A couple of hollowing questions

I've done at least a hundred boxes, but all out of dry or seasoned wood... now that I'm turning wet wood, I'm having to learn all over again!

The problem with turning thin is that though it minimizes cracking, it encourages warping... IMO, warping is cool in bowls but not in boxes, because the lid never seems to warp in the same direction..

My best solution so far is to turn the box and lid thin, except the box opening and the part of the lid that fits in the box.. I leave a tenon on the end of each and enough wood there to true them up when they're dry.. (I hope, they're still drying)

I have a bunch of very fancy kindling from my first batch of boxes turned to about final fit green and dried.. lol

mac

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yeah, I was just pulling George's chain a bit, Ken... I have several sets of nice forceps, thanks to several trips to the ER for me or the kids.. fortunately, though they're indispensable, they're considered disposable by the hospitals.. *g* I like them for clamping small stuff, too...

I might try scalpels in my next life... a friend gave me a couple of really cool Stanley utility knives years ago, and 4 pack of 100 blades each.. I think they'll last longer than I will..

mac

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Ken Moon wrote:Hemostats in straight and curved

In fact, these are called "Sponge Sticks" meaning gauze sponges. I use a

Handy site. I was just going by an oft-repeated rule of thumb, but looking at that makes me think it may be worthwhile to contact the sawmill even if I *don't* make a solar kiln.

I like them to be a little snug, but I try to recall the reasons behind frame-and-panel furniture construction, even with stuff from the lathe. So the lid has a "step" that allows it to sit properly, even if one or both of the components strink or expand.

You can say that again. My first one was out of a laminated blank of kiln-dried mahogany, and it was a whole different experience than sopping wet cherry!

So far, I've been all right- I've only had a bowl from a wet oak burl cap warp on me, but that was some squirrely stuff all around. Looked nice, but it was certainly a challenge.

I turned the lid on the last one out of some very dry mesquite, so that wasn't much of a concern. From what I can tell, the cherry box is dry, or darn close, and it has survived. Hopefully, I can still say that several weeks from now, but it's looking good so far!

Yep. I need to get myself a fire ring- seems like I had a run of beginner's luck with the first couple dozen things I turned, and now it seems that there's about equal odds of any project either exploding on the lathe or coming out beautifully. Some of that is is using deadfall that is partially rotted, some of it is trying new techniques, but it sure makes a lot of firewood in any case!

SNIP..............

====================== That's not exactly true. If you do the lid and lower box part from the same piece, there's a good chance they'll expand and contract together, but the mass of the lid also has a lot to do with a continuing snug fit. If you hollow the inside of the lid so it leaves a "hollow tenon" that fis down inside the box, then there's an even better chance of a continuing fit. A hole in the center of the top for a glued in finial will also reduce stresses on the lid reducing chances of cracking. Every little bit helps.

Ken Moon Webberville, TX.

My wife bought 5 or 6 big plastic storage boxes that i use for "camping" firewood... especially the stuff left over after cutting the round part out of the blank.. great kindling, with those thin edges.. We went to the coast to cool off a bit this weekend and burned 2 boxes, so I have empties to fill again..

mac

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