Wet Wood from Vendor

[Charles Cadenhead]

I need help setting my expectations. I recently bought a walnut blank from a national woodworking store and as I was cutting it down for my project I noticed the wood was wet. When I put a meter on it the moisture was at 51%. Since I was expecting to use this blank for a current project I'm disappointed it's wet. I didn't know it might be wet when I ordered, there was nothing on the page about possible moisture content. So here's the question, are my expectations too high? Should I not assume that blanks from a national vendor be dry? I know it's wood and I know moisture content varies but %51 seems high. Thanks!

 

[hockenbery]

You need to check with the vender to be sure.

In general turning blanks will be wet
Lumber will be kiln dried.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

You need to check with the vender to be sure.

In general turning blanks will be wet
Lumber will be kiln dried.

I guess this is why I'm surprised, there was nothing on their site about it being wet. I've bought wood from smaller vendors and they're very good about stating whether the wood is green or not. I've bought blanks from this vendor before and they weren't wet.

 

[Richard Coers]

Since a lot of turners turn wet wood, I don't see an issue. Next time you need to ask. If all the turning blanks were kilned dried, the price would be at least double the cost of air dried.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Since a lot of turners turn wet wood, I don't see an issue. Next time you need to ask. If all the turning blanks were kilned dried, the price would be at least double the cost of air dried.

I went back and read the comments on the product and a lot of turners mentioned wet wood, so I guess I should have read the comments before I purchased it. I ordered two different wood blanks from this vendor, one was dry and this one was wet. I could turn it wet, and will, but I was planning to use it for a project and now I'll have to find another blank.

 

[Richard Coers]

I went back and read the comments on the product and a lot of turners mentioned wet wood, so I guess I should have read the comments before I purchased it. I ordered two different wood blanks from this vendor, one was dry and this one was wet. I could turn it wet, and will, but I was planning to use it for a project and now I'll have to find another blank.

Was the blank covered with wax? What size was the blank? Waxed blanks are almost always wet. Would you expect a vendor to stick every block of wood they get from vendors to verify the moisture level? Could be just as easily be a mistake from their vendor!

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Was the blank covered with wax? What size was the blank? Waxed blanks are almost always wet. Would you expect a vendor to stick every block of wood they get from vendors to verify the moisture level? Could be just as easily be a mistake from their vendor!

That's a really good point. I guess I've been spoiled by smaller vendors, those who harvest or prep their own wood, and know the moisture content of their products. In this case I should have read the comments before buying seems like they sell a lot of wet wood.

 

[robo hippy]

Any blank over 8/4 or 2 inches will most likely be green wood. Very difficult to dry wood over that thickness. My first preference for 'dried' wood would be air dried. Solar or vacuum kiln dried woods would be next,, and standard kiln last.

robo hippy

 

[Dean Center]

I've not had much luck turning truly wet walnut. It's kind of stringy, sometimes mooshy, when sopping wet.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

I've not had much luck turning truly wet walnut. It's kind of stringy, sometimes mooshy, when sopping wet.

I have never had a problem like stringy or mooshy. Last September I picked up a small walnut in a Minneapolis suburb that was still standing, live and going into the dormant stage. The smaller pieces I would cut off a round, cover the fresh cut end of the remaining wood and turn a natural bark edge piece before they had a chance to dry. None of them was stringy but there was a noticeable amount of water flying off. The majority of the pieces were turned once to a thickness of 1/8" or less and I found that they would dry without the sap wood darkening and the bark would stay tight without any need to use CA to keep it on.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Thanks everybody! Unless explicitly stated I'm going to expect vendor wood to be wet. Maybe I should expect it to be wet anyway? It will make planning easier.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Thanks everybody! Unless explicitly stated I'm going to expect vendor wood to be wet. Maybe I should expect it to be wet anyway? It will make planning easier.

Don't expect any thick piece of wood to be evenly dry throughout, even if a moisture meter is used because the meter is only measuring the surface. There are regular contributors to this form that use purchased blanks and still set them aside to dry evenly all the way through & equalize with their environment (equilibrium probably means the same thing in one word).

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Don't expect any thick piece of wood to be evenly dry throughout, even if a moisture meter is used because the meter is only measuring the surface. There are regular contributors to this form that use purchased blanks and still set them aside to dry evenly all the way through & equalize with their environment (equilibrium probably means the same thing in one word).

When I was cutting it down for my project it was practical oozing water. I'm going to rough turn it and put it up for at least 6 months.