Unbalanced blank

[Paul Zerjay]

Anyone ever get a blank that just would not get balanced? I got an extra large piece of walnut from an old farmer who asked if I would just take it so he could get rid of it. I cut it into 4 pieces and still needed help to load them into the truck. I processed one of the pieces today and got several large blanks out of it. I don't know if the original log was sitting on the ground so long that it soaked up moisture on one side more than the other, or what. I just can't seem to get this thing to balance out for nothing. It started out at 10" dia x 14" long (end grain) and now I'm down to about 8". I might end up with a toothpick!

[Reed Gray]

I hardly ever find blanks that are perfectly balanced. that is just the nature of wood. There are many theories as to why, but for me, wood isn't a consistant material. Crotch pieces are the worst for being out of balance. Straight grained without any knots balance the best. I don't know if gravity will influence water movement unless one end is left on the ground as most of the water in a tree moves up and down, not sideways.
robo hippy

[George Tokarev]

Ah yes, been there and had to do that a few times. It's the water following the dictates of gravity. Best way is to saw the blank into a wet side and a dry, but failing that, you'll have to keep the speed low until the bowl is fairly well hollowed. Then you can push compressed air through the wet grain to eject the unbound water fairly well. Spinning to throw it centrifugally can cause a dismount unless you cut between centers as I do.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Hi,
You might check to see if your two centers line up EXACTLY. If not, you will never balance the blanks. Speaking from experience. Max

[Jim Becker]

Absolutely I've experienced this, especially with spalted material.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Paul look at it this way, For those of us in the Abyss to be where we are and want to keep going...well...do you call that in balance? So why expect it from all our blanks? By the way, been there done that as well.:eek:

[Paul Zerjay]

Never thought of it that way. I've never been the balanced sort. Kind of profound.