Bowl storage?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Chris152

Established Member
Joined
26 Apr 2017
Messages
2,560
Reaction score
269
Location
Cardiff
I'm starting to develop a stock of first turned bowls. They're in newspaper in boxes at the mo, and starting to waste space (the boxes aren't ideal sizes and don't stack well). Do any of you have or know of a good system for storing them while they dry? Something along the lines of a racking system? The plan's to do one or two each day so in a few months, I can finish turn one or two a day and replace the finished pieces with new first turned ones.
Thanks, C
 
Don’t know what sort of numbers your talking about. 10, a dozen, many 10s ? Since you’ve had a lack of replies, here’s my 10 penorth. I wrap mine in paper as you suggested, sometimes I’ve used wood shavings, and sometimes I’ve placed the wrapped blanks in open topped plastic bags on a shelf. If you use several blanks in larger boxes, it would be a good idea to have some holes cut into the boxes to allow for better circulation. When I’ve used plastic bags, I’ve checked them regularly and turned the bag inside out on each occasion. Whatever system you use, always ensure that you have good quick access to them, so that you can weigh them regularly. If they are out of site and out of mind this won’t happen as it should. I have always checked mine on a weekly basis and fill in a drying record sheet for each one. It’s can be surprising how different species give up their locked in moisture at different rates. I find I am often good at giving advice and less good at following my own advice. One thing I’ve been guilty of is not always leaving a “witness” mark of the centre on each side of the part turned bowl, so useful when returning centres. I think your wrapped and boxed process is the right way to go. It would be easy to create some rails into a rack to put a greater number of blanks into a smaller space, but I fear it would dry them too quickly. I have a Dehumidifier running more or less continuously in my workshop. Wrapped and boxed is the way to go. I don’t have many failures with that system.
 
I stick part turned ones in a paper bag with their own shavings. I weigh them and date them in pencil on the bowl and whenever I remember to check them I write any changes. I don't turn as much as I'd like to so weekly checking isn't going to happen. The paper bag and shavings slow the drying but dont hold water like a plastic bag. Works for me.
 
Thanks both. I think the best route for me is to buy some standard size boxes so I can stack them reasonably well, maybe spacers between and each wrapped in newspaper - at least initially. At the moment they're all in different size boxes which makes them unstable and a pain to access. Only about 10 at the moment but if I keep going til the first one's ready for second turning, there could be a lot more.

Thanks, C.
 
I was told by a professional turner pal of mine to part turn green blanks to rough size, seal the end grain with say, PVA and then leave them outside under cover and out of sunlight for a year (assuming a thickness of around 25mm) - Rob
 
Back
Top