HELP

sammo · 28 Sep 2013

A Neighbour kindly donated some Apple Tree logs (it had to be felled as it was half dead and rotten) - so I got the bits that were not!
I am pretty new to wood turning and so far have only bought blanks. So got started trying to create some bowl blanks - and I seem to be creating more waste than wood I can use; then my chain saw (electric and cheap) stopped working.

So was wondering if there is anyone in the Croydon / Sutton area who has a chain saw and some time to help me sort this out - more than happy to split what we can harvest + a bottle of wine...

Pictures below -

Random Orbital Bob · 28 Sep 2013

Hi Sammo....I'm not far from Camberley...so a bit of a way admittedly. If you can bring the logs here I have a Stihl and a bandsaw. We could make short work of them. Apple is a very dense wood so it's a pig on the blades. Maybe it's burnt the motor out on your chainsaw.

Cheers

Robbo3 · 28 Sep 2013

Unless you are going to rough turn & then store your articles to dry & finish at a later date .... the golden rule for wood is to leave it as long as possible for as long as possible. Larger width pieces can, some say should, be split down the middle but seal the end grain as soon as you can to prevent rapid moisture loss. Even wrapping them temporarily in plastic or carrier bags can save splits later on.

I use old emulsion paint and / or tie a plastic bag around each end - carrier bags & elastic bands are good. Only problem with this method is that the bags should be removed, turned inside out & replaced on a daily basis for the first week, then weekly for the next month, then monthly until ready - approx a year per 1" thickness + 1 year.

Apple & other fruit woods are notorious for splitting. Two logs from the same tree can act completely differently even though you thought you did every thing right with one splitting & the other not.

HTH

sammo · 28 Sep 2013

Robbo The plan was to rough turn the blanks.

Bob Camberley is not that far what is your availability. ..

KimG · 28 Sep 2013

If you think about replacing your electric chainsaw I can recommend the Makita 14", I have had mine for well over a year (which I know is not that long) but it is a tough bit of kit and I have had many Makita tools and found them to be well made and excellent in service.