I learned something today

[woodfarmer]

My focus and ambitions in woodturning was to make bowls , the bigger the better. Having made and given away a few I had requests for fruit to go in them. This has set me off doing some spindle turning having spent most of a day making a dozen or two of blanks, What I have found/learned is this. The toolrest which I cursed so much when I was trying to turn bowls is actually not bad at all for spindle turning. If the running edge was hardened it would have been good. Shows how different things can seem from different viewpoints.

The two cherry blanks which were cut and immediately sealed have started to split maybe one day I will get to turn a piece that will remain whole. I am beginning to think I should store cherry immersed in oil and only turn it with oil coolant.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

I'm pretty certain cherry cracks before the tree hits the ground.

The last limbs I took from the tree in the garden had stared to crack within a few hours so I split them along the cracks before I sealed the ends. It seemed to help a bit. I think the limbs being under stress were a factor too. The pith was way over to one side of the log.

 

[Bodrighy]

My focus and ambitions in woodturning was to make bowls , the bigger the better. Having made and given away a few I had requests for fruit to go in them. This has set me off doing some spindle turning having spent most of a day making a dozen or two of blanks, What I have found/learned is this. The toolrest which I cursed so much when I was trying to turn bowls is actually not bad at all for spindle turning. If the running edge was hardened it would have been good. Shows how different things can seem from different viewpoints.

The two cherry blanks which were cut and immediately sealed have started to split maybe one day I will get to turn a piece that will remain whole. I am beginning to think I should store cherry immersed in oil and only turn it with oil coolant.

Best thing to do with cherry is turn it thin and hope that it jsut moves as opposed to splitting. Or go my route and so some wabi sabi pieces if the splits aren't too bad LOL.

Pete

 

[Grahamshed]

Before I got my lathe I assumed my main interest would be in bowls as well but as I start to get into it I am beginning to think it will be more in the direction of vases and hollow forms, though i couldn't explain why.

 

[KimG]

Twenty years ago or more I had several full Cherry trees, I had them converted to planks varying from 2.5 to 4 inches in thickness and stacked them in stick to season, they were left full length which was about 5 foot (this is just the main trunks) and on the whole they seasoned very well with minimal splitting, possibly even with branches it may be a good idea to try and season them while they are still long rather than cutting them short and then sealing, which seems to bring on drying splits possibly due to the more rapid moisture loss despite the sealing. Also allowing the drying to take place slowly by storing the wood in a cool shaded dry area rather than a sunny one might help, I know I left some longish (3ft plus) holly logs out in the sun and they are now firewood, split all over the shop.

 

[Robbo3]

The two cherry blanks which were cut and immediately sealed have started to split maybe one day I will get to turn a piece that will remain whole. I am beginning to think I should store cherry immersed in oil and only turn it with oil coolant.

As I wrote in this thread
- cherry-seasoning-t76928.html

"In contrast & just to show every bit of wood is different ... a friend was going to chop down an ornamental cherry tree & asked if I could make use of it. Of course I said yes & asked him to not cut it up into short lengths but to leave each piece as long as was manageable.

About a month later we were chatting & he said that he had forgotten to tell me that he had cut the tree down just after he first offered it to me & it was now lying by his back gate & he would deliver it in his van as soon as he was able.

Three months later he rolls up & asks where I want it. I go out with great trepidation expecting it all to be riddled with cracks but to my complete surprise there were only a few minor ones to be seen. I quickly slapped on as much white emulsion as each end would take before borrowing an electric chainsaw to split them down the middle & cut out the pith - I'm just not geared up to handle such large chunks of wood.

So I ended up with 6 halves approx 300mm wide by 450mm long, a length of trunk 150-200mm wide by 1200mm, another piece of trunk 150mm by 600mm & three 50mm thick slabs cut from the middle. They are sat under the carport & have very little signs of cracking even though it's now some ten months since the tree was cut down. I've put it down to pure luck of having a very wet spring & early summer which probably prevented the moisture from evaporating."