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preparing-green-wood-for-turning-speed Cutting wood turning blanks for vessels is, to me, the most enjoyable. For the most part hollow forms are a decorative piece so there is a tremendous amount of flexibility in the wood selection process. I cut blanks from all parts of the tree that have sufficient size.  Wood Turning Blanks for Bowls. Working from the trunk of the tree, the bucked section is rotated so the main crack along the pith is running top to bottom. I prefer to cut a thick section containing the pith out of the tree, though some prefer to make a single cut along the pith line. The advantages of turning green wood are that it’s easier, less dust is created, its cooler on your tools (meaning less sharpening) and just plain fun. Let's hear it for turning green wood! When you receive your wood turning bowl blank, you can rough turn your item to speed the drying process. I use the 10% rule for wall thickness, but always leave it at least 3/4” thick when turning green wood. For example, when I am turning a 10 inch bowl, I will leave it one inch thick. A 20 inch bowl will be 2 inches thick. Mount the blank to your lathe between centers using a proper size spur drive i. The Third reason for turning green wood is that it is easier. Wet wood is softer therefore making the cutting easier and faster and because it is wet it keeps the tool cooler, which allows it to stay sharp for a longer period of time. Cutting wet produces less dust, creates larger shavings which are easier to clean up.  Now that we know why we turn green wood, we need to understand how to cut it and prepare it for turning. For this you will need chain saws and, if you can afford it, at least a 12” band saw. You really need two chain saws.  Speed is of the essence here (yours not lathe’s speed) because once the hollowing out begins the bowl will start changing shape. There will be no time for a coffee break at this stage. Woodworking Adventures. Yes, I wandered down that road once too. Interior Deft is a good finish and can be applied with a brush or sprayed. Winnie Decurr Jun 11, After you have completed your bowls it is time to apply a finish to them. I would like to sign up for tkrning turning for profit newsletter.

A moisture meter will help dictate when it is turnable. I have turnered green walnut into pepper mills. The hole in the center helped dry it quickly with no wourping. Turn safely. I would like to sign up for the turning for profit newsletter. I was self-taught 20 years ago and learned everything wrong. I quit turning after six months. Good article. I just ordered a new lathe. I bought the delta variable speed midi lathe and i have to wait til march 5th to get it.

Must be good if they are that far behind making them. Keep up the good work. Very good articles on how too turn out a bowl. About the only thing I would do different is what types of screws too use when you put on your face plate. As it says in the box this signs you up for the newsletter. Hope this helps and thanks for your comment. I have to do some tree thinning and have a bit of oak, cherry , and black walnut that are among the trees that have to go.

I would rather not sell or use green wood. Any insight into how to do this is appreciated. Thinning will start in a few weeks. Good question. I would split the larger pieces in half and then seal the end grain.

There are several dedicated products available but I have also heard of turners using left over latex paint to seal the ends and slow down the loss of moisture from the end grain. Hope this helps and have fun with the turning. I am a novice!!! I was going to cut it into 3 pieces and turn each.

But I am now finding that I should split the log down the middle and then cut into pieces for turning. Is this correct? Am I making myself clear? Thanks for your anticipated reply.

Larry the Novice! Great question Larry. Splitting it up allows the wood to dry. The pith, the center part, usually dries at a different rate than the rest of the wood.

If you include the pith in your turnings that is where the cracks and splits are likely to show up. The greatest and most rapid loss of moisture is from the ends of the wood or log. Cover or seal them so that the wood dries at a more consistent rate through the entire piece of wood. Hope this helps. Robin, would you happen to have any pictures of the jig you made for the planet, to get a flat surface? Thank you, and by the way, I love reading all your posts!

I have learned so much from you! To put the wood through Preparing Green Wood For Turning Rate the planer you need a flat surface. I attached a small board with screws to the rough wood.

I also put shims under the wood to help stabilize it. Once you have put the wood through the planer a few times you will have a flat surface on the wood itself as a reference. Then you can remove the jig, flip the wood, and flatten the other side. When you sell your work, you can do so at a reasonable price. Since the price of all work sold in galleries is doubled over the price you need to get, anything you pay for the wood is also doubled.

Now you spend time turning it and add more to the final selling price. It does not take to long before you have created an unsellable work. The price you pay for wood can truly have a negative affect on the salability of your work.

An additional advantage is that it allows you to experiment without the burden of worrying about the cost of materials. When wood is free, you are more likely to take chances with new designs and techniques than when you have paid dearly for the wood. This can really affect future sales, because experimentation, skill improvement and product development are essential for personal growth, artistic renewal and marketability.

Now that we know why we turn green wood, we need to understand how to cut it and prepare it for turning. You really need two chain saws. Use a gas powered one for cutting trees down and cutting up fallen trees. Gas is necessary here because there are never any electric outlets around where you need them. You also need an electric chain saw to operate in your shop.

Firing up a gas chain saw in your shop is hard on your ears, and neighbors do not take kindly to that kind noise on a Sunday morning.

It seems that I always want to turn a bowl on a Sunday morning. This will ensure that you get a clean end if the log checks. The chain saw can be used to efficiently cut large logs into more manageable pieces. Before cutting into that log, examine it carefully for nails and staples, especially if it was cut down near the curb or in a back yard.

Garage sale ads are put on every tree lining a street, and play houses are built in back yard trees. Nails are not good for chain saws or band saws. Cutting branches or trunks to length is easy. It is the basic cross cutting technique. Where most beginners run into trouble is in cutting a log down the middle.

It is the area of the log that is most likely to split, and therefore its removal helps prevent checking when the blank is going to be stored for an extended period of time. The temptation is to set the log up on its end and start cutting down.

This is the most difficult cut to make because you are cutting end grain the entire length of the log. These mills can cut logs into planks with reasonable efficiency. Standard off the shelf chain saws are not equipped with such chains. You will see dust for the most part.

For faster and easier cutting, lay the log down and cut parallel to the the length of the log. Notice the difference. Long shavings are produced, and faster cutting is achieved.

Make sure to prop up the log so it will not roll , and make sure that as you get close to cutting through, stop and turn the log over.

Photo 5 Almost Completed Cut. Also make sure that you clean the long shavings out of the chip port of the chain, or they will build up and bind the chain.

Either way, it is important that when you break through, you do not hit dirt or rocks or concrete. Sharpening a dull chain is not difficult, but it is not as much fun as cutting free turning blanks. It is imperative to keep the chains sharp and well oiled. The fastest way to burn out a chain saw is to try cutting wood with a dull chain without oil.

Remember also that the chain and bar can get very hot. Do not touch them immediately after cutting through a log. Even wet wood generates enough friction to heat up a chain and its bar. Once you have cut the logs into more manageable pieces, the rest can be cut up on a band saw to meet your needs. I have done that often. It takes a little more diligence and time, but it can be done that way. However, having said that, once they are liftable, the final cutting on the band saw can save you a lot of time by cutting away unnecessary wood more accurately.

Mark an outline on the blank with a compass or a disc, an old table saw blade works. Reference A Circle. A Compass Will Work Too. This gives you some guide when you are cutting the blank. While not impossible, I would say that it is difficult. They are heavy. That is why I use a chain saw to make logs more manageable.

Most of what you turn will fit into this dimensional range. It is most important when cutting wet or green wood with a band saw that the blade be a 3 or 4 Tooth Per Inch skip tooth blade. A hooked tooth blade does not shed wet sawdust as well as a skip tooth, so build up on the blade becomes a problem, in fact downright dangerous.

Remember to always allow the blade to do the cutting. Never force the wood into the blade; let it feed itself. If you have to force the wood into the blade to make it cut, it is time to change the blade or sharpen it. A word here about selecting bowl blank locations in the log.

I have found that it makes little difference whether I mount the face plate on the heartwood side of the blank or on the sapwood or new growth side of the blank.

At least it does not matter to me. The rocking foot can be cured quickly and efficiently with a belt sander. The oval shape to which a bowl dries makes a good story as to how you were able to turn the bowl that way. There is plenty of room here for distortions of the truth, and it can really be fun; some of that hocus pocus mentioned before.

Layout For 4 Natural Edged Bowls. That is where the brightest colors are located, and the subsequent movement during the drying process really adds mystery to the piece. Now that you have cut your turning blanks, it is probably a good idea to find a place where they can be stored until you have time to turn them. The best location is on the side of a building that is constantly in the shade.

If you do not have such a location, an open shed or a tarp will suffice. You want to minimize contact with direct sunlight as much as possible. It also helps to keep the area moist. There are several products you can use to help seal the ends of the turning blanks, as well as all surface areas. A product called green wood sealer, which is a wax and oil emulsion, works really well.

If you do not have access to this, old oil paints or canning wax work reasonably well. Whatever you do, do not wrap the blanks in plastic bags.

This traps moisture in without allowing the wood to breathe, and sets up the perfect brewery for bacteria and fungi.

If you are unlucky enough to open the bag a couple of weeks later, especially if the weather has been hot, I guarantee that you will never use plastic bags again.

The odor permeates the wood and it never goes away. There is one exception to this rule. If you live in the desert, using plastic bags for short periods of time is perhaps one of the only ways you can prevent checking.

Now if you want the wood to spalt, ie have bacteria work wonderful color changes in the wood, set one end of the log on soil.

Different species react to different molds and the resulting colors are different. It usually takes a couple of months, but the wait is usually well worth it. If you forget that you have done this and leave the log too long the spalting process is also called dry rot , the end result will be dry rot and a useless piece of wood. Leave the logs whole and work off one end.

Keep the ends of the log sealed as described above. Cutting as you need to will extend the life of the log until you are ready to start turning, within reason, that is. Weather conditions play a crucial role here.

Hot dry conditions will cause logs to check more rapidly than wet or moist conditions. When cutting logs to length so that they are more manageable, make sure that you cut them at least 6 inches longer than the diameter. This is to ensure that if checking occurs, there is still enough wood left to utilize the full diameter of the log.

Now that we have our bowl blank cut and ready for turning, it is time to mount it onto the lathe. There are many methods available to accomplish this. The first is that there has to be a tenon turned for the jaws to grab onto. The size of this tenon is in proportion to the size of the bowl you want to turn. This requires turning the blank between centers first.

Now depending on the size of the blank and the speed of your lathe, this can be done, however it is an extra step, and can be a bit intimidating because most spindle lathes run fast and have a short swing. The apple and cherry is beautiful and holds up well for these things, if oiled mineral oil.

I cut some cheery into turnning lengths and cut off one lumps bark it split badly in two sides wondering why this happened the other s are OK? Thanks for the hints on waxing the ends, which I have under way with barked, un-barked and sawn hardwood. A couple of methods I have used for quick seasoning of small pieces wood to prevent cracking are pressure cooker willow - Salix sp then carve wet or dry.

Best done when you wife is away on holiday!. I did not use wet, but it was dry in 9 months. I think this method breaks the cell walls which seems to speed up drying and prevent cracking.

For larger bits, I intended top try a BBQ and heat over time till the end grain is really fizzing. Next up is to build a big pressure cooker from steel pipe or an LPG cylinder. It worked for the "Mary Rose" and other water preserved wooden artifacts. If you can apply a vacuum whilst drying, it should speed up the process. I am trying to season New Zealand hardwoods to make Putarino Maori flutes.

Kowhai Sophora sp , Puriri Vitex sp , Akeake Dodonea sp and others are very heavy and have beautifully grained and dark colored heart wood, ideal for this use.

I dont know If I would call them firewood. When drying wood the "Pith" must be removed The pith contains a lot of moisture. As the outside of your log dried, it shrunk. I have tested this. It is hard to explain this, but if you look at the log and see the pith the center of the rings cut about 2" to the left and 2 inches to the right leaving you with a total of three chunks.

I hope Preparing Green Wood For Turning 50 this helps. On another note, if you continue the splits on the current logs you have made, you could at least get a couple nice blanks out of what you call fire-wood. I hope all this helps. I have spent a lot of time trying to find cheap lumber for turning. I have the best luck looking thru peoples firewood piles. Also, I should mention those wrapped firewood packs you see at gas stations for your fire-pit.

I check them out all the time. I have found all kinds of good stuff in these, lots of spaulted stuff mainly. Reply 7 years ago on Introduction. I seriously think the problem with this stuff was it was storm fallen, it takes alot of shaking to snap a big branch it would been full of stress fractures plus I never put any wax on it. I have successfully used wood with the pith still intact, but the one thing I can say was that all of it was cut down rather than wind fall.

The one thing I have learned when using green wood is to spot where the cracks are most likely to start from ie knots and inclusions near the lip of a bowl and learning to keep cutting until l these defects are removed, more or less learning to read the wood, My first bowl looked beautiful but split over night cause I left a knot and some pith wood on the edge of the bowl and also because I also brought a fresh piece into a centrally heated house, but I have learned by these mistakes, am still learning and i'm bound to make a few more but that the fun of using green wood.

I was all set to get into my shed and Preparing Green Wood For Turning Radius start making some dust last week as a friend bought me a work lamp and i've been busting to get using it, unfortunately he also gave me a bug that he was just getting over and i've spent the last week stuck indoors with a temperature and coughing up goo Excellent Inst' as the photos with embed comments say it all.

A nice job on all aspects and from beginning to end! I must add an update to this, they all cracked The logs should have been split in half to release the stress of drying out, also the wind fall limbs would have lots of stress fractures from the storm shaking the tree until the limb breaks and this adds to the stress cracks.

Hi, i know its probably too late now old post etc.. Reply 8 years ago on Introduction. Not at all never to late to discuss a topic. I should have split the larger pieces in 2 length wise across the center of the rings, from what I researched the problem is due tho the outer rings drying to quick and when they shrink they become under a lot of stress which causes the splits when the log is split the tension is released and there is less chance of splits, being wind fall probably also was a factor it take quite a bit of shaking to snap a 12 inch branch of a tree it bound it have been full of stress fractures.

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