How do you deal with Wood

[edbanger]

I've been buying some timber in plank form which has either been kiln dried or stored and air dried or so I was told, but once cut the wood starts to split and crack so I guess that it's no where near dry.

So now I am looking to take full control of my wood and trust no one I'm planning on installing my own small kiln, and installing a dehumidifier in the workshop.

I'm just wondering how you all deal with your timber.

Ed

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Ed when wood is converted in the sawmill it is cut to the sizes that it will be (roughly) used in. So a 9"x2" plank will have pith down the middle but will be split to make door stiles or window frames. When the wood dries the inherent stresses of the timber remain only to be released once you cut it. Notice how a small strip taken from a larger plank will curl and twist as you cut it, if the tree had been converted to small strips this would dry straighter and with less twist.
       I convert all my wet timber asap after felling. My bowl blanks I cut to round if I cannot rough them out immediately. You could reasonably expect to lose upto 20% of your timber through splitting or spalting/staining caused through any number of reasons.
        I dry my own slowly but am coming round to the idea that in the long run it is cheaper and easier to but it in.

[Paul Hannaby]

Bear in mind that when it comes to wood, there is no such thing as "dry". It reaches an equilibrium with it's environment, whether that be a heated kiln, open barn or your workshop. Moving wood from one environment to another which has a different temperature and humidity will cause the wood to either absorb or lose moisture and that will cause the wood to expand or shrink. If the change is too fast, the wood will crack because it hasn't had time to equalise throughout its thickness.

Cracks can also form due to stresses stored in the wood, either from the way it grew or from problems at the drying stage.

Pick your wood and your supplier carefully!

[seventhdevil]

ed, i think the BHT and mr hannaby are correct mate.
i often treat my wood with caution even if i've bought it from a KD source as it's often sat outside for a while re acquiring moisture so when i cut blanks from planks i often seal the ends and carefully bring them in to drier locations that include the dinning room and conservatory.


what species are you having trouble with?

[TWiG]

I have been a tree surgeon for about 30 years now so get paid to take wood away!! ,  however most is just rubbish . I cut it with a chainsaw in to blanks/blocks  either for bowls or hollow forms . These can be end grain , side grain , forks  etc  I usually wrap them with pallet wrap ( clingfilm ) until I get round to roughing them out ( depends on time of year ) When a bowl is roughed out , usually in winter I put it aside for a while before painting with PVA then in to my drying shed , when I think it is dry enough ( months or years ) I usually bring it indoors for a few weeks ( depending on time of year and thickness of wood )  then to lathe to turn sand and finish .  With hollow forms I turn them green , when almost dry on the surface  ,after  a day or so ,I  sand and finish , leaving it for some time before reverse turning to finish the bottom .     All of this varies with species of wood , dimensions of wood and again the time of year .   I never buy in plank form as it is often no  more than 4 inches thick  ( I like deep bowls )  and do not like turning dry wood  .   Terry...

[edbanger]

Hi All

Thanks for your comments, I have a lot of part turn green work and store logs and chunks of trees which is fine but I'm trying to complete some work for a gallery and I need to get some bits together quickly which is not going to split. Also I 'm trying to process wood in to blanks for my shop so this is why I've been buying planks.

I've been offer a lot of spalted beech in plank format which is wet and been cut 3 and 4 inches thick and with my experience of planked timber to date I know that this would be a waste of time unless I can control the drying to a degree, hence the question.

I think that I will invest in a small kiln part turn and then try drying the work and then finish, this would also give me the option to control the drying of planks.

I will try wrapping freshly cut chucks of wood in pallet wrap as I also like to turn big deep pieces. Also I'll be picking my timber suppliers a bit more carefully.



Ed

[Graham]

I deal with wood by standing it in the corner and then waggling my finger at it while saying in a firm voice ' Now look here wood, if you go cracking, splitting and warping on me then we are going to fall out'

If I was being brutally honest I would have to say that it sometimes ignores me.