Last Time I Listen to Bill B

[George Tokarev]

OK, so I was impressed at Bill Blasic's hemlock bowl. Impressed enough to grab this chunk off the pile and have a go with it after roughing a couple of birch pieces, anyway. No obvious wind shakes ... until ... you guessed it, I had the outside fairly well shaped. Four good ones and two minor. Put the last of my bottle of thin CA into them both outside and in, but I have no idea in the world if they'll stay closed. One thing for sure, it'll take lots more as I work the dry piece down.

Now I remember why I hate the stuff in spite of the drama. Makes great charred and brushed picture frames, though.

Sorry - 13.5 x 5

[Bill Blasic]

George,
Sorry, when I got the wood last fall I roughed it out then put in a paper bag for about five or six weeks with the shavings. I 'm going to take a walk next door and see if there is some left as this came from his grandfathers home and there were a lot of pieces that would have been to heavy to carry. Don't know, maybe the bigger pieces will have ring shake. If he doesn't have any left I'll have him take me over and see if we can cut off a few stumps as now I'd like to see if bigger pieces will be the same as the little pieces.

[George Tokarev]

It's a low percentage wood for me, just thought I'd try it, given your pictures. I used it in the past, and it's dramatically grained, but the stuff here just doesn't seem to hold together. They call it wind shakes, but I'm not convinced it results from any mechanical action. Our black ash, another ring-porous wood is also full of seperations, but they usually have a bit of darker solubles in them to make them evident.

With only one fresh bottle of CA available this week I'll go back to birch and cherry.

Went and took a look, and may have discovered another shake this morning. Oh well, sell a good one for higher price to recover the losses, I guess.

[Burt Alcantara]

Would you explain and point out the wind shake? I've looked at the bowl and can't see anything unusual besides a knot.

I have a large quantity of pine logs. I'm probably going to let them dry a few years as they are still leaking sap. Will pine have the same wind shakes?

Thanks,
Burt

[George Tokarev]

I highlighted the ones in one end of the bowl with a pencil to make them more evident.

Second picture is the end of a hemlock piece which I won't bother turning, for obvious reasons.

Third is the same in a dry black ash board.

I've seen a lot of wind shakes in jackpine, and in some western types, so it's possible. Best answer for any wood is to rough soon and dry in the round, though if you're looking to get bluestain, I suppose you might wait. You increase the risk of radial checks originating outside the log when you do. Seal the resin with shellac becore finishing, or warm to greater than 180 for an hour like they do in a kiln, if you don't mind some surprises.