wet wood turning

[joekid]

when turning wet wood is it normal to get fluffing of the fibers,on each side of the bowl(endgrain edges) also on the inside, i was wandering if the gouges were,nt sharp enough at first but a quick touch up on the belt sander ,and the problem persisted,is this normal turning wet wood, or do i need a sanding barrel on the drill to sort it out??,have a good un chaps .

 

[Russell]

If the wood is very wet then yes you will get feathering. I rough turn to about 1 to 3/4" wall thickness and allow to move and dry for 6 - 10 weeks then return to a finish. Must be even wall thickness and depends on how wet and type of timber for success rate.

 

[joekid]

its ash,ive used a bit of aluminium oxide paper to fettle it a little and has worked a treat, just need to get some fine,like you say Russell i do need to let it stabilize for a few weeks , if i leave it in the shed will it lose moisture or equalize to the damp outdoor air?

 

[CHJ]

joekid, No point in 'finishing' the surface at all unless you are deliberatly turning a very thin 'Green' item, in all probability it will move "Out of Round" when drying and will therefore require rework, the very reason for leaving it over thickness.

Left to its own devices it will stabilize to the surrounding atmosphere in time but may split. If required for Centrally Heated location Final drying in that envioronmentwould reduce the risk of movement after re-working.

Better results, i.e. less splitting, may be obtained by 'Meths Drying'or Boiling and then wrapping the outer surface.

 

[geoff_tulip]

sanding when wet is just a pain - i have seen wet turners using meths or something similar - applying it to the bowl - lighting it to dry the surface and then sanding - obvious care must be taken but seem to work for them - i prefer to rough turn and dry for 12 months - return and finish...but there are other methods such as microwave, soap soaking , alcohol soaking etc whatever floats your boat really.....

 

[Russell]

the key is to try a few different methods and find out what works best for your set up. Some timbers require a different method of work for instance plum which was 3 months old finished really well 3 days after turning to about 5mm thick. The timber remained a nice golden yellow with some blood red streaks. The second peice i left for 6 weeks and it went much paler in colour and it was the same log side by side you would think them different trees.

 

[joekid]

thanks Russell,Geoff,Ghj, all good advice, i need to be more patient.

 

[joekid]

ive done some more bowls/complete with a lovely finish, i give them a good burnishing every couple of minutes between sanding ,the friction generated dries out the surface enough for the next stage in sanding, ive got some photos ,elm works well, and some ash, [/img]

 

[joekid]

ive done some more bowls/complete with a lovely finish, i give them a good burnishing every couple of minutes between sanding ,the friction generated dries out the surface enough for the next stage in sanding, ive got some photos ,elm works well, and some ash