Using "Green" Wood For Router Bowls

[Keith Starosta]

I'm going to post this in the Turner's forum, because it is related to creating "spinny things". I've recently finished up my first router bowl (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=799330&posted=1#post799330). I'm pretty happy with the results, and my head is starting to spin with possible concepts. That led me to this question.

Turner's use "green" wood all the time using a lathe. Would it make sense that the same type of green wood could be used with templates, routers, collet extensions, and router bits? There's a pretty decent chance that I'm missing something that would make this concept a bad idea, but I'm not sure what it could be.

I'd be very interested to see what the collective SMC Turner's society thinks of this concept. Thanks very much!!

- Keith

[Jim Maxwell]

In a word Keith..... no. Reason is that timber will shrink across the grain and circles will become ovals, spindles become ovals too.
Jim

[Jim Becker]

Keith, while you "could" do this, the cutters, etc., are really better suited to dry wood. When turners use green wood, they generally (but not always) turn something rough and then dry it further before finishing off.

[Mark Patoka]

It might be worth a try but I have the same concerns about routing really green, wet wood. For some reason I envision the router bit having problems hogging out the wet wood. When you turn it, you literally can get sprayed from all the moisture. It will also warp, twist or crack while it dries which is why turners have to go back to true it up.

If it routed OK and you left the 10% extra material to allow for drying, you may have a hard time reattaching your templates to the warped blank to finish it.

Can't hurt to try it, you may find it works OK.

[dennis kranz]

Is your router water proof? Green wood is sometimes very wet wood.
Dennis