Red oak......

[Bonnie Campbell]

Any tips on turning green red oak? We just had some big limbs cut off the tree that shades our cabin today. I know I need to paint the end grain while it sits. But I'm not up on turning green woods. So any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

TIA :)

[George Guadiane]

Any tips on turning green red oak? We just had some big limbs cut off the tree that shades our cabin today. I know I need to paint the end grain while it sits. But I'm not up on turning green woods. So any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

TIA :)
Rough turn inside and out, all in one sitting, the stuff likes to crack. Seal the rough out, at least on the outside and/or put it in a brown paper bag with fresh moist shavings so that the wood can find equilibrium a little at a time.
Red oak soaks up finish, the end grain is like soda straws, it's hard to fill them up, that's why the wood tends to crack (from what I understand). The end grain has REALLY nice character though, I really like the way the wood works and looks.

[Richard Madison]

Is post oak red or green? Lost my list of which species are which.

Most important to remove an inch or two of the center pith ASAP, amount depending upon log size, and wax the ends of half logs.

Next most important is to protect the lathe ways. Consider a film of oil, covered by a layer of impermeable plastic. Wet oak will stain/corrode the ways as you stand there looking at it.

Have had better results roughing, sealing, and waiting, than turning immediately to near finished size, but have relatively few data points. Others have more experience.

Good to keep the piece wet while turning, with spray bottle or wet rag applied frequently. Before coffee break and especially before lunch, wet the piece and wrap in plastic until you return.

If preparing to reverse the piece onto a chuck to do the inside, consider a tenon rather than a recess for the chuck, as the chuck jaws expanding into a recess will tend to split the wood.

In summary, I love oak, especially the end grain, and it is well worth the extra effort. Sometimes.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Bonnie, let me add to what George has said. Because of the tendency of red oak to split and warp I would at a minimum double coat with AnchorSeal all over after you rough out and leave in the paper bag much longer than normal. The slower drying process will help you lessen the splitting process. You might also try the boiling process that Stephen Russell uses. http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/index.html just click "Boiling":)

[Terry Quiram]

Wear rubber gloves. It will turn your hands black.:eek: :D

Terry

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thanks so much for all the helpful information! :)

I think I'll give boiling a try and the paper bag shavings. Isn't there a way of 'drying' in the freezer too? Maybe trying a few different tactics I'll at least get ONE to turn out :rolleyes:

[Bonnie Campbell]

Okay, got one 'drying' with shavings in a paper bag. Geesh! I need to start getting paper bags from the grocery store! Took me forever to track this old bag down in the house. What a waste of good wood..... making paper bags lol

[David Fried]

Isn't there a way of 'drying' in the freezer too? :rolleyes:

There was a gentleman from Australia who used to post here that dried his wood that way. I tried a few small pieces. I put then in the freezer and forgot about them. Several weeks later I discovered them covered in frost. I moved them to the refrigerator and left them on top shelf for a while. When I finally got around to turning them they were quite dry.

I recently did this with a Maple bowl I had rough turned. It is currently sitting on the counter, still just rough turned, and appears dry. The one thing I noticed it all the pieces had very little distortion and no cracking.

When the kids are starving they hate opening the fridge and finding wood!:D