Snakewood question

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armyturner

armyturner

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Sep 1, 2006
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Oil Trough, AR, USA.
I just got a couple of snakewood turning squares that I am going to use for game calls (I hope that my arm and leg that I paid for them grows back). I have read over and over about the snakewood cracking on pens, but I am hoping that I will have better luck since I will not be turning it nearly as thin.

I know that heat during drilling is the enemy of snakewood. Has anyone ever tried putting the wood in the fridge or freezer for a little bit to cool it down prior to drilling, drill a bit, and pop it back in before it warms up too much?
 
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haven't tried it, but would guess that freezing would be a bad thing. temperature change is much of the problem, and going from shop temp up is bad enough, going from freezing would likely be much more dramatic (and drama is not good with the snake!)

I drilled two snake pen blanks over the weekend, approx 2" sections, drilled in 6 "sessions"...just enough to start warming the bit and blank, then run and hide for several hours....no cracks while drilling...fingers are still crossed!
 
I really do not think that drilling is as bad as I keep reading it is. I've made close to 30 snakewood pens over the last two years and not once has a blank cracked while drilling. I drill them just the same as other blanks....slowly, clearing often, and I drill them in one session. I may be totally wrong...I have been before but, if heat from drilling causes the cracks, why don't they crack while drilling? Oh, yes, they do crack but it often takes several weeks. I let them crack, repair the crack and complete the pen. I've not had one returned that has cracked a second time.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
I
Originally posted by armyturner

I agree that freezing would not be good. Just wondering if anyone had tried keeping it cool that way.
Click to expand...
 
I'm also not sure that heat from drilling is the main culprit with snakewood, but keeping it cool certainly can't hurt. I use my air hose to blow a stream of air at the drill bit right at the end of the blank while I'm drilling on my lathe, and that helps keep heat down, and also clears chips quit well untill the hole gets too deep. You might try that.
 
I don't make a lot of snakewood pens, but of the ones I've made, only one has cracked.. I made it for my son who is a truck driver that lives in his truck and I think he left it exposed to heat buildup in the truck... I had some antler pens that cracked in my display case at a show.. the cases are wood boxes with glass tops and when I checked the pens, they were pretty warm to the touch... heat build up under the glass. Also had some I sold to a gallery that the gallery put in a display case near the top where they had some halogen lights... the antler cracked there too.
I suspect we have a problem with two different materials getting warm and expanding at different rates...when the pens get warm, the tube may have expanded faster or more than the wood, causing the crack.
 
Jeremy, like jon says putting it in the freezer then back to shop temp will in my veiw certainly crack your blank, i say its a no no, i also think that when you press the patrs together, if you do it too tight it will also make the wood crack.
 
Have any of you tried the famous "boiling" method to relax the wood? I have used Steve Russel's method for over a year and have experienced an entire revolution in my successes... especially with 'green' wood. I believe the boiling of the Snakewood would be just as beneficial and will try a chunk in the near future.

Here is the link to "Dr. Russel's" article if anyone is at all interested (and I know you will not be disappointed in the least) ... http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-green-wood.html. If you have not already visited his site be sure to take a bit of time and visit his other links. :D
 
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