How can I keep the bark on ?

wrote: (clip) Does anyone have a way to store wood so that the bark will stay on? (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sounds like you are making natural-edge bowls. It isa best to turn the bowl to completion while the wood is still wet. Distortion will not show much on an oval bowl. Bark sticks much better to a thin cross section than it does to a whole log. If it comes off during drying, you can use C/A glue to reattach it, or just remove the rest of the bark. If you save some of the scrap bark you can use it for repair as the bowl nears completion.

Two problems, the most important of which has little to do with wood drying or thickness. Only living part of the tree is the cambium, where the cells are dividing, growing, respiring and excreting. Much tastier fare than cellulose, lignin and even sap, which is why there are many bacteria which settle in and chow down as soon as they can. Problem is, they don't stick like glue. Truth to tell, what they do we call rot.

Then there's differential contraction on drying, which can do some interesting things to even thin edges with CA glue run along the cambium. Not enough to keep the bark from moving paradoxically and making gaps of either vertical or horizontal displacement. Least of your worries, really. Help your cause by not making the sides of your natural edge too awfully vertical. Bark seems to stay best on an angle.

To try and keep bacteria at bay while the wood dries in the lump, first make room for the wood to contract without splitting by sawing or splitting up the middle. Get the moisture down as quickly as possible. Those bacteria need it, as do molds, and when it's below about 20%, they form spores in hopes their offspring will find greener cambium. I put the bark up, so the moisture stays below, allowing the faster-contracting part of the wood to pull against expanded wood and air.

Money play is to rough ASAP, because that dries things much faster.

Thanx for the replys.

I was afraid of that. I'll try keeping some of the fallen bark. Sounds like fun putting it back on.

My Ruth Niles stoppers arrived so I'm making some stoppers with the bark on ! These stoppers are the best I've seen and she's a pleasure to deal with.

Thanx for all the great info you folks share.

RandyD

rdeforge_at_optonline_dot_net