Green wood and platter turning?

Same as with bowls:

No pith in the blank

Rough turn it

Dry it slowly until the weight stabilizes

Finish turn it

Bill

Jesse wrote:

I saw a "How It's Made" program the other day where they were apparently turning bowls from green wood. Almost all automated, making one bowl from the outside of the blank, then a smaller one inside that, etc. I should have been watching closer, but it seemed to me that they immediately put the bowls into a steam cabinet to stress relieve them. There might have been other parts to the process. I don't remember how long the bowls were in there.

Maybe someone else on this ng can add to this.

Pete Stanaitis

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Jesse wrote:

In message , spaco writes

I think that was the same one I saw, but I recorded it :) At the end the dipped the bowl in oil and just stood them overlapped to dry. It was very interesting.

My in-laws sent us for Christmas a set of 6 turned plates this past year. This are obviously done in a plant and mass produced. What I found interesting was that a plant manufacturing something like this used green wood. Yep, every plate is warped somewhat and one has a small crack in it, but they are all perfectly fine for serving cold cuts and sandwiches from. Plus if you are going to use them on a daily basis, as we do, it is about the utility more than about the look.

JD

If "somewhat," chances are they were simply made in a place with higher relative humidity than yours. Those of us of a certain age who participated in LBJ's adventure had a lot of similar experiences with wood items purchased in SEA.

Orientation and curvature of the annual rings are the major influences in drying stress.

I've turned, recently, several utility pieces from cedar (because a neighbor dumped a bunch in my yard - see post from the past). I don't plan on selling these, just making them for use in the camper and around the house. I didn't wait for them to dry (granted cedar is relatively dry anyways), just turned and added a salad bowl finish. They have warped, but only insignificantly. They set well on the table or lap, but don't stack nice and neatly like your corian dinner plates do. My initial post only was meant to point out that changes due to drying might not be of great importance if they aren't great and the piece being made will be used instead of shown.

JD

It also depends upon the type of wood used. Cedar or pine warps much less than hickory. My experience with tulip poplar is that it warps/ distorts very little while drying.

JD

If you can get mesquite, use it. It is very stable, moreso than any other domestic wood that I know of. I have a lidded box, fifteen or so years old that was turned from green mesquite and the lid fit is still essentailly perfect.

Kip Powers Rogers, AR