Treating Green Wood

Dave, I use it. Go to Sawmill Creek or Wood Central and do a search for lots of info. Dave Smith is the one that created this method, and he has a web site. Glenn Hodges Nashville, GA

I find that treating myself with alcohol works much better. I'm much less concerned about cracks when I'm well lubricated. :-) Tony Manella

Well, it certainly does not work for the reasons used for its justification.

However.

If you are certain enough of the final shape of a piece, you can consult the tables for average shrinkage and cut to less than the "10% rule" in safety. Thinner dries _much_ faster than thicker wood, and the lesser distance to surface makes it easier to obtain an even moisture gradient when drying. Thinner makes shrinkage less, depending on shape, as well. If you don't have something to pull against, you stay closer to where you are.

If you Spin as much unbound water as you can from a piece, let it surface dry, then do an outside wrap to keep the relative humidity high, you'll keep cracks under control. Cracks form as the wood loses bound water, collapsing the cells, and this begins at about 30% moisture content. Free fall until then is distortion-free.

Finally, though a watched pot may never _seem_ to boil, if you watch, you will catch the boiling point in better time than if you walk away and look in only occasionally. Changing too-wet wrap and weighing often will let you know the instant your piece is ready.

In short, if you do everything without the alcohol, you'll do as well as with.

Hi Dave

Yes Dave, you stick the turning in a paper bag and set aside, then you take a sip of the alcohol and go away, keep returning every other day for a sip of the alcohol and take a look at the bowl, you keep doing this till you run out of alcohol, by which time you can set the bowl without the paper bag up on a shelf, and forget about him for a year, after which you can do whatever you want to do with it, sand it, turn it or,------ The other thing is soak the turning in pure alcohol for a few hours or even days, take the bowl out of the alcohol, wrap the outside of the turning tight, including the edge of the turning, set upside down, (that is with the open side down) on a wire rack or open shelf and let dry for a couple of weeks or even months, depending on the wall thickness and drying conditioning, I have never done this myself and I lump it up there with all the other snake oil treatments, however you are free to do whatever you like.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Dave wrote:

=====>Who?! Where?! Woodturning is a serious endeavor! They should be reported to the COC!

Leif