Anyone for boiled walnuts ?

[Grahamshed]

Carl Jacobson has just released a new youtube demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkpyzA_2YwQ
where he is boiling a piece of walnut after turning it. I am a little unclear why. Is this a known technique for something or other ?

 

[jpt]

HI Graham, it is an old method for drying wood which seems to work if you put "drying wood by boiling" into google you will get more info.

Have you got the lathe working yet

john

 

[CHJ]

I think it's because it breaks down the cell walls and allows the moisture to escape quicker without so many localised stress problems.

I did it for several months using an old pressure cooker to shorten the time factor, worked much the same as alcohol soaking of green wood.
Can discolour pale woods or give a bland colour cast to figured woods, like alcohol drying, I found it made the wood harder and less pliant when finishing, seems to take some of the nature out of it.

Personally found that after I had built up a stock of wood that time was a better healer and was better spent turning than messing around cooking wood.

 

[Grahamshed]

Chas, you always explain things so well.

Just musing.... if wood were turned wetish and properly sealed then water would not be able to get in or out so drying/cracking/moving would not be a problem. I know it doesn't work like that but why not ?

 

[chipmunk]

Just musing.... if wood were turned wetish and properly sealed then water would not be able to get in or out so drying/cracking/moving would not be a problem. I know it doesn't work like that but why not ?

I expect it'd start to rot/spalt as no matter what you did there'd be fungal spores and bacteria in there.

Also, it seems that no matter how well sealed you think it is, it isn't #-o and the wood will start to move and deteriorate any finish :wink:

HTH
Jon

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

I've never tried boiling, alcohol drying, fairy liquid or microwave drying. I collect wood from many different sources, and allow it to dry in its own time, or rough turning, or speeding it up in the airing cupboard - either with sealed ends or in a plastic bag.
I'm not in that much of a hurry really, and can wait until wood reaches the correct moisture content. Some wood behaves better than others in drying. I have had to throw loads away because of the way it split or warped.
I've tried spraying green turned stuff with poly varnish to see if it would hold the shape. It didn't. Plus the moisture made the varnish take 3 times as long to cure.

 

[woodfarmer]

I wax my green turned blanks everywhere except the outside bottoms. They do dry slowly so far none of the pear wood has split. Not so for cherry I had one oak bowl split a little but sure this was a shake exposed by removal of wood. It later closed by itself and is now difficult to find.

I have been tempted to spray the green turned blanks with clear Thompsons sealer.

 

[Grahamshed]

HI Graham,

Have you got the lathe working yet

john

Yes, just. Built a bench, brought the tools and sharpening stuff. Got myself a mask like yours....... and just spent ten minutes rounding a 12 inch 2X2 bit of pine.

Some of you will know what I mean when I say it seems I CAN do it. Still got all my bits

The finish is not great. Roughing gouge was better than the spindle gouge that followed.

Presumably not sharp enough straight out of the packet ( didn't think they would be ) but how sharp is sharp ?

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

The finish is not great. Roughing gouge was better than the spindle gouge that followed.

That sounds normal. It's all about finding that elusive bevel. It sounds like you are trying to remove material with the spindle gouge at the same rate as the roughing gouge. Try to get the bevel burnishing the wood, then very slowly lift the handle until it starts taking tiny shavings. The finish should look much better.
Once you have found where the bevel is, it will get easier & easier with each cut. Expect plenty of mistakes though to begin with and don't get too disheartened by them. All of us beginners want to produce something to look at straight away. I think that's why I have so many mushrooms & honey dippers all over the place. Fairly simple to produce and "something to show for it" at the end of the hours in the shed. I made the usual mistake of trying to run before I could walk, and didn't settle in to a proper learning curve until I had had a few hours being shown by someone who knew what they were doing.

 

[Grahamshed]

No hurry to produce anything Taz, apart from an egg before the end of the month
I intend to just practice with each tool till it does what it should.... but still need a way of knowing when a chisel is sharp enough.
Some of the tube vids show the chisel cutting when the wood is being turned slowly by hand.... I guess that would be a demo of sharpness

 

[Spindle]

Hi

If you purchased good quality tooling I would expect them to be usable, (not optimal), straight out of the box. I'd begin sharpening them by replicating the profiles using something like a 240 grit belt - you should see and feel a significant difference in the results of your turning.

Once you are getting the hang of things move onto a more forgiving wood such as sycamore or try a bit of green turning.

Edited to add: The best indication of a sharp tool is how it's performing as you turn - you'll soon learn when it needs re touching. It should cut with virtually no effort other than positioning, from you - if you find you are beginning to push the tool into the stock then it needs sharpening. Once you gain more experience the finish a tool leaves can also be indicative of the need to sharpen.

Regards Mick

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

+1 to Mick's coments

Also you'll feel it Graham, after a couple of weeks you'll get used to the noise and vibration that comes through the tool to your fingers. A sharp blade just peels, slices through the wood - a very pleasant feeling indeed. A blunted tool is a much more rasping/chattering affair. The character of the shavings is different too, longer and cleaner with a sharp tool. In no time at all you will easily understand these comments in context. You perhaps more than most because of your vision challenges I have little doubt your other senses will be very tuned to the kinds of differences I'm on about.