help in resawing logs for seasoning and turning

[Markvk]

Hi All.

I'm new to turning and woodworking in general and I'm still putting all of my spare time into equipping and setting up my workshop. Ive been offered some sycamore and ive harvested some of it. Thing is I havnt a clue what to do with it from here.....Ive done some research and sussed a little about how to prepare it for bowl blanks, but I don't just want to make bowls!

What would be the best way to re saw this wood for seasoning without limiting me too much on what I can use it for?

ive also got some birch to sort out ill post picks later.

no 1

no 2

no 3

Thanks.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

This sticky is at the top of the forum, its well worth a read....many useful links and pointers to the new turner.

post301390.html

 

[MattRoberts]

Make yourself a resawing jig, and run it through a bandsaw. Plenty of YouTube videos on how to make a jig

 

[Markvk]

Too big for my bandsaw! its a chainsaw job.....

Bob the only bit in that sticky recommends sawing them down the middle along the grain and then sealing the end grain, would that be the best thing to do? or should I just seal the end grain? until I'm more certain of what to do? I'm particularly unsure of what to do with no 2...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. Get the ends sealed quickly.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Too big for my bandsaw! its a chainsaw job.....

Bob the only bit in that sticky recommends sawing them down the middle along the grain and then sealing the end grain, would that be the best thing to do? or should I just seal the end grain? until I'm more certain of what to do? I'm particularly unsure of what to do with no 2...

Hi Mark

I'm going to pm you my batphone number so we can discuss...too wordy for a written response

 

[Markvk]

Yes. Get the ends sealed quickly.

with what Phil?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

anything that slows moisture loss....melted wax is commonly used in the commercial world but emulsion paint works as does diluted (10%) pva which is what I use because its inexpensive and easy to apply. I buy it in 10L tubs from the plaster section of builders merchants. In other words its what plasterers use to stabilise friable old plaster work rather than the glue spec pva (its a lot cheaper)

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

If you seal the ends as the logs are right now in the round then you'll have bought yourself time to consider what to do next which we can pick up on the phone.

But to summarise, cut logs lose moisture unevenly with the fastest loss from the pith ie the central core of the trunk. This uneven moisture loss sets up stresses and tensions in the fibres which cause radial splits and cracks which usually end up either ruining the wood for turning altogether or at best make the blanks you can eventually harvest much smaller than they might have been. The sealing of the end grain slows that moisture loss so reduces the risk of splits. Having said that, it rarely prevents it altogether so another tip is to leave 6-8" of "spare" at the end of each butt which is designed to be sacrificial ie you know it will split but it'll be cut off before the rest of the blank is used which hopefully will have resisted the splitting.

The sooner you get the ends sealed, the lower the risk of splitting. Some woods (Cherry, Eucalyptus and many others) will literally start splitting within minutes of being felled so time really is of the essence.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

With #2 it's commonly known as a crotch ie the meeting point of branch and trunk. A potentially very useful bowl blank because the actual meeting point will yield an interesting grain pattern called a "feather" provided you cut the blank such that the line where they meet is dead central (or wherever you might want the feather to be in the finished piece).

For now, paint all the cut surfaces with anything you have to slow the moisture loss ie paint, pva, wax etc and have that come past the end grain by about an inch. Where ever the log is cut, seal. Leave the bark in situ (it slows down moisture loss). Pay particular attention to getting that paint into the cracks that are already appearing from the pith. Obviously do this to both ends of the logs.

Keep them somewhere shaded and out of the sun, preferably where air can blow over them and keep them off the ground or all the sapwood will have rotted by the time you can use them. Felled wood in contact with the ground will get infected with various funghi, most commonly Bracket Fungus, the hyphae of which cause a phenomenon known as "spalting". Spalting can be a very useful tool to make wood look amazing but it has to be arrested before it goes too far so for now lets leave that complication for another thread. Use wooden stickers to keep the logs off the ground or stack them in a shed, etc

 

[Markvk]

Perfect Bob, Thanks! ive got a gallon of PVA that I can use tomorrow, was going to order some paraffin wax but that saved me the time. I had never realised that I needed to get the ends sealed so quickly. I have a nice shady bit at the bottom of the garden and some pallets so ill put them down there on the pallets. Ill still call tomorrow if I may. when you say diluted PVA 10% I take it you mean 90% PVA 10 % water?

Mark

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Yes mate...sorry I should have specified. No worries about calling tomorrow

 

[Markvk]

Thanks all. and especially Bob for all the time spent on the phone providing information that I will take some time to assimilate.

ive decided to seal the sycamore on the end grains for now and to return to it when ive more time to cut it in a fashion that suits the work I want to do with it here it all is nicely sealed ready for its shady storage area

Bob assures me that this wood collecting lark is a long term thing and that there's no rush once the ends a sealed and it will probably be at least 60 years before its ready to turn.... :roll: :lol:

This is the birch, at least I think that's what it is :?: :?: :?: :?:

No if this is birch I'm going to use it to practice with, ill cut some of it properly for storage (as per Bobs instructions) which is log diameter plus 50mm plus 150mm to allow for splitting I'm only going to do this with one bit the rest ill turn into bowl blanks and rough turn them or rectangular sections with either the ends sealed for seasoning or for wet spindle turning practice (but ive already got loads of wood suitable for that really.....)

any further input more than welcome.

Mark

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

and don't forget you owe me Hob Nobs.....many Hob Nobs

 

[Markvk]

Can anyone confirm that this is birch? I'm going to do it some damage with my chainsaw but if it something harder to get hold of I don't want to waste it!

 

[paulm]

Nothing like birch, possibly oak or even walnut, would be easier to tell without the end seal on !

Cheers, Paul

 

[Markvk]

Hi Paul.

I wasn't talking about the sealed stuff in the trailer that's Sycamore I'm storing that until I'm a little more experienced. I'm talking about the 8ft logs in the second set of pics, the ones lying on the ground.

Mark

 

[paulm]

So was I mark ! A trick of the light perhaps, thought the pale streaks were caused by the end seal.

Oak would be my guess from the bark, but not 100% certain

Cheers, Paul

 

[Markvk]

Bugger! there goes my practice wood! cheers Paul

Mark

 

[finneyb]

Looks like pine to me rather than birch, but go for the practice its common.

Brian