I posted this at rec.woodworking, and was told I would probably get a better answer here.
I am making a small pedestal table, and got a hunk of maple, split, planed, squared, and turned the pedestal, ans put three coats of shellac on it. Now this wood was pretty much as green as you can get, but I read that stuff should be turned green. I haven't been doing this for long, and this is the first large piece I have ever turned. I figured the coats of shellac would seal it, and keep it from splitting. Was i correct to assume this? anything else I need to know before I go ahead and put this thing together?
Also while I'm at it, should stuff be turned green? and how should it be treated afterward?
First and huge mistake. There are times and places for turning green wood. THIS project wasn't either.
Second mistake. Ignore what you read. Third mistake. You kept reading!
Where, per chance, did you read this? Who was the author? I'm going to guess that either the book made the error of making a broad statement like "it's easier to turn green wood" or "it's preferrable to turn green wood" or you make the mistake of generalizing what you read. Like I said above, there are uses for green woood turning but this wasn't it.
No. A simple Shellac finish is mainly a wax and waxes allow moisture movement through them. Slowly, sure. But it doesn't completely seal the wood like a hard film building finish. I assume you've sealed all areas (ends too) and the turned piece is around 4" diameter max and it's all in one piece so it's fairly long, right? You've set up some stress in that wood that could (COULD ... you just never know) cause it to split, check, and/or warp. There's still water in there and it WILL come out one way or another. A long, thin, wet spindle will likely warp.
Make a duplicate right now and do it right so that when the first one is destroyed you'll have one ready to go.
Sure. Now, what stuff are you talking about? No simple answers here. This isn't woodworking, you know! For your pedastel, you certainly can start it green but you should carefully dry it to the same moisture content as the surrounding environment. Then it won't move or crack. It's still a gamble because there are no guarantees in the drying process either. Personally, in this instance, I would dry the piece of wood first and then turn it. You don't waste the turning time when your drying process turns bad. It's not like you're hollowing it or doing something terribly difficult so the dry wood turning is fine.
I do a lot (actually the vast majority) of my work with green wood and either let it dry/warp/crack naturally (gives nice character to the piece that I can work with) or dry it in a number of different ways after the turning.
That's a whole 'nuther book! Or, actually, a series of books. Everything depends on so many factors and each decision you make along the way. It all depends on what you want to achieve too. I HIGHLY recommend finding another woodturner to speak to. The best is to join a local woodturning club and ask questions. You can only get so much out of books and videos and the chaotic/incomplete nature of online answers.
If your pedastel HASN'T warped or cracked yet then I say great. I certainly hope it doesn't. I also certainly won't place any bet that it won't in the future. Like I've said before.... there's no easy answers and some pieces that you just know will have problems come out just fine. Others cause all kinds of problems that nobody would have suspected. You just never know. And that's just how I like it. (but I do like to have the odds on my side!)
I just put three or four coats on the outside. Ends have not been sealed. it has been sitting for about a week now, and no checking, cracking, splitting yet.
I think i'll just set it aside, and see how it turns out. I'm in no hurry to finish the table anyways. I'll chalk it up to a lesson learned, and not bother with green wood in the future.
I dont consider it a huge mistake. My first large turning project, and I learned something that will suit me well for the rest of my life. a free piece of maple is a small price to pay for learning said lesson.
My first thought was "horrors" but you are dealing with a spindle and if the pith (the center of the tree) is not included in your piece you may well get away with it if it drys fairly slowly. I would however go and coat the ends so they dry more slowly and see what happens; also, keep it from obvously hot and dry locations so you don't get rapid surface and end drying.
Welcome js, I don't think Andrew meant "not bother with unstable green wood in the future" as it is very much used by turners for many reasons. I happen to believe that it is easier to turn, less dusty and it's a short time between log & lathe. Keep on turning it and learning with the rest of us. You are probably experienced in woodworking and it's unlikely that you ever made furniture out of green wood. I don't advise it...... but then a lot of bodgers did. :) Arch
Andrew was too modest and self-effacing to suggest to you a particularly efficacious method of treating and turning green wood -- namely, LDD. This has been the topic of numerous discussions on this NG. If you are interested, please contact me by private email as we don't want the camel herders all excited!*G*
JS, you might just get away with it. You split it out; so I assume that it doesn't include the pith. Maple is less prone to splitting than many other woods, especially if it is straight grained. Seal the ends and let it dry slowly in a cool, moderately humid location and it may not split. It will go a little oval, however. After a year or two, check for roundness with calipers and don't be surprised if it's out of round by 1/8". Otherwise, it will probably be fine. The bodgers did it that way for hundreds of years.
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