Drying logs and branches

[wasbit]

Drying logs, branches and wet turned items.

I use carrier bags & plastic sandwich bags to sheath the ends of logs and to store wet turnings. Whenever I remember, from daily to weekly and sometimes monthly, I take the bag off and turn it inside out.

My theory being that the moisture leaving the wood is slowed and then possibly stopped once the moisture content of the air pocket inside the bag has reached its maximum.

Having a discussion with a famous woodturner who shall be nameless (it wasn't you Mark) when he visited our local club (http://www.wowa.org.uk), he said that he used the paper wrapping method a-la-Chas.
The next day, thinking that this chap is a professional and knows more than me, I removed the only decent bits of wood that I had from their bags (3 small, rough turned cherry bowls & 3 cherry half log blanks) and wrapped them in newspaper. Needless to say, within days they had all cracked, so I went back to the carrier bag method which I know works for me.

I have had one bag of small branches approx 9" x 2" go mouldy possibly because the bag became over saturated with moisture.

In the past I have slapped on a thick coat of emulsion paint on the end of some logs which was quite successful. In my opinion, anything that blocks those end pores should do the job, although that's not to say that some things don't work better than others.

 

[CHJ]

..... I removed the only decent bits of wood that I had from their bags (3 small, rough turned cherry bowls & 3 cherry half log blanks) and wrapped them in newspaper. Needless to say, within days they had all cracked, so I went back to the carrier bag method which I know works for me......

Cherry is one of the more perverse woods to dry, I have found that experimentation in your own environment is the only way to come to terms with it.

Anything with the core left in is a fingers, toes and everything else crossed if it has any significant moisture left in it.
Long logs well sealed on the end and bark intact left to their own devices usually only loose the first few centimeters of wood, and if you are into pens and the like still yield a quantity of blanks from the split areas.

 

[joekid]

I used to turn tons of wet wood, it dries warped ,and usually splits,you can boil the wood, for a few hours, nuke it in the microwave etc, theres lots of black art involved,but for beginners its a great way of learning what the tools are for,it is harder to get a good finish but plenty of burnishing helps surface dry with the heat helps with the finishing, but it will probably crack,