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Too wet to dry

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I have about 20 logs from a large cherry tree that was cut about 8 months ago. The tree was over 100 years old and very large on the bottom. I cut up a couple logs into bowl blanks (all the way to round) Left them 6 inches thick and applied a heavy coat of original anchor seal. This was three days ago and the anchor seal still has not dried! The moisture content is right at 27%. I put the logs (all about 20-22 inches long) on a pallet and covered them with a tarp when I first got them home. They are not cracking, probably due to the humid winter around here (Olympics). Although the one small log I split and sealed that I brought inside the shop did split from the bark side of all places.
I was even thinking of turning some green, but have never done that.
What would you do?

IMG_6407.JPG
 

hockenbery

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I would turn rough outs for drying and once turned NE bowls and Hollow forms right now
The sap wood is likely a pretty white now. In a few weeks it will be an ugly gray.

much more fun to turn wet wood. And drying a bowl with a 1” -1.5” even wall thickness is much more successful and shorter in time.

if the small log was in the round the only way It can dry is to crack. Each growth ring shrinks more than the one inside so the crack must open.

This thread has a,PowerPoint with information on working with green wood,
A video of roughing a bowls for drying,
A video of finish turning a dried bowl.
http://www.aawforum.org/community/index.php?threads/working-with-green-wood.11626/
 
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Good info from Al - Great opportunity to spend some quality time roughing wet wood. There’s few things that can compare with a shower at the lathe while chips fly all over the shop. The best part is that while having the most fun you can have on two feet, you can experiment with tool presentation, sharpening techniques and angles - and make every mistake you can think of mostly without impunity.
Just remember to keep out of the line of fire and wear a face shield.
When you’re done roughing and your tool presentation and muscle memory is all tuned up, grab one of the rough outs and turn to finish and watch it dry over the next several days. I usually core when roughing and grab a smaller core to turn to finish to see how the new stuff is going to dry...
Have fun, learn lots...and fill your shelves with roughed and drying blanks.
 
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When I'm cutting and sealing wet (fresh cut) blanks, it's not unusual for it to take up to a week for the Anchor Seal to dry to the point I can handle them without getting it all over my hands, and this is in my basement that is cool (<65°) and at 50% humidity. I sticker between blanks so they can get air on all sides.

Having said that, i usually rough turn and then wax them. You will have a much higher percentage of cracks and lost blanks if you leave them in unturned form, especially with fruitwoods. If I can't get blanks rough turned quickly, I will often throw them in a barrel of water to sit for up to a week while I get them all turned. You can let them sit in water for a long time, but you need to change the water or the water will start to stink.
 
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If I can't get blanks rough turned quickly, I will often throw them in a barrel of water to sit for up to a week while I get them all turned. You can let them sit in water for a long time, but you need to change the water or the water will start to stink.

There's an AAW article from a few years back about conditioning wood with a soapy water solution. I've been using this technique with green blanks. Soapy wood article:https://community.woodturner.org/co...umentKey=95694a89-0698-4eed-b1d8-00bedf2ef008
 
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I prefer once turned bowls, especially Madrone because it warps so much, and for some reason, they sell very well for me. I turn to about 1/4 inch thick, round over the rims, wrap the rim in stretch film, and they are dry in a week to 10 days even in winter. Sanding is kind of a pain, but I have adapted by making an articulated arm rest so it holds my hand and drill, and I can use the other hand to slowly rotate the bowl. I would not leave the blanks solid, but would rough turn them. Less risk of losing the cored and rough turned blanks than keeping the solid blank whole. You can also steam or boil blanks to stabilize the wood for less cracking.

As for the soap soak, I use it still. However, I found by experimenting over several years that it does little or nothing to stabilize the wood or prevent cracking. It does make for a great lubricant for sanding out bowls. If you soak in soap or water, the whole bowl needs to be submerged or you will get color lines. Don't use metal other than stainless to weigh them down or you will get metal stains in the wood. If you keep them there for long enough, it does allow some stabilizing.

robo hippy
 

Bill Boehme

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I have about 20 logs from a large cherry tree that was cut about 8 months ago. The tree was over 100 years old and very large on the bottom. I cut up a couple logs into bowl blanks (all the way to round) Left them 6 inches thick and applied a heavy coat of original anchor seal. This was three days ago and the anchor seal still has not dried! The moisture content is right at 27%. I put the logs (all about 20-22 inches long) on a pallet and covered them with a tarp when I first got them home. They are not cracking, probably due to the humid winter around here (Olympics). Although the one small log I split and sealed that I brought inside the shop did split from the bark side of all places.
I was even thinking of turning some green, but have never done that.
What would you do?

View attachment 32842

I agree with Connell. If the wood is really wet and if your weather is humid it can take a while for the Anchorseal to dry. Unless you are busy right now, I would rough turn some of the blanks and then Anchorseal them.
 
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Midland, MI
I agree with others that that it's better to rough turn sooner than later.

If it's too humid for Anchorseal to dry on your blanks, you will probably see the same issue on rough turned bowls. You could likely skip using Anchorseal on the bowls. But it seems like everyone's drying situation is different so you will need to figure out what works for you.

I turn quite a bit of cherry. What I've found to work on rough turnings is to coat any remaining sapwood with Anchorseal. I don't coat heartwood. Let the Anchorseal dry overnight. Then store the rough turned bowl in a paper bag, then inside a 2nd paper bag on a wire shelf so there is even airflow around the outer bag. For the first week or so, the inner bag gets moist, so I'll change that out every couple of days until the bag stays dry.

Inspect the bowl occasionally looking for cracks which are most likely to occur on the outside, starting at the center bottom (tenon area) or in any remaining sapwood. If you see cracks, drip some thin CA glue in them to stop the spreading, and mark the end of the crack with a Sharpie marker so you can see if the crack is growing next time you inspect.

Weigh the bowl occasionally to see how it's drying. When it's losing weight slowly, stop using the paper bags. I have a sickness that causes me to like doing mental arithmetic, so when I see the bowl is losing less than 1% of its weight per day, I stop using bags.

All the above is for rough turned bowls, with wall thickness roughly 10% of the bowl diameter. Most of what I make now is natural edge bowls that are turned to final thickness (3/8" or so) right away. For those, I just put in paper bags, never use Anchorseal. If you hope to preserve the white sapwood that Hockenberry mentioned, it's important to change from damp to dry bag frequently. Some people also spray with bleach or other mold preventing solutions to stop discoloration. I don't have any experience with that.

Also, the above is for the black cherry we have growing in the wild in Michigan ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serotina ) Not sure it applies to the wood you found.

Good luck
Dave
 
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Apr 19, 2018
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I have most of my blanks in a not very well sealed cabinet, but put one of these in there:
upload_2020-4-14_10-38-48.png
It keeps the interior of the cabinet about 10 - 15% lower RH than my shop. Not super dry, but it helps. I ran a drainage line from it to outside my shop so the reservoir doesn't fill up (which makes it shut off).

Cost $45 from a very popular online retailer.
 
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I'm looking for a good free freezer to make into a dryer.I do use a dehydrator in my shop. I keep it set at 50%
 
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