Regreening wood?

[jeraldb]

I've got to do something different with this honey locust. It's hard as a rock. How successfully can I soak this stock to get it softer? Should I just soak it in water, or is there something else I can soak it in to get it softer?

[rsser]

It's not a timber we hear much about here in Australia Jerald. You could spray some water on and see what happens - it will swell the fibres and may lube them.

We do get hard timbers like the desert acacias and the approach is to start with sharp tools and keep them sharp, and take it slowly.

Some timbers have a high silica content too and that will dull your tool 'real quick'.

[Turner Corner]

Well I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I want to know more about honey locust.

Any chance of a photo Jerald?

[gatiep]

Use timber softner!


Also known as 40 G gouge

:D

[rsser]

.. matched with the appropriate grade of elbow grease ;-}

[Kris.Parker1]

Depending on the size of the wood you are intending to turn, you could possibly put it in a large drum filled with water and then heat that water for a couple of hours and leave it submerged for sometime. That will wet the wood, as for making it green again, you might find that the wood will dry combined with the spinning of the lathe as well as the heat from the chisels. You may still find that the wood will cack as some wood is just a pain in the A*s.

[Zed]

surely if you regreen by soaking you run the risk of it splitting once it dries? I would simply leave it dry and take it slow and sharp.

[rsser]

According to posts on the World of Woodturners site in the US, it is in fact a hard wood, best turned green, and prone to checking.

[Alastair]

Hi all

Without having the details to hand, I have seen a number of articles suggesting soaking for a couple of days in a solution of dishwashing liquid and water. If I recall this was about 50/50 liquid and water, but a look on the web would probably find more detail.

The apparent benefits are lubrication, with cooler, cleaner cutting, with less dust and blunting. There is apparently no problem with splitting, as it functions similarly to PEG in "smoothing" the migration of moisture when drying. (Can also be used in turning green wood). What I have read reckons that there is no effect on most finishes.

Please note that this is hearsay, as I have not yet got round to trying this out.

Regards

[rsser]

Yes. Do a google on rec.crafts.woodturning and take a couple of days off to read all the posts.

From memory, it's a technique used to turn green wood, the detergent only soaks in a few mm and the piece then needs to be resoaked.

[scooter]

Gday gerald, I have no experience with steaming wood, maybe others here?, but you may be able to make a homemade steam chamber from PVC pipe or somesuch and steam the wood to soften it.

Could be worth sussing out.


Cheers..........Sean, letting off steam