waxed wet osage ????

[richard grantham]

I just recieved some 3"x3"x8" osage which I intend to make blanks about 1 1.2"x4" to turn predator calls. Ad said processed green and immediately waxed.
By guess how long should I wait until I recut wood. Does wax seal compleatly or is it drying slowly now ??
answers appreciated.
Richard

[Jim Becker]

Wax only slows moisture loss. Most folks like to turn, at least rough, when the material is green and wet. It's easier to cut, especially for very hard woods like Osage Orange. But some type of projects demand dry wood....pens and other small accessories that must be exact sized or have non-wood parts involved. Base your decision on that.

[Dominic Greco]

Richard,
Since you said something about turning game calls, I assume that you plan on tuning this in spindle orientation. if it was a bowl blank I'd say turn it wet & over sized, wax the end grain, and allow it to dry. But for your work you need bone dry stuff.

From my experience with it I found that Osage is a tough dense wood that dries somewhat slower than other hardwoods. Due to it's hardness, it also cracks very easily. Is only the end grain waxed? If so, thats good. Set is somewhere safe and on some 3/4 x 3/4 stickers to allow the air to circulate around it. I have my 3" x 3" x 12" osage orange, and apple wood pepper mill blanks stickered and waiting up in my loft. I usually let stock that big sit for over a year.

If the entire blank is waxed, then it will take longer to dry. The reason they wax the end grain is that wood looses water quicker through the end grain. Applying wax to the open fibers at the end grain forces the water to take the slower path and reduces cracking.