Help... eucalyptus seasoning

[Melinda_dd]

Hi all

I've just been given some eucalyptus logs .... about a ft and a half long by about a ft wide ..... HELP!

Am I right in thinking just paint the ends and forget about it for a year, or am I best splitting it in half and sealing it

I'm not experienced in seasoning anything!

 

[cornucopia]

well you've picked one of the worst to cut your teeth on!!!!

from my experince with all of the common english grown eucalypt's is their virtually impossible to season, i keep them wet and turn them wet and get some amazing movement.
I've seen logs 2-3 weeks after they were cut full of splits all of their length and all the way top the middle

 

[jumps]

part of the issue with eucalyptus is that it's really heavily stressed, and whilst you can reduce the moisture content in the usual way, it's not until you release some of the tension that it may (or may not) go really wild! The strands causing this are also a problem splitting it up for burning logs without industrial tools.

obviously this makes thinnish straight branch sections a better bet than sections of trunk, if you want to keep a shape and turn thin.

I have a huge one coming down shortly, but I can't get too fired up about the opportunities...

 

[woodturningpat]

Yep, I got some good logs of freshly felled E last year, split the logs, sealed the ends and wished I hadn't bothered seeing what its doing now. Its all likely to end on the bonfire.

 

[Leo]

Apart form all of the above, I also find it is very difficult to get a decent tool finish on it too, very bitty, if that's the technical term for it, is this also normal ???

 

[Bodrighy]

Turn it as thin as you can and stand back and watch it move. Possibly as you turn. I have seen pieces move a few inches over night and as said it can be very dramatic or frustrating. Good luck

pete

 

[woodstainwilly]

My advice would be, turn it whilst it is still fresh to about half inch thick in the shape roughly you require.
leave it mounted if on a face plate and put it in a kiln for a day. let it rest for another day then turn to the end product.
It works for me.
Willy.

 

[Melinda_dd]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm even more sccared now.

What can i use instead of a kiln as i don't have one?

Is conifer any easier, reliable, productive? May have some on the way this weekend

 

[greybeard]

Similar bad experiences with eucalyptus - by all means have a go while it's green on the 'just for fun' principle. The thinner you get it the more it - potentially - moves....and it seldom has a very interesting grain either.

Conifers vary hugely in size and form and potential, the turning challenge is that they're all softwoods....so super sharp chisel edges at all times, and stand by with some remedial sandpaper just in case!
Difficult to be more specific without knowing which type....Douglas and Norway are quite common, and tend to be pale and not too interesting....but then Yew is a conifer too...(dribble drool)....and so is monkey puzzle!

On the down side they can be full of resin, and take a long long time (years!) to dry. In some cases it seems like the resin never really runs out. They also have a tendency to produce shoots at a common point on the stem/trunk (think Christmas trees), which may lead to some challenging bowl work!

But on balance much more productive/promising than eucalyptus!!

 

[stoobers]

I have had great success with eucalyptus. "Salvaging" it takes a bit of work.

To salvage a BRANCH:
DON'T REMOVE THE BARK!!! Chop saw the ends off, until there are no cracks, then seal the ends with cheap white glue. Store in a PAPER grocery bag with some wood chips from a previous turning project. Do not use plastic. If you want, you can stick a pieces of paper onto the glue and just plop the branch in a dark, cool place. It will store for a long time. When you go to turn the branch, there will still be moisture in it, so it will turn nicely. It may warp. IMMEDIATELY after you turn the wood, you need to seal the wood with cheap white glue or a mixture of 3:1 wax/oil mixture. I use the wax/oil method - 3 or 4 tea candles plus a shot glass of olive oil. Don't turn in the red hot sun. Eucalyptus is nice because the pith is almost as strong as the rest of the wood.

If you use the CROTCH (where the branch meets the trunk):
The wood will be harder, with a swankier grain, and the grain will flare on one end. The extra sap keeps cracks down. This is my favorite part of of the tree to turn. If you remove the outer wood and bark down to the core of the crotch, you need to SEAL ALL SIDES with cheap white glue. And I mean all the sides. I have tried to seal with 3:1 wax/oil - it works, but you have to hold the wood above a gas stove to melt the wax/oil into the wood. Again, store in a paper bag with wood chips in a cool place.

To salvage a LOG for planks or laminating:
If you use a big fat log, split the log and get rid of the outer, more temperamental parts. Then, band saw the wood into planks and chop the cracks out of the ends. I cut the wood to about 1 1/4 wide planks. Then, seal all six sides with cheap white glue. Keep the wood cool use a brown bag + wood chips or something similar.

Using this method, I have extracted some truly remarkable bits of wood out of "Eucalyptus globulus" (blue gum) that would otherwise never have seen the light of day. I am currently experimenting with linseed oil as a means of sealing.

 

[jumps]

Using this method, I have extracted some truly remarkable bits of wood out of "Eucalyptus globulus" (blue gum) that would otherwise never have seen the light of day. I am currently experimenting with linseed oil as a means of sealing.

thanks for the detailed info - have you some photos of some output?

I took down a 50ft tree with a 24" trunk 4 days ago - I've shipped out 1 1/2 tons of logs but the rest haven't been collected yet... I was only planning to retain 1 x 100kg piece (already waxed) that I've planned to store for a few years.

 

[CHJ]

Welcome to the forum stoobers, must admit all my experiences with UK grown varieties of Eucalyptus have been negative, that which I've turned green resolved themselves into quality firewood after a few days, attempts to dry or store it have failed in one way or another, frustratingly some failed to hold together when trying to prepare it after 2-1/2 years of no sign of failure.

One batch that that looked the most promising with no end or radial cracks evident proved to be about 20% internal voids when starting to turn.

 

[OldWood]

A friend arrived this morning with a 500 x 175mm lump of eucalyptus. Seemingly the tree had died some time back and has only now been felled. It's showing about 30 to 35% moisture.

The first thing that was curious was that the bark came off the log in a oner - it's almost a feature in its own right though for what use I'm at a loss as yet.

The log has been cut off a larger one so as yet is not showing any signs of splitting. But what is interesting in light of a recent post of mine asking about why the wood from fruit trees twists, is that this log has a definite twist that didn't show in the bark. This perhaps then ties in with the comments about stress in the wood.

There does seem to be some colour in the growth rings, but then I'm only seeing about a dozen in the 175mm diameter so perhaps that tells us something about its growing rate and hence drying difficulties.

Rob

 

[myturn]

My experience with eucalyptus is pretty much as has been said.

Turn it wet and thin and watch it move. Store it and it's good for the fire.

Here's an example of a vase I made from some turned 2 days after the tree was felled.

It had some lovely patterns as it was a crotch pice, it was like marble. (for a while!)

I still quite like it though, it's kinda quirky.

 

[OldWood]

My experience with eucalyptus is pretty much as has been said.

Turn it wet and thin and watch it move. Store it and it's good for the fire.

Here's an example of a vase I made from some turned 2 days after the tree was felled.

It had some lovely patterns as it was a crotch pice, it was like marble. (for a while!)

I still quite like it though, it's kinda quirky.

Worth a try then !!!

As my piece has dried a little naturally without cracking there is hope but the moisture meter says 30% so wet it is but is it rain wet or sap wet? I'll give it a bash and see what happens - I could try the microwave and see if I can get some of the moisture out. Even a novelty piece all bent is worth producing as a piece to explain wood problems.

Rob