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Platter to taco

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Hi, I turned this platter out of pecan. I roughed it down and let it sit for a good 4 months. It was a fun project and I didn't even bleed. However, after about 3 or 4 days it now resembled a taco shell than a platter. I mean it's not that bad but there's probably at least a quarter inch of travel when you push on one side or the other. I have not applied finish yet, not sure if that would have saved it. It's about 18-20 inches diameter.
Does anyone think it can be saved? Maybe steam and a cinder block? But then would it just bend again?
Thanks for your thoughts
Raif.PXL_20210408_002630635.jpg
 

hockenbery

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Raif - you now know it was not dry.
drying in a 50%humidity 70 degree environment will likely take double or triple the 4 months using paper bags.
if you coated it with something like anchor seal the drying time will be longer

steam and cider block might work - might also crack it in half since you will be bending along the short grain.
 

Randy Anderson

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On the very few platters I've done I've learned that the wood MUST be dry and stable, and then wait some more, or they warp. Even then the wood can change a bit based on tension release and if thin the room MC can impact how flat they will stay from time to time.
 
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:( yea, I know it was not dry.
I basically roughed it out and threw it on a shelf.
Man, I ain't got time to be waiting a year! My wife wants this now! uggg. I'm so impatient. And I like to blame my wife :(
 
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:( yea, I know it was not dry.
I basically roughed it out and threw it on a shelf.
Man, I ain't got time to be waiting a year! My wife wants this now! uggg. I'm so impatient. And I like to blame my wife :(
Segment something to solve the now factor Raif!!
 
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Sometimes with thin wood sitting on a surface it will cup noticeably when the top dries and the bottom is left “less dry”. This happens all the time with guitar woods that are dry if the humidity in the room changes quickly, and I have had it happen with a platter that was blown on by a vent. This will sometimes be temporary (especially in quarter sawn wood) so if you flip it over and let it sit for a few days it may go back to normal and it may be saved, or at least be less noticeable. If it does get flattened be sure to prop it up so all sides get equal ventilation until it is truly at equilibrium. If I’d doesn’t work it Was at least worth a try.
 
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Pecan will at least make long burning kindling if split....dense.....all u have to do is get it started
 
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Uh oh. Quick to the point. How should you cut the log to get it quarter sawn
If you cut out the pith, 2 inch thick, an inch either side of the pith (center of the log, straight across) then you have got 2 pieces of 2 inch thick quarter sawn slabs


Quarter sawn is recognized as you look at the flat board on end and the grain of the wood is straight up and down (vertical) - perpendicular to the wider width of the board .. Rift Sawn is like at a 45 degree angle, plain sawn is where grain pattern pretty much stretches the width of the board - In other words,, QUarter Sawn Grain goes like : |||||||||||||||| Rift Sawn goes like \\\\\\\\\ or ///////// and plain sawn may go all over like ===///===\\\===

So, to get a 12 inch quarter sawn slab big enough for a 12 -ish inch platter you need a log at least 26 inches diameter (minimum)
 

hockenbery

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This is one of the slides I use in my working with green wood demo

you can see the quarter sawn area. If you have big logs over 3 ft diameter you can get quarter sawn platter blanks.

the down side is you don’t often see great grain patterns often in quarter sawn blanks.
Curly wood quarter sawn will be nice.
D3116BC1-2B46-4957-8A22-15B5CBF1518C.jpeg
 
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The above diagram has one key detail missing in that quarter sawn board containing the pith does not show the small branches that grew, died and were grown over in the trees early years. The quarter sawn board on the left is a better indication of what you could realistically hope for in width and then only from a straight trunk healthy tree.
 
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So, this thing is moving a lot. Like we all do, it has good days and it has bad days. I'm wondering if, on a good day, if I put a bunch of deft or watco on it, will that sort of stem the movement? Or do I just wait till it's stopped, if ever, and see what I get? It's not real thin. Maybe ~3/8 - 1/2".
Thanks
 
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So, this thing is moving a lot. Like we all do, it has good days and it has bad days. I'm wondering if, on a good day, if I put a bunch of deft or watco on it, will that sort of stem the movement? Or do I just wait till it's stopped, if ever, and see what I get? It's not real thin. Maybe ~3/8 - 1/2".
Thanks
I would suggest, finding a scale that reads in grams, and weight your platter once a week or so.. when the weight starts to stabilize (might gain a few grams , or lose a few grams, but stays pretty much the same for a few weeks) that's where your wood has become stable for your particular environment and then perhaps you can go from there to see what it's final shape it wants to be is at.. Your wood is most likely moving because it is still drying and losing moisture - and adding a finish will not stop it.. it would only slow it down.. so at this point, I'd say wait until the weight has stabilized and then see if you want to apply a finish and/or perhaps sand a bit on the foot so it sits flat (or, embellish it by adding in new feet to the bottom - glue on some dowels, or turn a new foot from some dry wood and glue it on in same grain orientation, etc, etc.. lot of possibilities if you consider adding embellishments.. AFTER it has fully dried..)
 
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I actually turned a ring on the bottom about 1 inch in from the edge. I was going to carve away the ring till I had three feet. But a) it seems at the size it is maybe three is too few, and b) I'm not sure that the ring is tall enough to compensate for the warp.
I'll wait till it stabilizes.
 
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I had a similar problem but it was with Live Oak cut beside the pith so it was almost quarter sawn and straight grain. I used cauls to straighten it out somewhat. These need to be applied across the grain. You will have to use some blocking to get support to the center of the platter. Then I sprayed both sides with water.The second day repeat the water. Let it dry completely with cauls on , that includes the water sprayed on and what may be still inside the platter.

This did not work as well on the first one as it had already warped. The second one worked much better since the clamp up started right after turning.
 
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I think wood movement depends where u are. Example out west elevation say below 5000 feet wood will lend to stabilize. In South including gulf coast Houston.....lots of humidity....i believe wood would move more and longer.
 
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