Do you have to rough out bowl blanks to save them?

[Stan Calow]

I am cutting down a couple of trees soon (white oak and linden) and want to save some parts for turning bowls. But I wont have time to prep the blanks and rough them out. Can I just round off bowl sections (on the bandsaw) and store them that way, or should I just leave them in split log sections (with ends protected)? I wont get around to turning them until the summer. Appreciate advice.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I would not split the logs at all. I would leave them as logs and seal the ends. You will lose some to checking, but as a percentage of the log length, it will be minimal. I've done it this way with cherry, oak, ash and birch, all with good results.

[Roger Chandler]

Put 2 or even better 3 coats of sealer on the ends, such as Anchorseal, and keep them out of the sun and wind if possible. Cover with a tarp, and put some bricks or something to hold the tarp down so that it does not catch the wind. I’ve stored log sections safely for about a year, but oak is famous for cracking. Get to them as soon as you can, and you can always cut off a cracked end, and take a fresh blank for a bowl. Cut the logs long enough that you can do that, not the length that is ready to make a bowl from.

[Prashun Patel]

Definitely don't cut them into discs. It's possible to preserve them this way, but it takes a lot more effort. Cut the logs about twice as long as the width, anchor seal the ends and rough them out only when you can get to turning within a day or two.

A couple things I've learned:

(Obvious) keep the logs outside, but reasonably protected from wind, sun, and standing water.
Don't bother with branch wood unless it's something special.
You may have to apply the sealant a couple times. Fresh cut logs can be so wet, it can really impede the wax from sticking. I've come back to logs that have wax flaked off in critical areas.
White oak is a dream to turn wet, but not so fun re-turn dry; so I now harvest judiciously - not zealously

[Stan Calow]

Thanks everyone. Just planning to keep the boles. I was thinking to cut the wood to bowl-size chunks in order to minimize storage space, but I see keeping them as whole logs makes more sense. I didn't have good success with some maple and ash logs in the past, but likely because I wasn't monitoring them well.

[Reed Gray]

I prefer to keep my logs whole and cut off sections as I go through them. I keep them outside under trees, and covered. Out in KC, I would keep them off the ground too because hot and humid summer means lots of bugs to turn your wood into compost. Most of the wood will end check some, and that is why you shouldn't cut them into short sections if you can avoid it. I think Oak is one of those woods that is more prone to cracking if you rough turn your blanks, but I don't turn much of it.

robo hippy

[daryl moses]

I concur with the majority. If I can't rough turn within the first or second day I leave the log whole or cut sections several inches longer. [+6 inches for a 12" bowl] and either anchor seal them or "pond" them.
I have had blanks in my Spring for over a year that have never checked or spalted. They do get heavy though!!

[Stan Calow]

OK intact logs it is. Thanks everyone.

[Alex Zeller]

Leaving them in log form for the summer shouldn't be an issue but, and it depends on where you live, the moisture in the logs will start to ferment. Between any bugs and bacteria/ fungi growing in the logs it will happen. But that's not a bad thing. If you can time it right you'll end up with spalted wood. If you wait too long it's going to rot. Sounds like you may have a good opportunity to experiment. Leave a log or two for a year or more. White oak is naturally rot resistant and I have only a couple on my land so I have no clue how easy it would be but I have seen spalted white oak boards and think a bowl made from spalted oak would look really nice.

If you are looking for the wood to start to dry (the drier it is the less likely it'll crack after you rough out the bowl in my limited opinion) and have the ability I would try slabbing one of your logs to remove the pith. You could do it with a chainsaw mill but it would take a lot of work. Having access to a band saw mill would be best. With end grain sealer and having them stored out of direct sunlight should help dry them out. My father would buy slab wood from a furniture maker for firewood. The ends would have very minimal cracking even without any end grain sealer. If i remember correctly there's someone here who has a mill that could give more information.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks Alex. The trees (and the logs) are not big enough to merit working through a mill. I need to cut them down by the end of March (if it ever warms up), and only want to save them until August when I'll have time to work with them on the lathe.

[Steve Doerr]

This is an interesting thread. I have always cut the pith out of the middle of the logs before storing them. I usually cut about an inch on each side of the pith. Then use paraffin to seal the ends. I also make them longer than what the blank will be so that I can cut any cracks on the ends off. I've had pretty good luck with this method. Also makes it easier to move the piece as I need them,

[David Hill]

Been watching and reading...
No, I don't feel the need to rough turn any of my wood
I live in a hot humid area, and do keep most of my wood outside in the form of logs that are cut in lengths small enough for me to move around when needed. The ones like Sycamore, Hackberry, Pecan that don't do well for long outside, I'll cut into slabs and shelve them. The others that do well outside like Mesquite (my fave) will get end sealed with anchorseal, and put up on landscape timbers (I buy the "culls" for cheap from the local hardware place) I'm blessed with a larger shop and land that lets me do that.

[John K Jordan]

I prefer to keep my logs whole and cut off sections as I go through them. I keep them outside under trees, and covered. Out in KC, I would keep them off the ground too because hot and humid summer means lots of bugs to turn your wood into compost. Most of theThat wood will end check some, and that is why you shouldn't cut them into short sections if you can avoid it. I think Oak is one of those woods that is more prone to cracking if you rough turn your blanks, but I don't turn much of it.

robo hippy

That's the way the other John Jordan (the famous one, who only turns green wood) said he does it - keep the log whole, and put it off the ground it in the shade. When he's ready to turn something he cuts about 6" off the end to get rid of any checking then cuts a blank to turn. His incredible pieces in museums and collections around the world prove the success.

JKJ