NOW I Remember!

[MichaelMouse]

Finished up the firewood - bit over half of next winter's in addition to this one - and exposed the big yellow birch I left to spalt. Cut the end, and it looks pretty good. Not too much of the white delignified stuff that looks bad and tools worse. Branch and overgrowth one side, and ~15" on the other for a start, so I take 'er up the middle like a dummy, so as to get two possibles, one with a blister.

By now someone out there is saying "you didn't cut half wet, half dry, did you?" Why yes I did. If it's been laying in place for three/four months since last rotated, the down side is wet, the up side dry(er), and cutting a half and half bowl blank will shake the daylights out of the lathe. I know this, you know this, but someone else will get caught within a month, I'll bet. Gets worse as the piece comes circular, because the parts farthest from center with the big leverage are the driest and the wettest, since they are from the outside of the log.

Moral of the story, don't be greedy, stop and think. I could have taken one bowl on the wet side, but wanted to get two, and paid the price. Polish moment.

[imapseudonym]

When you work with green/air dried spalted wood, do you kiln dry the rough turned bowl or do anything else to render the spalt inert or does simply getting the wood into equilibrium with the air do it?

[EightFingers]

Just roughed one of those kind yesterday, a 50# chunk of Norfolk pine. Never could get that thing up to a decent speed. Spent an hour on what would have normally taken me a third that time to do.
If it wasn't such a beautiful piece of wood, it would have been trashed.

[MichaelMouse]

imapseudonym said:

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When you work with green/air dried spalted wood, do you kiln dry the rough turned bowl or do anything else to render the spalt inert or does simply getting the wood into equilibrium with the air do it?

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The fungus requires both moisture and suitable temperature to spread. http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/techli...d-wood.pdf Takes free water, >30% MC , according to them. The piece I turned is heavy, but should be below 30% in a week or so. I will be able to take slices from the big trunk slowly soon, without fear of further degradation, because the wood will freeze.

I'll probably turn these two hard maple (22") logs during the winter.