Turning pens from wet wood

[Gary Herrmann]

The guy that gave me the pear may want a pen made from it (SWBO is bringing other blanks in to work so he has choices)

If he wants a pear pen: What are the problems going to be if I cut to size and drill out the wet pear, insert the pen tubes then turn the pen to size?

Will the wood move a lot? I was thinking it might not, just because its so thin. However that thinness combined with being glued to the brass might make it crack, I suppose.

Have any of you made pens from wet wood, and what did you do to avoid cracking or warping?

Thanks.

[Dario Octaviano]

Never turned a pen from wet wood.

You can always microwave dry the wood before putting the tube in. Pre-drilling the blank will even make the job go faster. One word of caution, depending on the grain orientation of the wood...it can move so factor that in. You might want to drill a smaller hole then re-drill later.

[Ron Sardo]

Listen to Dario

[John Hart]

yup...Dario is definitely correct. I've even had some experience with pear in this regard. It does move and cracks fairly easy, and depending on the grain, you'll end up with hills and valleys. It was once said to me that you should boil all fruitwoods to stabilize the sugar. Don't know how true it is...but there ya are.:)

[Joash Boyton]

My suggestion, is...cut the timber, into blanks of around 7"x1"x1", cut as many as you need, than put them in the freezer, for 2 days, there is no need to wrap them or anything, just stick them straight in, take them out, let them defrost, then put them into the fridge for 2 days, take them out, let them dry, and then turn them;)

I've done this with 100 pens, from sopping wet, to a pen:)

Joash

[Tom Sontag]

Can you explain why that works Joash? What is it about freezing and refrigerating that dries the wood or speeds up the drying? I do not understand. And why bother if microwaving works so completely?

[Bob Hallowell]

Gary,
It will crack sure as ____. But Cut it in a pen blank size and do the dna soak wait 2 weeks and your good to go.

Bob

[Gary Herrmann]

Thanks everyone. I thought DNA would probably be the answer. SWMBO will have words with me if I stink up the wave with wood.

Joash, I'm also curious how the freezing and refrigeration thing works. I guess I'm not seeing how it would remove moisture.

[Dario Octaviano]

Gary,

You are free to use DNA or freezing but note that if you use the MC right, there is no way you will stink it up. You can wrap the wood in paper if you wish or do as I do now...put it in a sealable Tufferware type container, MC and open the container outside until the wood cooled down then repeat.

I did the MC method and made a pen from a wood I collected the same day (same afternoon actually). I think no other method can do it any faster than that.

[George Tokarev]

If you turn green, it'll oval on you. Might not be a bad look, but as it dries and squeezes that insert, bad things can happen.

Frostless freezers and fridges dehumidify themselves periodically, so they control loss of water pretty much as bagging or boxing and opening the box every few hours will.

Quickest way would be the microwave, but leave things a bit long, and support them on something that allows them to drain to avoid water spotting. It'll evolve from the ends, but the extra length should allow you to trim away the extractives.

[Kenneth Hertzog]

Gary
I have some dry bradford pear pen or pencil blanks if that would do you any good
ken

[Gary Herrmann]

Thanks Ken. If I don't pull of the drying thing, I'll send you a pm.

[Benjamin Dahl]

Dario, thanks for the tip about the container. just to make sure I am following your abbreviations correctly, when you write "MC" you mean microwave? I am a little slow today and want to make sure I am not missing something before nuking some wood.
Thanks,
Ben

[Dario Octaviano]

Ben,

Yes, I meant microwave...not sure why I used MC, my fault.

[Joash Boyton]

Short and sweet:D

When you put something in the fridge, with no cover, it dries out, and the same with timber....I have a large top-knotch microwave, I've tried everything, and still can't get anything to work out right *sigh*

Freeze/fridge method is best (IMHO)

Joash

[Stephen Hibbs]

I would imagine freezer method dries out the wood (those things have pretty low air moisture content) while keeping it cold enough to avoid the wood moving much and cracking. you could also try kiln drying in your oven- never done it, but I've heard of it being done.

[Bob Hallowell]

Joash,
I have dried several things in the microwave. But when I try some of your aussie burls the seem to get small cracks all through them and get ruined. Maybe that's why.

Bob

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

actually, here's what really happens with the freezer/refrigerator drying technique.

you reach into the 'fridge to get a wood blank, and you see your beer next to the stack of wood blanks.

you think, "mmmm.... beer!"

you open a beer, sit down, turn on e.s.p.n. and fall asleep on the sofa.

next night.

same thing.

this goes on until you run out of beer.

by then, your wood blanks are dry.:p

[George Tokarev]

I would imagine freezer method dries out the wood (those things have pretty low air moisture content) while keeping it cold enough to avoid the wood moving much and cracking.

Actually, they have higher relative humidity, since cold air carries less moisture. Thats why you minimize drying damage, just as you do when you create a higher relative humidity around your piece by wrapping, bagging or coating.

[Rick Sarmento]

The frig is essentially an air conditioner -- it takes moisture out of the air when cooling it.

If the wood has a lot of surface area, and not much volume (like a pen blank) this method should work – drawing moisture from the wood.

I've never tried it, but sounds like a great idea.