Birch Preparation

If you don't have use for it soon then I'd seal the ends with a green wood sealer like Anchorseal or a wood working store's private label version. At least two to three coats ought to suffice and then store out of direct weather and sun, off the ground. Don't pull off the bark unless you suspect bugs are finding their way to the wood beneath.

If you'd like to use it soon, then I'd cut the log into (4) 12" sections. Then I'd halve each section, yielding (8) 16"x12"x8" blanks and seal the ends on these. You may get minor checking of the endgrain if you don't get adequate sealer coverage, but that won't likely cause you problems since you're going to have to further trim these down to 9" diameter blanks for use. Then store the blanks out of direct weather and sunlight - I just pile them up in a corner of my unheated and uninsulated garage.

Some folks leave the log as whole as possible and hack off what they need as they need it, but I'd rather fire up the chainsaw as infrequently as possible - too, I'd rather not have to keep applying the end sealer to the freshly exposed end.

I believe what ever method you choose, the key is to seal and protect the wood from the effects of direct weather and ground exposure.

Somewhat similar to the question regarding birch, I picked up a limb from a Manitoba Maple, here in Alberta, Canada (ornamental tree). The butt of this limb is seven or so inches and my 100 year old lathe can take a total of eight inches (assume it's similar to the Jet mini). I don't have immediate plans for the maple, but I suppose bowls would be a good choice, using "full-round" blanks for maximum size.

My question is due to the wood being too wet at the moment since the branch was freshly cut. It fuzzes and tears, and there was actually maple juice (not syrup, unfortunately) on the end of my chisel of a test piece.

To get some medium-dry samples, or partly wet samples because I'd like to turn it green, wet, and let it distort, should I hack it into eight inch long (by seven diameter) pieces, end seal them and wait awhile or keep the log whole and wait longer? Or improve my technique and turn it now. I'd rather finish the pieces in one go and let them distort rather than rough turn and wait for a perfectly round product but I'm open to suggestions.

How much of each process (cut&seal, dry how long) for the easiest turning in my unheated garage, considering we're heading into winter with typically very dry and very cold weather ahead, meaning things are very dry and it's too cold to woodturn three months from now.

Stephen

First, keep the bark on. Look at the bark color. If white - paper birch - you have to turn it a bit sooner that its brother, yellow birch. White birch spalts rather unattractively, yellow spectacularly.

If other than a fresh (hours) cut, don't bother with anchorseal. Shield the ends from rapid water loss and accept that you've lost about an inch and a half of useful wood. End checks are largely self-limiting, so slowing the rate of loss to within the limit of capillary draw will keep them sound.

With cold weather coming on rapidly, you should be able to harvest pieces of your log at your leisure. Loss from fresh cuts is negligible with the temperatures below freezing. Shelter from the sun should be all that's required. Spring is another matter. Then you'll have to protect any fresh cuts, increasing the possibility of decay by slowing the loss of moisture.

If you decide to spalt some yellow birch, you'll want an area out of the sun where you can lay it on the ground. Some like to set upright, but I find that more fussy and difficult to control, with the portion near the ground often becoming fully punky before the interior has more than a suggestion of color. By rolling when the ends begin to show color you preserve what you have as the moisture drops below 20%, with the option to return and continue by putting it back on the ground again.

Where you'll want anchorseal or such is with rough rounds. Not the bowls - birch is virtually bulletproof in drying - but the longer rounds you'll want for boxes or goblets and such. Alternatives include Elmer's white glue and latex paint. Keep them out of the warmest and driest parts of the house until spring. I keep them close to the basement floor near an outside wall.

I try to leave long pieces and I use a tarp to cover the wood. The tarp keeps the wood better than Anchorseal.

Derek

If you turn your bowls using the wood in the same orientation that it grew, ie. leaving the pith in and turning on the endgrain, they are going to have far more likelihood of cracking than if you split the pieces and cut your bowl blank out of the side of the pieces, rather than the end. While it is possible to turn Boxelder/Manitoba Maple/acer negundo on the endgrain w/o it cracking, you are going to be creating a harder task for yourself than if you turn the wood at 90 degrees, so you're turning the side rather than the end. Endgrain is notoriously hard to cut, and if you think you've got problems with fuzzy bowls now, wait until you try turning one on the endgrain.

No such thing as "too wet." The greener the wood the better. Sharpen your tools "scary sharp" and take lighter cuts.

No, I don't imagine that particular species' sap would make very tasty syrup. Did you happen to take a whiff of the wood? Stick your head in a cat box and that's probably what the syrup would smell like, since boiling concentrates the smell.

If you leave the log as long as possible, you will only lose the couple of inches on the end, even if you don't end coat it, although I do recommend coating it with anchor seal. Again, you want to take yoru bowls out of the side of the wood, rather than the end. You'll also be able to take full advantage of the range of red in the wood, rather than just getting the tiny bit that will show up if you turn it on the endgrain.

As for when, you can turn it any time you like. Just bear in mind that depending on the relative moisture content of the wood, you may have drying issues to contend with. There are just heaps of techniques for drying stock, roughouts and finished, green pieces. Far too numerous and involved to mention here, but if you check the archives on Google, you'll find more than you can read in a week or two of steady reading.

Well, the more you turn the more your technique is going to improve. Just keep at it and you'll be surprised how quickly you'll progress.

Just pick one and go with it, rather than muddle things up with half-a-dozen different techniques. Leave it long and hack off a hunk when you need it, if you have the room. Each time you hack off a hunk, re-seal the end of it to minimize cracking.

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

Thanks Chuck for the great response from which I learned a few things. I hadn't connected the Manitoba Maple name with Boxelder before, although I had heard both somewhere. My gardening book confirms the Latin name.

Since you mentioned the red streak within, it tells me you are quite familiar with this wood as well - the red was a different surprise for me. Like many woodworkers, I suppose, when I saw a small red stain on my test workpiece I checked for a cut on my fingers. Not finding any, I continued turning, and checked again a few minutes later. This was new to me - the wood was bleeding on it's own. I began to wonder if the wood was the resurrection of Christ or something miraculous until I figured it was a typical characteristic of the wood itself. Yes, this would be more dramatic when the wood was turned on its side, rather than an endgrain spot.

Probably the biggest issue for me wanting to turn the branch from endgrain is that the round blanks are as big as my lathe will handle, and I can cut any length (bowl depth) that I want, including screw attachments to my faceplate, but splitting the branch and turning a half or a quarter will reduce the possible depth of the workpiece considerably.

In the long run, you're probably correct and that's the kind of guidance I was looking for. Best of all, the wood was my favourite price *free* and in the tradition recommended in this newsgroup I hope to return a piece of the tree to the owner.

I have about 3 cords of it in my yard.

LOL...very funny stuff!

Indeed so, but if you insist on turning them that way, try doing one on the side grain first, using a half-piece, and then do an end grain piece and see which one you like first, both for workability and the end product.

But, whichever you finally decide to do, have fun with it!

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget