Sap wood

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BeeAMaker

BeeAMaker

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Elkhart IN, USA
I found a 4x4 skid runner that has some interesting color. Problem is the wood is very sappy. I'm thinking toaster oven at 150 - 200 for a day or so??? Anyone have experience drying out the sap?

Thanks!


sap.jpg
 
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Be very cautious of skids and pallets, you may never know if the pallet was used for hauling chemicals, and if they have spilled on the wood. And how that will react under heat or when turned. Most professional pallets will have markings on the sides that showed what was hauled, but that varies by whom shipped the materials.
 
Shane's warning should be taken seriously. . I would not dry that wood in a toaster oven. . It could be dried in circulating air for a year or so. . But if it has sap oozing out I wouldn't even bother with it.
 
Some info gained if anyone is interested. Falcon, your concerns are noted, but no worry of that in this case.

Not all lumber is kiln dried and even if it was you cannot guarantee the temperature it was dried at (or duration for that matter). Sap typically "sets" when heated 160°F/71°C (hour plus). So if you see sap seeping out then you need to heat it up.

You need to clean it before you do any finishing (paint/stain etc). Mineral spirits is suggested as it is not likely to damage the wood.

Some woods can have the sap coming out from everywhere. If you have the means to kiln dry the wood then it would be the best course of action. It is not ideal since the effort and cost associated with saving some pine is most likely not practical. Many people have had success properly sealing it with shellac.

If you just have some small pieces like me then you could use a heat gun (Has to be a strong one) or a blowtorch. The latter can damage the wood since it is flame based but in general heat is the point.
 
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One of the interesting techniques being used is to roast woods to change colors.

This is done with bamboo to create a carmel colored flooring. Roasting and toasting has been done with veneers for centuries (Federal Style for an example).

Best not done in the kitchen oven, or with woods of uncertain history because of volatile materials released in heating.

Roasting can make woods more brittle, and soft pine is still soft, but has promise for pens.
 
KenV said:
One of the interesting techniques being used is to roast woods to change colors.

This is done with bamboo to create a carmel colored flooring. Roasting and toasting has been done with veneers for centuries (Federal Style for an example).
Click to expand...

I installed a Fossilized Bamboo floor, deep Carmel color and hard as stone. I had to pre-drill for the staples! but a beautiful floor!.

Best not done in the kitchen oven, or with woods of uncertain history because of volatile materials released in heating.

Roasting can make woods more brittle, and soft pine is still soft, but has promise for pens.
Click to expand...

I'm using the toaster oven I use for soldering SMD components, not the one I use for hot dogs! IT does however remind me of Christmas time :embarrassed:
 
Got some results,
First I cut the wood into 3/4 x 3/4 x 6" blanks and baked at 160 for about 2 hours. It drew some sap out but after shaving it off, the wood still felt sappy.

The next day I baked it at 250f for about 6 hours. That drew a LOT of sap out and caramelized it as a very hard surface on the wood. That gave me an Idea.

I then drilled and turned the blank down to the shape I wanted and baked it again all day at 300f. That caramelized what sap was left in the wood and made a very nice finish surface. I then sanded smooth to about 3K and then buffed with a dry rag. I haven't tried using polish yet, but the caramelized sap makes a really hard coating. almost like CA.

There are some issues and flaws with this test blank, so I am going to try again. This time I will turn the wood down first so I have more sap to caramelize on the surface. I think I drew to much sap out before turning last time so it didn't caramelize evenly after turning.

There is no CA or any other polish/finish on the wood, just the caramelized sap from baking. (for a 2mm pencil)

sapwood.jpg
 
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