Chesnut out of the snow!

[Johnathan Bussom]

Well the snow is melted so now tell me what to do with these or are they cut too short???

[Jim Becker]

Turn them. But relative to "too short"...there isn't any indication of scale. What sizes are we looking at?

[William Fourness]

Seal them up and turn them. If your not going to do anything with them let me now. I'll see if I can get a truck and come down with some cash. But please just don't let that go to waste.

Bill

[George Morris]

They look awfull to me do you want me to road trip up to take them off your hands? Just kidding seal them then turn them!! George

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Johnathon, Most of the logs look plenty long enough as they appear about as long as they are wide. Ideally you would want them a bit longer than the width in the event that the log had started cracking from the pith (center soft segment of the log). First, you should know the swing (distance from the spindle to the bed rails)of your lathe. I wouldn't cut blanks larger than what my lathe would handle.
BOWL PROCESS: First, with a chainsaw, cut the center section of the log out where the pith is contained. I like to cut blanks rough round with my chainsaw; however, some like to keep the log in it's halved stage until they are ready to turn it the choice is yours. Once cut, I Anchor Seal the blank. If the blank is round then Anchor Seal all the cut surfaces. If it is in halved, seal the ends and about 1/2" to 1" in from the end edge of the cut face. Let them dry for about 24 hours then store them on a pallet or on shelves.
End Grain Process: (end grain turning is turning where the ends of the log are set between the spindle and tailstock) In this orientation you would just seal the ends of the log and store it whole.
Rectangular or Square Blanks: If you like turning other items such as lidded boxes, pepper mills, goblets and the like, you can cut the rectangular or square blanks from the log in any orientation (end or cross grain) you prefer. Seal the endgrain and do the overlap seal mentioned above on all four sides.
Crotches: (Crotches are where two or more branches come together in the log) Starting out you may wish just to seal the ends and save them until you decide just how you wish to proceed. If you do wish to cut them, one way is to split the crotch removing the pith and seal the ends with overlap. Crotch wood can be very interesting and makes some neat stuff.
Not knowing how new you are to turning, I included as much detail as I wished I'd had when I started. If you already knew these things please forgive me and consider it to be for someone else who may need the help. If I've left anything out or miss-spoken any of the directions, I'm sure the guy's will chime in. After all, none of us want miss-information going out that will make your turning life less enjoyable. Hope this helps.:)

[Bill Wyko]

Hey Christopher, thanks for the reply. It's not my thread but the info is great. Rember I am still a newbie so this kind of info really helps. ;)

[Johnathan Bussom]

Christopher,
Thank you very much for the information, I am not real new to turning but most of my turning has been with smaller projects except for my segmented work.
At my age I look at safety a lot and don't think I want to tackle anything very big on this antique lathe setup I now use, especially with a piece that would be out of balance to begin with.
That said I have made contact with a person who I think will pick it up so that it will not go to waste!

I have taken a piece or 2 for my own use that I squared up with my jointer and saw and will cut up for some pen blanks and bottle stoppers, I did wrap the pieces with suran rap for now (hope that is ok) and have a couple pen blanks in the refrigerator..... wife just loves me....

Your information is very good for me as I do have some trees that I plan to cut, don't know what the tree is but I think the grain look nice on bottle stoppers etc and I have wondered for a long time how I needed to get it dried so it wouldn't split! included pics of unknown wood.

Maybe in the near future a better lathe will be something to consider if I could justify the price but that too is wishful thinking so until then I just enjoy seeing all the beautiful work presented here on the Creek and eat my heart out with envy.

Many thanks again for sharing your knowledge, I am sure others will also gain from this.

John

[Perry Higgins]

Christopher,
The other guys are exactly right. The information you provided is really a great service to some of us new comers. I've been leaving the wood I'm able to salvage in 3 to 4 foot lengths with the ends sealed, but once cut it is a battle to get it turned before the cracks takeover. I hadn't heard about slabbing and resealing the ends with the overlap. That makes a lot of sense and will save many good pieces. Thanks for the help. Perry