My LDD Story

[Anthony Yakonick]

In the fall of 2001 I found a Silver maple burl log like no other, it was 18'x38-42" solid burl. After a few weekends of cutting I started turning so much burl I got tired of burl and put some away for later. A few weeks ago I found a few pieces and decided to turn some and found it was dry hard and NASTY, so I mixed up a batch of LDD (liquid dish detergent) and water and put the rough turning in for a week and then let it drain for a day. In the end I had a piece of burl that turned and worked like it was fresh cut and dried evenly. I was wondering if anyone else has rehydrated any wood.

[Anthony Yakonick]

Here's the second one from last night I did the same way, this one was cut in Feburary 01 and was nasty too.

[Jim Becker]

Anthony, I haven't used the LDD technique yet, but more and more folks are adapting it, both to cut down on cracking/checking and to help ease turning of "nasty hard wood" like you describe. The recent article in <i>American Woodturner</i> (the AAW (http://www.woodturner.org) magazine for those not familiar with it) has sparked even more interest. At that "other forum site" I frequent, there have been several threads on the subject in the woodturning forum in the past couple of weeks alone.

I have some wood and burls on my shelves that are good candidates for the process and since all the kitchen stuff that was stored in big plastic containers during the renovation is back where it belongs, I have a nice big bin to try the process. (I got a nice hunk of sliver maple burl at the BWT auction a couple of years ago and I bet it's gonna be very much like the ones you have been turning... :D ) I'll probably try it once spring arrives and the possibility of freezing overnight passes.

Oh, yea...that new vessel turned [sic] out wonderfully! 'Can't wait to see it in person next month if you don't sell it off. :rolleyes:

[Dave Smith]

I have had success in salvaging a cracked roughed out bowl by boiling it. The crack closed and stayed closed during the finishing process. It is still closed as far as I know.

I have tried LDD for a while but was not that impressed with the over all results on green wood. I will say that Pentacryl stinks in more ways than one. I tried it for stabilizing wood about 3 years ago. I turned some blanks recently that had soaked in it and they still stink. I haven't tried LDD on dried burl easing the turning. Sounds like it worked for you.

Dave Smith

Always something to learn in Longview, WA.

[Tom Sweeney]

I have a fair amount of very nice spalted & figured maple (some pieces with both) from a big old tree on my property. Some of this wood is really nice but there is a lot of hairline cracking in it. The wood is very hard & dry - the shavings get hot coming off it while turning.

A.) Anthony did the LDD help close any cracks - or just make it easier to turn?

B.) Dave - do you have a link to the proceedure - or could you let me know what it is - on boiling?

below is a pic of a bowl I turned out of it a while ago (my first bowl actually). It didn't have as much cracking as a few other peices I've worked with, including one last night which had a lot. There is also a pic of the tree - where you can see the extent of the cracks.

Thanks

Edited cause I forgot to say how beautifull the turnings are Anthony - course that usually goes without saying with your work.

[Bill Grumbine]

Anthony, I feel very badly about leaving you to be burdened all alone with that nasty dry burl. I'd be glad to share that burden with you, soap or no soap. :D

By the way, very nice turnings!

Bill