesquite is the most stable wood known. You can fell the tree, cut a turning blank, turn and finish it the same day if you are that fast. or want to. No drying time nor dna bath needed. Concerning the cracks, simply squirt some thin CA glue in it and go on. Toward the end of your turning, apply more thin CA and rub sone of the turning dust in the crack with rubber or some other glove on the applying hand. After all you dont want to spend the next 2 weeks with your thumb hopelessly glued to your forefinger, do you? You can leave the pith in, especially if it is a natural edge bowl. Just apply the CA as described above.To prevent losing the bark on a ne bowl, apply thin CA to the bark-sapwood line and usually it will stay on. If you lose a small chunk of bark, good old CA is your friend---again.For the light spots in the bark, a marksalot pen is the ticket.Mesquite is the only wood that you can go from tree to finished project the same day.No other wood can make that statement. Hopefully helpful, Max disguised as dustpan.