Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Simple black walnut question

  1. #1

    Simple black walnut question

    I obtained some pretty pristine green, black walnut logs. My question is, based on how walnut dries down, would I have a better outcome if i just rough turned the bowls and put them away to season or can I finish turn them green and achieve a good product doing it that way. I would prefer to finish turn them green but i don't want to mess up a beautiful piece of wood.

  2. #2
    I have reversed turned many walnut bowls from green wood and they turn out fine but to turn a normal bowl I have always had to dry the wood. There is too much warping in a normal bowl when turned green for my taste but with a reversed turned bowl (for me) it is not an issue.

  3. If you turn all the way down, you will have a lot of warping....ovaling and perhaps cracking. What is recommended is to rough turn the outside, then hollow the inside to a thickness that is about 1/10th of the diameter of the bowl. Example a 10 inch diameter bowl, should be left 1" thickness, and that will allow ovaling, and if you will take some wet shavings, put them in a large paper bag, and coat the end grain of the bowl with anchorseal, then seal the bag up for a few months at a steady temperature, the bowl will dry slowly with little to any cracking.

    Weigh the bowl every two weeks, and when you get 3 consistent weights, then you know its dry. The put it back on the lathe and true it up, and finish turn to the desired thickness. This is a tried and true technique we use..
    Remember, in a moments time, everything can change!

    Vision - not just seeing what is, but seeing what can be!




  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Hogan View Post
    I obtained some pretty pristine green, black walnut logs. My question is, based on how walnut dries down, would I have a better outcome if i just rough turned the bowls and put them away to season or can I finish turn them green and achieve a good product doing it that way. I would prefer to finish turn them green but i don't want to mess up a beautiful piece of wood.
    The question I ask myself in that situation is whether I want the finished bowl to be round or if I don't mind if it goes out of round. I don't think either way would be considered "messed up" - it's personal preference. Black walnut does warp less than some, but it will warp enough to be noticed.

    The last time I turned a 16" walnut bowl I rough turned it to about 1", let it dry for a half a year, then finish turned it. I usually prefer things round but I have turned some green to finish then let them warp.

    Another way to turn it green is in end-grain orientation, then it warps relatively little. Nice for vases, vessels, hollow forms, goblets, calabash bowls, etc.

    Another option if you might turn something other than bowls - cut some of it up into turning blanks, wax the endgrain, and put them up to dry. I prefer to turn dry wood so I do that with most of the green wood I get. Dry wood is great for lidded boxes, goblets, ornaments, gavels, hand mirrors, vessels, small bowls, platters, spindles - basically almost everything except big bowls. I usually make end grain blanks from 1" to 3-4" square, platter and bowl blanks as big in diameter as the log will allow and 6/4 to 12/4 thick. Even if you don't turn such things now, who knows what you might want to do a few years from now. It's nice to have a supply of free dry wood at hand! And walnut blanks usually dry gracefully.

    JKJ

  5. #5
    ymmv, but I get the most predictable results when twice turning.

    I like to cut prized wood into several sections and bowl them different ways:

    I do the largest section by twice turning to maximize size. I do the smaller sections outside in, live edge, or finished green.

    I guess this hedges my bets but allows me to take some risks with smaller sections where I can minimize the variation in pith distance which helps in stability.

  6. #6
    I cut down a large walnut here on my own property. I stacked and coated the wood in chucks a little longer than diameter. A few are over 20 inches in diameter. Some crotch pieces are almost 30 inches across. The wood has been stacked for 3yrs and 5 months. So far I made one 10 inch bowl so far, although I milled one of the sections into small boards and spindle turning blanks on my band saw. Dry walnut dust is very harmful and I rigged special fresh air breathing protection for sanding. I attached extra long tubing to my old c-pap machine. The machine can sit outside or even upstairs and still reaches to push air to me in the workshop.

  7. #7
    There are two things going on with bowl warp. Moisture related warp and the warp that can occur after removing the internal structure of a bowl - even kiln dried wood. Wood is comprised of cellular structures that support the weight of the tree and resist forces against the tree - wind, etc. When that internal structure is removed then the bowl may well react to that by warping, even if it is bone dry. My experience is that twice turned bowls are far more stable.

    Left click my name for homepage link.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    lufkin tx
    Posts
    2,054
    Slather on the wax based endseal--it's cheap compared to good wood and twice turn--it works.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
    Posts
    3,540
    I twice turn usually, but you can get something more from a wet turned to finish, not like an ordinary shape.

    How much it warps depend some on the shape you turn it to, I’ll show some here that got turned green.

    Walnut is quite forgiving in drying if you keep the walls thickness even and then slow the drying down, like I do in by placing them in Brown Paper Bags, or a box that is close to the size.

    As I said de amount of sapwood and haertwood in the piece and the shape will make quite a difference, as you can see in the next two pictures.

    Black Walnut 1.jpg Black Walnut 2.jpg

    If there are things like knots or a crotch in the piece the drying will not give you an even or balanced piece, like the next one.

    Black Walnut crotch.jpg

    As for interesting effects on shapes through drying is hard to get any other way.

    Winged Black Walnut side vieuw.jpg Winged Black Walnut.jpg

    Like this double winged bowl turned in one piece.

    Double wing Nlack Walnut.jpg

    Twice turned pieces can be very nice also of course, especially with the color and grain that can be found in the wood.

    Walnut bowl.jpg Walnut crotch.jpg
    Have fun and take care

  10. #10
    I appreciate the feedback fellas. Very cool pics Leo!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Northeast Georgia
    Posts
    834
    For me- natural edge bowls I turn once, 1/4-3/8" thin, and let them warp. Since the rim is already uneven the warping just adds to the organic look. Sometimes I have to go back and clean up the foot/bottom so it will sit flat.

    For "regular" bowls I twice turn as folks above have mentioned.

    Walnut can move a lot while drying, in my experience.
    Where did I put that?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •