Green Wood Haul...Now What??

[Tom Hamilton]

Greetings:

The crew cutting trees under power lines didn't mind if I helped them with the cleanup so...

72591 I picked up some trunk segments and some large branch lengths.

72592

The trunk sections are about 10-12 inches in diameter and height.


The branches are 6-8 inches in diameter 72594

Obviously something this size won't fit on my little Delta LA200:

72595 (Stealth work in progress photo, sorta looks like a bowl don't you think?)

So, what do it do with this green wood.

Slice the trunks into 2-3 inch platters?

Cut pole to pole and then reduce to 8 inch (max size on my lathe) pieces.

How about coating? Do I need to cover it in some magic product to prevent cracking?

Can I turn it now this green? Or should I plan this stuff for 09 and later (like fine wine)

I'm all ears and will take notes.

Thanks,

Tom, in Houston, with a new lathe and a real interest in this turning stuff

[Mike Hood]

I've seen guys rough turn green wood around here (just to basic shape), and then lay the blanks up in boxes filled with shavings from the same turning. The shavings dry first, buffering the moisture loss in the main wood... and then the blank dries. Very little cracking.

[Mike Hood]

I've seen guys rough turn green wood around here (just to basic shape), and then lay the blanks up in boxes filled with shavings from the same turning. The shavings dry first, buffering the moisture loss in the main wood... and then the blank dries. Very little cracking.

[Paul Engle]

Nice looking haul for sure Tom, one thing to keep in mind when you harvest like that is to cut em at least as long as they are wide. This allows ample room for the larger bowls and platters. If you dont you are stuck with the dia of the slice for a bowl. say if tree is 16 inches around cut the piece 16 to 18 inches long so when you slice it from the side you will get blanks that are grain faced and of the same dia as the tree was.only limited by the thickness of slice ( which means the depth of the bowl) Bill Grumbe has a short vid on the subject go to the search and gooogle it in . Also no matter what , you want to seal up the cut ends now and decide later , anchor seal , or any commercial wax sealer will work to slow down the water loss and as a last resort a couple of coats of latex paint will slow it down also, you will get some minor checking and if you cut the rounds couple inches longer than the diameter it should not be too severe, cept of course fruit wood which not so much.....hope this helps

[Brodie Brickey]

If your logs are already about to size, you want to seal the cut ends with Green Wood Sealer/parafin/Anchor Seal or some old paint. The idea is to keep the end grain from drying faster than the side grain. The wood should be kept off the ground, and if possible covered from direct rain and sun.

You now have the choice of turning end grain or side grain. A lot of bowls are turned side grain, but you can turn end grain also. If its end grain, you will have more problems avoiding tear out on the face of the platter or bowl.

Rough turn until the piece is 1" thick consistently and put in a paper bag. In a couple months, come back and finish turn it, sand it, and apply finish. If you rough turn a couple in the next week, you might have them ready for Christmas.

[Tom Hamilton]

Thanks for the advice. I'll be slathering some old paint on the cut ends tomorrow.

Best regards, Tom

[Jim Underwood]

Splitting a few of them straight down the pith might not be a bad idea either. If it keeps those pieces from cracking then you've only lost a couple rather than all of them.

[Rich Souchek]

'At a way TOM.
You learn pretty fast, don't you. I would probably save some to turn right away, then coat or paint the end grain to stop/slow the drying and checking. You can cut the blanks out now, then coat theends, or just coat the log ends.
The green wood is real fun to turn. If you turn it thin, it will warp, sometimes nicely. More often not. If you rough turn, then leave a wall thickness of about an 1" to 1.25". Putting the rough turning in a paper bag, date it, then stick somewhere out of the way. Couple of months later, the wood should be dry enough and stable enough to finish turning.
Rich S.

[michael gallagher]

:mad: Tom-

Now I know who confiscated the cut wood...the kids told me they were cutting trees (I try to teach them early to scavenge) and I couldn't swing by there until the next day. Oh well...glad to see you're getting into woodturning!

Michael

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Tom, you can get the Anchor Seal at Cutting Edge for about $15.00 a gal. Coat both ends and set back out of the rain and sun. It will keep it from cracking bad.:)

[Richard Madison]

Tom,
You didn't say what kind of wood, or maybe I missed it. If oak, you might want to make a couple cuts through the center of your logs asap. Try to remove at least 1" on either side of the very center. As mentioned, wax/coat ends and a couple inches down the cut surfaces. Also mentioned, search for Bill Grumbine's tutorial on this. Shows easiest way to remove the "pith" with chainsaw.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Like was said I would cut the pith out of it and get the ends painted. If it is oak I would rough turn it green, then DNA soak (denatured Alcohol), let it dry for a month and then final turn it.