Drying Wood

[Gene Kennedy]

I’m going to start processing my own bowl, pen, and miscellaneous turning blanks, and I’ve been looking through the archives for previous posts for information about this topic. From what I’ve gathered, as a general rule of thumb in a typical air drying situation it takes about 1 year per every 1” of thickness for wood to dry. What I haven’t seen is much information posted about:

1 – Does harvesting trees in the dead of winter, when the sap is down, significantly reduce the drying time?

2 – I’m going to store my wood in an outdoor shed, so will the rate at which the wood dries slow significantly during the 2 months (or so) of winter weather we have here in Arkansas?

I know that this information is probably hidden within the 11 pages of search results, so I apologize in advance if I’m rehashing a worn out topic.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Gene

The fact of the matter in my life is not time it takes for wood to dry but rather finding time to do the cutting, coating, stacking etc.

Bowl blanks - only slab out what you can rough turn in the matter of a week. Coat with a green wood sealer. Rough turn, then adopt a drying method for your rough turned blanks ie. DNA, Soap, seal and wait, paper bag. Run a search on DNA drying. This method is popular and effective for many Creekers. Your other logs, leave in as large of pieces as you can handle with cut surfaces coated with sealer. If storage is a problem for you, Slab out the logs, in other words create blocks in sizes appropriate for your work or larger. Do not band saw them round until you will use them. This gives you flexiblity in what they might become (bowl, vase, platter) and sizes.

Small blanks for pens and stoppers I cut from the scraps of above. Dip the ends in sealer and store in a paper bag for at least one month. After that slow dry time stack on a shlef or store in an open box. Microwave drying I find effective on small pieces. (maybe because I have a late 70's tiny microwave in my shop)

Logs are best form of storage from my experience. When I first started I cut up a lot of wood that I wish now I had handled differently. I am lucky to have a under-utilized pole barn from a past hobby that is now half full of slabs, logs, drying bowls, etc.

If you are just getting started and want to be able to finish something IT IS NOT A SIN TO BUY DRY WOOD FOR TURNING. Not everyone will agree

Enjoy,

Frank

[Christopher K. Hartley]

1 – Does harvesting trees in the dead of winter, when the sap is down, significantly reduce the drying time?

2 – I’m going to store my wood in an outdoor shed, so will the rate at which the wood dries slow significantly during the 2 months (or so) of winter weather we have here in Arkansas?

I know that this information is probably hidden within the 11 pages of search results, so I apologize in advance if I’m rehashing a worn out topic. Actually this is a great topic and a couple of points I have not found much on either. I remember a comment someone recently made about #1 but can't find it now. I'm sure there must be more out there on it though. From what I have read I think the year drying estimate is one that takes into account some winter months. Other factors in other areas impact drying time more, mainly humidity. I believe what Frank says about logs is true but some of us don't live on a farm or acreage so blank cutting is a bigger priority. I like to cut bowl blanks and seal all cut surfaces before putting on the shelf. When I first started I left the face unsealed and learned some hard cracking lessons.:)

[Gene Kennedy]

Christopher- You have hit on a good point. I live in an apartment, and so the space I have available to devote to this hobby is definitely limited. I have enough room for a 8 ft wide X 3 ft deep shed, and since I can store a lot more round blanks than I can chunks of logs thats what I want to do. I run across a lot of so called "free wood" and I'm trying to maximize the space I have available, and be as efficient as possible at the same time.

What made me start thinking about this is that a friend has a couple of trees he wants cut, but he's not in a hurry since he isn't going to start building his house until next March or April . If I can benefit from cutting them down this winter I will, but if there aren't any significant benefits to cutting them when the sap is down then I'll wait and take them down in the spring when the weather is comfortable.

[Dennis Peacock]

Gene,

Welcome to SMC!!! Where are you located and if you are close enough to me or Mark Cothren, we are welcome to get with either or both of us and we'll show you what we do. I can also help you get started in turning if you would like. Just let me know.

[George Guadiane]

If you don't mind a little spalting, I find this works really well for me:
I have a (checkbook) friend cut my logs into slabs on his portable saw mill. I then cut the slabs into the largest pieces I can move by myself, seal the ends and carry them to my bandsaw. When I get to it (I keep them indoors) I cut them round and use an electric frying pan to HOT wax the edges on bowl blanks and end grain on vase blanks (always make sure you seal the end grain).
Once I have them cut and waxed, I use banana boxes which I have collected to store the blanks... I use banana boxes because they are double walled cardboard with little holes that will allow slow loss of moisture, they will also carry the weight and can be stacked as many as 5 or 6 tall. Again, stored INSIDE, I just stack them till I take them to a turning symposium where I sell them. I usually lose about 5% to checking because of the drier humidity, but it's a small enough price to pay.
Because temperature and humidity vary much more, I don't know how well this method will work outside, but it should be fair to good, especially for the ones toward the bottom and or in the centers.
I donate the scraps to a woman who uses them to keep warm all winter - she buys me breakfast once in a while.

[Gene Kennedy]

Thanks for the generous offer Dennis. I'm just down the road from you here in Saline County, but between the kids and the wife's odd work schedule I have to do most of my turning while most folks or either at work or after they have gone to bed. One of these days I plan to find the time to take you up on that offerer though. I've been looking for someone a little closer to me, but it seems the Benton area is fresh out of woodturners.

[Dennis Peacock]

Just PM me and we can work out a time to get together. Besides, I'm planning on putting on an Arky WW'ers gathering this fall here at my shop. This will be a good time for you to meet other "locals". There are at least 4 of us here in Conway and another good ww'ing buddy of ours in Little Rock.

[Irvin Cooper]

Hello Dennis.

I am up here in Jonesboro. Can you put a notice out when you plan to get some ark creekers together?? Much to learn, but few to learn from up here in these parts.

Thanks!

Irv

[Dennis Peacock]

Hello Dennis.

I am up here in Jonesboro. Can you put a notice out when you plan to get some ark creekers together?? Much to learn, but few to learn from up here in these parts.

Thanks!
Irv

You Betcha I will.....!!!!