Green Woodturning, Free Walnut

Sorry about the spam addy, forgot I changed it. Try ([lower case] my first name, no space, my last name at yahoo dot com).

-- Mark

Are you trying to turn the ornaments using an entire branch section or are you splitting the logs to remove the pith?

My best luck has been using several methods.

1) Remove the pith out no matter what you do.

2) Cut and turn as much as possible green. Leave it thicker so that you can turn away what warps. Usually bowls in my case. Then anchorseal it and let it dry. I just build up my stock often up to a year then. Then return to the lathe turn it again then put on your finnish.

3) Cut and turn as soon as possible but leave it thin so that it can warp without cracking (again usually bowls in my case).

4) Cut into spindle stock. (Leave pith out again). Then seal the ends, I use anchorseal or parafin on the ends. Anchorseal is safer, but I found a temperature controlled pot to use for parafin and seal ends outside. As long as you stack them with stickers in between I have had very good results creating my own spindle stock. Again I usually set this aside for later use after it drys.

A very good book I would recommend is "Turning Green Wood" by Michael Odonnell though there are now many good books and videos on turning green wood.

Also website searches on turning green wood will give you many ideas.

Have fun and good luck. Remember even if you loose some it was all free. After I few times of experimenting you will find what works for you.

Green wood is a fun thing - like others have said, coat.

Don't plan on a pith line in anything - it will be a hole.

I have turned green wood and taken the 1/4" over size walls to a drying area to dry slowly.

I have also taken an almost finished green bowl and put it in a microwave.

afterwards you can shape a hot bowl - at 50% defrost or the like. shape the bowl into unique non-round shapes. Hand sanding is required.

The precut bowls/cups - are drying faster and need to be slowed with damp rags. When the rags dry and the bowls dry - (depends on the location!!) then remount it on the lathe and complete the bowl or cup.....

Richard Raffan "Turning Wood" - video tape workshop is interesting as it is all wet cutting.

It might help if you search for it - ISBN 0918804566

He has a companion book as well.

Martin

Being in the UK, I am wondering if paraffin would do a useful job. Have you tried kerosene?

I assume you are referring to paraffin wax or candle wax.

I don't know how far around the world these various names go but the thought of someone's workshop exploding as a result of following this advice......

Don't forget the internet is worldwide and the UK's influence runs deep in some parts still.

Dave L

We are both at fault. If we said paraffin wax and you said paraffin oil, nobody would be confused. As much.

Hello Mark,

Strip off the bark. Using a chain saw or maul, split the 14" logs down the middle. This is to remove the pith. You could also rip the logs into small flat pieces 2-3" in thickness. Coat the ends with wax or loads of old paint. Keep outside, covered (out of the rain), and off the ground. Air must be allowed to circulate. Figure about 1 year per inch thickness but I personally can't wait that long.

Use the branches to practice and develop your skills with the skew and gouge.

I have been told (my direct experience in turning is still futuristic) that one can turn green wood, but after turning, it should be sealed somehow to cure (dry without cracking) for about a year. My particular informant prefers using plastic film wrap (saran or equivalent), wrapping the piece(s) well, & storing away for about a year.

Either way, it will be a long time until you can turn the green wood into a useful thing without cracks - either cure the stock, or cure the turning...

HTH

I used to use an old hand held electric clothes iron to melt paraffin wax into the end grain. This stops the rapid, uneven drying that causes cracks in wet wood drying. Also be sure the pith is removed. I never used any commercial products like anchor seal that everyone seems to like, but wax always worked well for me.

I too like Wax, it has worked for everything I have sealed. The only wood I had problems with was the ones I used a commercial sealer !

One way to melt the wax is to use an electric deep-fat fryer, they will handle decent size pieces depending on shape, just remember to turn it off when the wax is molten, its normal temperature is a little high. If you plan on sealing a lot of wood, and I mean a lot you can buy wax pellets in bulk at very reasonable prices. Besides if you get bored turning candlesticks, you can make your own candles :)

Another trick is to add colouring to the was to colour code your wood. I usually dip the wood for a few seconds for any moisture to fizz away, which seems to give a better adherence to the wood

Isn't language a wonderful thing. ---- Divided by a common language. Dave L

Mark,

Actually, green bowl turning is a lot of fun. Give it a try.

Take the green piece (without any pith in it) and turn the rough shape.

Make the wood as uniform a thickness as you can, but leave lots of wood in place for the final turning.

For drying, if the wood feels really wet (you'll know) I put it in a brown paper bag so it dries slowly for a couple of weeks. Plastic bags don't do it.

Otherwise I just put it on the shelf. I weigh it first (a cooking scale from the Mart on the Wall). I weigh if each week, and when I get the same weight for two weeks, its ready to turn. Usually about a months time in MN.

I don't slather it with anything, unless I have a big (12" plus) bowl, or I know that the wood is fragile. Then, I just do the end grain portions of the outside, but not the inside. After all I do want the moisture to LEAVE the piece, not be trapped in there forever. I use Anchoseal, shellac, old latex paint, whatever I have. After all it will be turned off when I finish the work.

Mounting the wood is the most seriious problem. Remember that the bowl has changed in all directions when you put it back on the lathe.

If you use a glue block on your faceplate, it may have warped enough to weaken/break the glue joint. You may have to reflatten the bottom and reglue.

If you use a scroll chuck, you will have to redo the tenon or the recess, as it won't be exactly round, and wont hold the wood securely.

If you just screwed the wood to the face plate, you should be fine

Once it is securely mounted, get out your chisels and create beauty.

Old Guy

Wow.. thinking back a few years when a friend from the UK suggested I use "Liquid Paraffin" for wet sanding... After extensive searching, I found that the US translation was mineral oil..

mac

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A lot depends on your skill level and "tastes", Mark.. You might notice that most replies that you got addressed bowls, the most common thing turned green.. I've never had luck with anything green that was spindle turned, maybe others have..

Anyway, after trying to dry rough turned pieces, using about every method known to man, I quit rough turning..

I turn green wood to final thickness, or maybe I should say thinness, and if it will cooperate, I sand and apply an oil finish.. They very seldom crack, but they warp like hell.. which is something that I happen to like and also seems to sell well.. Someone looks at a "banana split" dish and asked how the hell I carved it.. I just say that I turned it and mother nature stretched it for me..

mac

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Interesting because the term "Liquid Paraffin" normally has a highly specific meaning in the UK. You would normally purchase it from a pharmacy (drug store) and it is taken internally, by mouth, as a laxative!

Any "mineral oil" would not be recommended for this as it would be toxic.

To be honest, I'm not sure what the source of "Liquid paraffin" actually is but "mineral oil" implies something derived from the stuff that comes out of the ground.

Paraffin itself we would purchase by the gallon and use in a heater or oil stove. I think you would call it Kerosene.

Paraffin wax is the stuff we now make candles out of. I don't think tallow is available anymore, except to the electrical installation guys who, I believe, still use it as a lubricant when threading conduit.

Mark, for ornaments I would suggest you use dry wood. Cut or split the branches to remove the pith and then use the microwave (watch out for SO (-: ) Use it on about 75%power and zap for 30 seconds then allow to cool and weigh. Repeat ad nauseum until the weight is stabilized and you are ready to go.

Stuart, mineral oil is -highly- refined petroleum and I suspect it is exactly the same thing as "liquid paraffin", as we use mineral oil in exactly the same way. BTW, you do know that paraffin (both wax and kerosine) also are refined from crude, right?

Ah, usually, in the UK, "mineral oil" is used as a generic term to distinguish from oils of a vegetable origin. Thus diesel fuel, heating oil, lubricating oils [1], in fact, anything resulting from the distillation of crude oil, would all come under the term mineral oil.

Palm oil, Peanut oil, Olive oil would all fall under the classification of vegetable oil.

Yes :-)

Stuart

[1] I am aware that some vegetable oils are used as lubricating oils, as are synthetics.

Exactly right, Ralph.. and you should have seen the looks of sympathy when I'd go the pharmacy and ask for 3 or 4 pints of mineral oil.. rofl

BTW: Mineral oil is also the main ingredient in "baby oil".. (nope, not made from pressing babies)

mac

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