Drying green turned bowls?

[Murph94]

hi guys, i have three massive sassafras logs that i want to turn green and just make a big stock pile.. i have turned plenty befor but not green.. i understand how to cut the logs and rough turn just the drying process that i want to be 100% about ...

[codysheridan1]

you want to seal the entire bowl after you rough turned it. Then leave it on the shelf for a long while.

Drying Bowls - YouTube

[Murph94]

Thanks for the reply codysheridan1, I was acrylic paint is a good sealer if you dont have wax :) do you know from experience whether it is or......?

[vk4]

I used to turn to the basic shape , then seal the out side and store the bowl in a box full of its own shavings,.

Seemed to work well, I left the bowl about 25mm thick .

Jeff

[Murph94]

Hey vk4, what did you seal with?

[codysheridan1]

not sure sorry, a latex paint Would work I think

[NeilS]

1. Rip the logs through the pith ASAP
2. Crosscut sections oversize length:width
3. Immediately slap anything on ends to slow checking while you are working through the blanks
4. Bury rough turns in cardboard boxes of wet shavings

Then you can start to think about your drying method, but get the above done ASAP or the drying method will become irrelevant for those logs.

5. Rough turns may go mouldy if left too long in wet shavings in humid weather (varies between species) but you have a few days before that will become a problem and plenty of time to work out your drying method.

Search forum (titles only) on terms such as 'green turning' and 'drying green' for many threads on the different methods.

[Murph94]

Cheers neil, i did what you said and i got more than what i needed :) ..plenty of ways and methods for drying!..should keep me busy ...thanks

[vk4]

I was sealing with BEE'S WAX, or Paraffin wax, as I felt that this filled the grain with out compromising the timber.

I also finish with fairly natural finishes, normally 6 to 8 coats of shellac, followed by SHELLA WAX FINISH, followed by a Bee's wax mixture .

Jeff