dna question

[curtis rosche]

i had the apple burl soaking over thurssday night turned a little more of it on friday and soaked it the rest of the weekend i pulled it out today and turned the outside and then let it dry how long should i let it dry? does alcohol always make your tools sticky?

[curtis rosche]

i just rechecked the bowl i have papertowel around the outside the top edge is cracking the bowl has the pith in it its about an inch down on one side and it about an 1/8 from the other side its cracking right on the grain any way to stop it? if not and the peice breaks off should it be cut off to hide it or leave it with a hole in it ill get pics later tonight

[Darryl Hansen]

The alcohol will make some woods a bit sticky. How long you let it dry is a function of how wet the wood was to begin with. when you are satisfied with the rough shape wrap the piece in newspaper. Weigh it on a kitchen scale and record the weight . A cheeeep postal scale is great for this (ebay $25.00). Record the weight each day or so until it stabilizes. You'll get a big drop at first that will slow down as equilibrium is reached. When the weight stops dropping (maybe two weeks or so) the piece is ready for final turning or finishing depending on what you are doing with it. In place of the scale after you have done this once or twice you can tell how "wet" it still is by touching it to your face. It has a distinct feeling when it has cured that is easy to recognize.

[Darryl Hansen]

The cracking is due to drying too fast and having the pith inside the turning. You might try putting a bit of ca at the end of the crack. It will probably turn white but might save the turning.

[Darryl Hansen]

Oh by the way you need to wrap the turning in several several pieces of newpaper with the bottom having the least covering and turn it upside down as it drys. There is a great explanation fo the proces on Dave Smith's web site. He developed the process .

[Reed Gray]

How thick is the piece? If it is about 1/4 inch, it will be dry enough to sand and finish it about 4 or 5 days, and at equilibrium (as dry as it will get) in about 10 days to 2 weeks. This time does not vary weather you soaked in DNA, LDD, or air dried. Thicker bowls take longer. Cracks happen, and some woods crack more than others. The fruit woods tend to crack more. Leaving the pith in increases your chances of cracking. If there are any visible cracks before you start to dry, then put some ca in the crack. It won't always prevent the crack from getting bigger, but it will slow it down some. For drying, remember, too fast and it will crack, and too slow and it will mold. This is why you use paper bags, news papers, bags with shavings, etc. to create a micro environment to keep the wood from drying out too fast.
robo hippy

[Scott Hubl]

Not to steal the thread but, should I look for a 75LBS postal scale? Or a Larger one? I'll have a 3520B lathe.:confused:

I was just now outbid on one.:mad:

[Darryl Hansen]

Gee I rarely ever turn anything over 30 pounds. Much more than that is hard to get up to the lathe for me. By the time its is hollow it weighs a lot less than that.

[Scott Hubl]

So the 75LBS scale should be good then?

when I saw your post I went to the Bay, there was one ending in 3 minutes it sold for $15.50 my max bid was 15.00

There are plenty more of the same to bid on.

[Scott Hubl]

OH,
I don't know anything about using DNA but Removiving the Pith from a bowl is taught in Woodturning 101 anyplace you look or read.

Get that pith OUT!;)

[Robert McGowen]

Curtis,

If I read your post correctly, you are doing things a little out of order for using DNA.

1) Rough turn your bowls to the thickness that you want to soak them at.

2) Soak the bowl at least 24 hours, but I have heard that longer won't really hurt.

3) Take out of DNA and wrap in a couple of sheets of newspaper and cut a small hole in the open top so that air can circulate. Store upside down until it stops losing weight. I have never checked the weight as I am usually so busy that by the time I get to it, it is dry for sure. Probably looking at 3 - 4 weeks time.

4) Unwrap and finish turn it. As it has been sitting there for 4 weeks, you should never have alcohol on your tools, smell alcohol, or even know it had ever been in alcohol when turning it.

Good luck!

[Robert McGowen]

Scott,

As far as the scale, if you are turning a piece that is still 75 lbs. after rough turning to an inch thickness or less, then you are really turning one humongous piece. A scale going to 75 lbs. probably won't give you the accuracy that you are looking for, as you are probably looking at losses by the ounce when you get near the end and the bowl is at its lightest. Just my take on things. Good luck.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Robert. You need to rough turn the bowl to about 10% of the width. Most times 10" or less I leave 3/4" thick. I soak for 24 to 48 hrs. I then wrap in a brown grocery sack. Cut a opening in the bowl part. Turn upside down on a cooling rack you buy from Wal-Mart for $2. I let them dry for 3 or more weeks. Then return to the lathe and finish. I don't think a papertowel is going to cut it and I would not soak, then turn, then soak and then turn.

[Scott Hubl]

OK so you only would use a scale with rough turned items then?
I never used a scale thats why I was asking about its capabilities, so a 50LBS scale should do well?

I thought you could use them to weigh just cut blanks too , anchor seal set aside and weigh those to keep track of when they are dry enough.

What size scale are you using?
I plan on utilizing a small overhead crane to lift wet blanks up on the lathe, Tim Yoder has one over his Stubby, He wrote about it online someplace.

[curtis rosche]

i will try to keep the pith in it unless something else happens has anyone ever tryied microwave drying