Moisture content musing.....

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trevtheturner

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26 Feb 2003
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Herefordshire, UK.
Last evening, suffering from severe lathe withdrawal symptoms, I dived into the workshop and lifted a nice piece of olive wood from the shelf where it had been sitting for about four years. Just right for a bit of therapy, I thought.

Mounted onto the lathe, the waxed rim of the blank was removed. Thinks, this feels a bit wet - although it looked fine when I started. Out with the moisture meter - both faces show 9% - fine so far.Then :shock: the end grain on the rim is showing between 17% and 22%!

Think a bit more. Do I:

a. re-seal it and stick it back on the shelf for a few more years?
b. stick it back on the shelf as it is for a while and hope it doesn't split?
c. turn it to roughly 1" thick and leave it to dry? Perhaps even incurring domestic wrath by using the microwave (I have read about this, see)?
d. just turn it and see what happens, accepting the distortion that may occur, even if it doesn't split?

Impatience getting the better of me I settled for d. Even before I had finished turning the outside I was amazed to see a film of rust, as a result of the moisture in the shavings, forming on the lathe bed!

Anyway, here is the finished bowl, 120mm diameter x 70mm high, turned to a thickness of 3mm, with just one coat of oil so far. Will it stay like this or do horrible things? Time will tell. The pen beside it (purely for scale, of course :wink: ) was turned from an offcut of zebrano.

trevtheturner-olivewood.JPG


Cleaning the iron & steel that was within range of the shavings probably took longer than the turning itself. :roll: Decided I'm not keen on wet turning!

Cheers,

Trev.
 
Trev

I hope that it stays put!!!! as is. I realllly like it. I can only set back and marvel at the work you and others, on this forum, turn. I appreciate the pics.

Travis
 
Hi trev,

Beautiful bowl :!:
You must be a thorough cleaner or a very fast turner.
I hope you will keep us informed about the fate of this bowl.

Hans
 
hello trev,
i'm new here but not to olive wood. i have found that no matter how green this wood is, it barely moves. the first box i turn of olive wood was green and the lid still fits perfect. i accually perfer to turn it green. it will how ever, change colors. beautifull bowl keep it up :D
 
<Fanfare>
Welcome to the forum, Laurie. You have the honour of being the oficial 1000th member! Congratulations :D =D> \:D/

Cheers, Alf

P.S. Nice bowl Trev, but don't you round, spinny folks ever make any spindle stuff? :p :wink:
 
Hans":jpr2f0y8 said:
You must be a thorough cleaner or a very fast turner.

I think it's more a case of me being a slow turner and a much slower cleaner, Hans! :lol:



Laurie,

Welcome to the Forum and thank you for the useful info. on olive wood. I'll be interested now to see how this one develops.

..........but don't you round, spinny folks ever make any spindle stuff?

Never thought of myself as a round, spinny folk before, Alf. :? :lol:
The pen in the pic. is a little spindly thing. I'll take some more pics. of spindly things on the morrow and post 'em.

Cheers,

Trev.
 
Hi Trev

That is a really beautiful bowl.


Hi laurie

Welcome to the forum. I'll add my congratulations to Alf's on being our 1,000th member.

Cheers
Neil
 
Hi Trev,

I think that your rusting problem would probably have occurred even if the wood was dry.

Olive wood is notorious for causing rusting of the tools / bed ways - there is even a warning about this in the Craft Supplies catalogue, so it must be bad if they warn you about it whilst simultaneously trying to sell you some!

Lovely bowl by the way - beautiful figure.

Regards

Gary
 
Beautiful bowl Trevor, will be interesting to see how stable it is. It should have the maximum chance to 'go wrong' with the current climate, so fingers crossed.

I take it you finally got out from under of the lounge rework :)

Would there be any advantage in a coating of vaseline or similar on bedways etc. next time whilst you clear some of your wet stock? hate to see your machine and tools marred, the finished effect effect is encouraging enough to warrant more of the same.
 
Fantastic, Trev.

Olive is such a pretty wood. My wife likes using it as well and her experience is as Laurie's.

Which, btw, welcome Laurie!

Trev, my wife puts on a coat of paste wax when ever she is turning green wood, which is most of the time. Other than forgetting to clean off her lathe one night, she rarely sees any rust on the lathe. She also lightly wipes her tools in use with the same cloth she used to wax the lathe.

Thank you for showing this piece to us.
 
Just to say thanks to everybody for all your kind comments, which are always so encouraging. Thanks also for the useful info. and tips regarding olivewood/rust - they are all duly noted.

The little bowl has been exposed to considerable heat and direct sunlight and is standing up well - no sign of any movement so far! :D

BTW, Chas, no, I'm not out from under the lounge rework. In fact, I haven't started it, apart from making a jig for cutting the coving! :oops: But then this retirement really is such a busy time. :wink:

Cheers,

Trev.
 
trevtheturner":gio0e434 said:
..snip..The little bowl has been exposed to considerable heat and direct sunlight and is standing up well - no sign of any movement so far!
Looking good then, Ockenden may be getting some more sales :wink:

trevtheturner":gio0e434 said:
..BTW, Chas, no, I'm not out from under the lounge rework. In fact, I haven't started it, apart from making a jig for cutting the coving! :oops: But then this retirement really is such a busy time. :wink:
Sounds like we need to set up a property re-work 'bee type thingy' to help you out. (hammer)
 
No. don't help me out, Chas, for goodness sake! :shock: All in good time. :wink: There's no rush and the longer I can stretch it out, the later it will be before I have to dip into my wallet for new carpet and furnishings - leave the cash where it is to carry on earning a few more pennies. As long as I don't get tempted to spend it in new machines and tools in the meantime! :roll: :lol:

Cheers,

Trev - wandering totally off-topic ('pologies). :oops:
 
trevtheturner":7lyl245t said:
..snip.. There's no rush and the longer I can stretch it out, the later it will be before I have to dip into my wallet for new carpet and furnishings - ..snip..
What you really mean is that there are a dozen other projects lined up for you when it's finished :twisted:

trevtheturner":7lyl245t said:
As long as I don't get tempted to spend it in new machines and tools in the meantime! :roll: :lol:
You wouldn't dare [-X
 

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