Spalted Maple Vase

Glenmore

Looks great Bernie. See you didn't loose your touch. By the way where are the pics of you using that vacuum chuck. huh

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Glenmore

Days without wood working are days not worth getting up for.

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cncdave

Hi Bernie
How long does it take to dry the spalted wood before you can start to turn it


Thanks
Dave

BernieW

Dave I turn my bowls so the wall thickness in 10% of the bowl diameter. 10" bowl or smaller I leave the wall thickness at 3/4" and larger than 10" I leave them 1" thick. I soak my bowls in Denatured Alcohol for about 24 to 72 hrs. I then let the surface dry and wrap them in a brown grocery sack kinda like a present. I cut a opening it the bowl part and lay them upside down on a cooling rack I got from wal-mart for I think $2.50. I also put them in a room about 70 degrees with little to no air flow. I let them set for 2 to 4 weeks and they are dry. I take them back to the lathe, true up the tenon and finish turning them down to the thickness I want them. Normally 1/4" to 3/8" thick. Then I finish them. That is kinda of nutshell of what I do. I have found that without the DNA it will take about a year to dry them. Hope this helps.

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Bernie W.

aka Poppa

A bad day of turning is still better than a good day at the office.

Darrin

Very good!!! I use the same roughing method and same paper bag method with 6-8 mos drying. That Denatured Alcohol info is very useful as I have never heard it before and will try it on a cherry log Im roughing out tomorrow. Thanks!!!

BernieW

Your welcome Darrin. I find my turnings are generally dry in about 3 to 4 weeks. I like it because it doesn't take 6 months to a year to dry.

__________________
Bernie W.

aka Poppa

A bad day of turning is still better than a good day at the office.

philland

Hey Bernie,

When you true up the tenon do you put it in Cole Jaws? or how do you do it?

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There is nothing like the smell of wood as it is being worked; however, lack of filtration leads to fudgy boogers.

BernieW

I started with a donut chuck for couple of years, then cole jaws for about a year and now I use a vacuum chuck most times. I just got it and got it hooked up about 3 months ago. I still use the cole jaws at times.

__________________
Bernie W.

aka Poppa

A bad day of turning is still better than a good day at the office.

philland

I don't think that the fungus dies when the wood is cut. I have turned some wood off of a pile that was from a tree, then the next year I turned another piece that was cut from the piece that I had turned earlier, and the spalt had spread significantly and was much more pronounced in the later turned item.

The fungus is part of the decay process and often the difference between a great piece and a bunch of mush (soft wood that is useful for nothing) is getting the wood up and drying at just the right time.

__________________
There is nothing like the smell of wood as it is being worked; however, lack of filtration leads to fudgy boogers.

BernieW

Phil I hear ya. I just found out some maple that I had did that very thing. There was more spalting in the later piece I turned. The fungus does die out though when finished I have found.

__________________
Bernie W.

aka Poppa

A bad day of turning is still better than a good day at the office.

2LJunkie

Congrats on a very pretty piece Bernie. Well worth the "save" effort...Bill...