Anyone havested & turned Madrona? (stealth gloat)

[Jamie Straw]

I'm gonna need advice from anyone who's found a fairly reliable technique for getting Madrona to dry evenly. Check this out!! [sorry, I'm a little excited]. One of the stables where I ride took down some "dangerous trees" today, and I got to bring home some Mardona. Went over there expecting perhaps 8-9" limbs or some such thing. Lookeeee what I brought home. Biggest are 13"-14"D. They are all now Anchosealed and waiting for mommy to get brave.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I think one of our members turns madrone almost exclusively.

[Jamie Straw]

So, if anyone out there has experience with green Madrona, I'd love to know what you think is the best way to approach this notoriously rebellious stuff. I'm sure it's best to turn it green. But after that? DNA?? Anchorseal?? Something else?? I'm all ears!

[Jamie Straw]

I think one of our members turns madrone almost exclusively.

Wow, that must be a record, Ken -- superfast. I hope he sees my thread.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

His name is Reed Gray.....uses the handle "Robo Hippy". PM him if he doesn't see the thread.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ken is right. Reed does turn a lot of madrone. Give him a PM.

[David E Keller]

I'm not an expert, but I believe many people boil it to 'stabilize' it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Sure is some good looking wood! Looking forward to hearing what Reed recommends!

[Wally Dickerman]

So, if anyone out there has experience with green Madrona, I'd love to know what you think is the best way to approach this notoriously rebellious stuff. I'm sure it's best to turn it green. But after that? DNA?? Anchorseal?? Something else?? I'm all ears!

Madrone is the most unstable wood in North America. Really the only successful way to tame it is by boiling. Dale Larson, AAW board member, has turned hundreds of madrone burl salad bowls. He rough turns them and then boils them. Try Steve Russell's web site for some good info on boiling wood.

Madrone burl is just about my favorite wood to turn...but only after it has been stabilized by boiling.

I once tried an experiment with wet madrone (madrona in the NW). I turned a wet piece of it into a bowl shape with very thin walls. While I was turning I kept the wood wet with a sponge and a bucket of water. I put it in a paper bag for a few days. When I got a look at it, it had warped so much that it resembled a hospital bedpan. I kept it for awhile until somebody talked me out of it.

Wally

[Jim Sebring]

You might want to contact Melanie Mankamyer. She's the Membership Chairman of our club (Northwest Washington Woodturners) and lives in Bellingham. She's turned some pretty big Madrone on her monster British bowl lathe. One of her bowls I've seen runs around 20 plus inches. Osjandmm@fidalgo.net

[Jamie Straw]

You might want to contact Melanie Mankamyer. She's the Membership Chairman of our club (Northwest Washington Woodturners) and lives in Bellingham. She's turned some pretty big Madrone on her monster British bowl lathe. One of her bowls I've seen runs around 20 plus inches. Osjandmm@fidalgo.net

Thanks, Jim, will do that! Kinda wish I was up that far north -- I've heard that's a great group. Still haven't made it to the Bremerton chapter meeting. Hopefully in May.

[Jamie Straw]

I'll look at that info on boiling, thanks. I know it's a badly-behaved wood. But I just love the stuff. I have a big Madrona board in the shop -- acquired from a credit I had with a miller on the island here. 8/4 thick, ~12" wide and 10' long. Dry and straight. What a marvel! Have no idea what I'll do with it, but may never see another one.

[Jamie Straw]

Try Steve Russell's web site for some good info on boiling wood.
Wally

That's a great article, Wally, thanks for the link. I was an academic of sorts in a past life, appreciate studies such as his. I see a 55 gal drum and a propane burner in my future!

[Edward Bartimmo]

I have done some boiling and you definetly want to do it outside (some wood smells like you are making crap soup). If you want a pot with dual purpose then you may consider a crawfish boiling pot. HomeDepot sells them $50....usually 20" in diameter and equally tall...much more volume than a turkey frying pot. The added advantage is that you can boil some shrimp or crabs after you wash it out.

Steve Russell is a big advocate of boiling wood and has done a number of write-up and research on it over the years (see link)

http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com...-protocol.html

[Jamie Straw]

Thanks for the tip on the crawfish pot, I'd not have thought of Home Depot. No worries about me boiling wood in the house, ooooo yuck. Besides, that propane burner he uses would be realllllly dangerous inside. I spent some time last night reading the article about Steve Russell's study comparing boiling with simple paper-bag drying -- 450 bowls in the sample. Picture of burner below, have to find out where to get one.

No cooking for me once the pot's been used for a bunch of bowls. Sounds like it can get pretty gunky. "The extractives in the timber will quickly make a mess of your boiling pot and you will not want to use it for anything else." Besides, there are just two of us, not sure what we'd eat that would need a pot that big!

This is a "Cajun style propane burner." Not a common sight in the Great Northwest, but they're probably out there somewhere......