Ten questions

[Alan Weinberg]

Get some epoxy on the cot, and push it into the crack

dumb question—do you mix the sawdust w epoxy before pushing it into the crack or push the dust into epoxy that is already in crack? Thanks—tape ordered. Very helpful.

 

[Odie]

dumb question—do you mix the sawdust w epoxy before pushing it into the crack or push the dust into epoxy that is already in crack? Thanks—tape ordered. Very helpful.

Alan.....I mix the dust with the epoxy prior to pushing it into the crack. Never tried it by pushing the dust on top of the epoxy......if you do try that, let us know how it turned out.

Note: I've tried other kinds of tapes for this.....celophane, electrical tape, and these don't work very well. The hockey tape just peels away from the wood and leaves the epoxy repair intact.

After the epoxy dries, the repair is easily sand-able.

-o-

 

[Alan Weinberg]

mix the dust with the epoxy prior to pushing it into the crack. Never tried it by pushing the dust on top of the epoxy.

Tape worked well. Mixed coffee grounds and epoxy and pushed into crack, then sprinkled more grounds on top. Later sanded. Worked out well and thanks.

 

[Jerry Mollenhauer]

Good brand names like Sorby, Hurricane, and other HSS cutting tools can be purchased and resharpened with great economy and results. Cheap tool sets (the starter sets- 8 knives for $70.00 are ok to learn on, but you may never keep them sharp enough and will outgrow them very quickly. Then your wife will say, "Why are you buying more gouges, you already have some?" you will have to admit to doing something stupid, (which you won't) and the fight is ON! Buy top quality used and you start out ahead of the game!

 

[Tymur Kharkivskyi]

If you are an impatient type (like me), you can microwave dry. I use the timed defrost setting. Two minutes on one side, two minutes on the other side, then let it rest for a couple hours and repeat until dry. I have a moisture meter but weighing the pieces is the better, more accurate approach.

I’ve seen Richard Raffan dry a finished bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes at 900W (full power). I have tried his method not only on thin-walled bowls but on partially finished ones as well. Thin-walled or finished pieces dry without cracking after the first, or at most, the second heating session, and they warp in very interesting ways.

I also conducted an experiment with rough-turned blanks: I took a semi-finished blank about 1 inch thick and set it for 2:00 or 2:30 minutes at 900W. I let it cool for half an hour and then repeated this procedure up to 8 times. As the moisture left the wood, the piece required more time to cool down. After the first heating, it would cool completely in 10 minutes. However, after the 5th session, when there was very little moisture left, I had to wait more than 30 minutes. Starting from the third session, I gradually reduced the microwave time down to 1 minute. Once I saw that no more moisture was being released, I put the blank back on the lathe and proceeded with the final turning.

If you are too impatient to wait for the moisture to leave on its own, you can experiment this way, but it comes with a certain risk. Cracks can appear, especially in fruitwoods around the pith area. Oak seems to handle these procedures more calmly.

The defrosting process seems like it would take a very long time. If I understand the defrost mode correctly, in standard microwaves it works in pulses—for example, it heats for 10 seconds and then 'rests' for 20 seconds. These pauses allow the heat to distribute within the wood, which prevents it from cracking. However, since the defrost mode is only about 20–30% of the maximum power (which in my case, at 900W, would be around 300W), I imagine you might need up to 20 sessions to get the moisture out. While the risk of cracking is probably minimal this way, it's quite time-consuming.

Kent, have you ever experienced cracking with this method? And how many heating sessions do you typically go through for a rough-turned blank versus a finished piece? Thank you.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I’ve seen Richard Raffan dry a finished bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes at 900W (full power). I have tried his method not only on thin-walled bowls but on partially finished ones as well. Thin-walled or finished pieces dry without cracking after the first, or at most, the second heating session, and they warp in very interesting ways.

I also conducted an experiment with rough-turned blanks: I took a semi-finished blank about 1 inch thick and set it for 2:00 or 2:30 minutes at 900W. I let it cool for half an hour and then repeated this procedure up to 8 times. As the moisture left the wood, the piece required more time to cool down. After the first heating, it would cool completely in 10 minutes. However, after the 5th session, when there was very little moisture left, I had to wait more than 30 minutes. Starting from the third session, I gradually reduced the microwave time down to 1 minute. Once I saw that no more moisture was being released, I put the blank back on the lathe and proceeded with the final turning.

If you are too impatient to wait for the moisture to leave on its own, you can experiment this way, but it comes with a certain risk. Cracks can appear, especially in fruitwoods around the pith area. Oak seems to handle these procedures more calmly.

The defrosting process seems like it would take a very long time. If I understand the defrost mode correctly, in standard microwaves it works in pulses—for example, it heats for 10 seconds and then 'rests' for 20 seconds. These pauses allow the heat to distribute within the wood, which prevents it from cracking. However, since the defrost mode is only about 20–30% of the maximum power (which in my case, at 900W, would be around 300W), I imagine you might need up to 20 sessions to get the moisture out. While the risk of cracking is probably minimal this way, it's quite time-consuming.

Kent, have you ever experienced cracking with this method? And how many heating sessions do you typically go through for a rough-turned blank versus a finished piece? Thank you.

I don't microwave anymore. I was doing it because I had a lot of green wood and I was impatient. Now I have a supply of roughed in blanks and dry wood. I never did try to dry blanks.