Let's talk about wood.

[dhallnc]

I've got a few questions about green wood.

1. Is it suitable to use young tree trunks for pen blanks? I'm talking trunk diameter of 3-6 inches.

2. How about branches 1-3 inch diameter?

3. The power line people are coming through and trimming trees. I'm going to get a few pieces for bowls. Should I just seal the ends or cut it in half and seal all of that? Latex paint ok?

Thanks
Darryl

 

[jonrms]

I would say yes... BUT you need to let them dry for at least a year.. and you have to seal them ..... I am sure someone with more experiance of this will advise you.. but the answer in short term is yes..... just make sure the drying and sealing is done ... otherwise it will all be for waste.

 

[bitshird]

For ypour bowls, just seal the ends , split them length wise and cut off to each side of center, you ned to avoid the pith as it will split no matter what!!, Bowl stock turns best when wet. Pen stock should be dryed before turning but you can speed the process by sealoing the ends and put the cut blanks to slightly over size in a food dehydrator

 

[Padre]

Green wood needs to be aged and dried before using as pen blanks.

1. I feel the most cost effective way is is to cut the branches/trunks into manageable lengths, leaving the bark on. The coat BOTH ends with anchorseal (available at WoodCraft), latex paint, beeswax or some other semi-permeable substance. Then let it stand for 6 months to a year.

2. Cut the wood into large blanks, say 2" x 2", then soak in denatured alcohol for 24 hours. After soaking, let air dry for about 3 hours, then place in a brown grocery bag, roll the top of the bag shut, let sit for 2-4 months.

3. Cut the wood into large blanks, then put in microwave to dry. But be very careful not to scorch or burn the wood.

4. Cut the wood in to large blanks, then put in brown grocery bag, sprinkle with water, close the bag, let sit for 6 months.

5. Cut into large blanks, then put in a sealed plastic bin for 3-5 months. This will also get some funky stuff growing on the wood, and some spalting too.

There are other ways to dry the wood, but these five are the most popular.

 

[dhallnc]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[keithkarl2007]

If your going to turn bowls you can rough turn them wet inside and out but leave on a foot or spigot for truing the blank up. The idea is to turn the walls to 10% of the width of the bowl, so a 300mm diameter bowl should have the walls turned to 30mm but they have to be consistent. If the wall is thicker in one place than others it will dry out unevenly and may crack as it dries. Weigh the rough turned blank regularly and when it has stopped losing weight it is dry enough to finish. It will have moved and warped a little but the thick walls will allow you to re-turn it.

 

[KenV]

Branches tend to have a lot of reaction wood -- the top of the branch is in tension and the bottom is in compression. When the stresses are released in turning, cracks can happen - and in some species, the cracks are rapidly developing during drying. The main trunk does not have the same cantilever beam effect in the growth.

There is a tendency to have radial cracks to the pith of the branch or trunk so a split down the pith which may not be centered in the trunk and usually is not centered in the branches, helps avoid radial cracking.

You never know until you try -- and with free wood, all that invested is a little sealer and time.

You can rough out blanks for pens green, but bad cracks are very very likely to happen if you turn before they are well dried.