Turning Wet

[rocabig]

Going through the pile of taped foxtel stuff the other day there was a show called woodturning basics on the DIY Channel and they turned a bowl and a goblet, they turned these things from freshly cut down trees. what I was wondering is at the end of the show they took the turning straight from the lathe finished still wet then coated them in varnish, have any of you guys/girls tried this? I thought the timber would rot within the varnish.
any comments apreciated.

Richard

[Gingermick]

You can get those big long shaving turning green. Turn to a uniform thickness and the wood shouldn't warp, but you cant sand green wood effectively so finishing it green would require some mighty good clean cuts.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I absolutely adore turning green timber but rarely use it to turn a fully finished item unless I'm just "playing." The wood turns easier, is more forgiving on your tools and the long shavings flying over the shoulder amazes uninitiated bystanders. :D However it doesn't sand well and, depending on the timbers MC, may end up giving you, your lathe and everything else within range a sticky shower.

No matter what the finish, it will be porous to water to some degree. Even if it only lost 1%MC in 10 years it would still eventually reach EMC. Success of the method depends a lot on the choice of finish, as you're basically using a finish instead of an end-grain sealer, so water-based finishes are practically useless on green items. The normal rule applies: the lower the curing rate, the better the chance the item won't develop shakes or warp...

I loften rough my forms when green, cure 'em and then finish. That gives me more options when finishing, in both choice of polishes and being able to sand. If I don't have the time to naturally cure it, I'll force-cure in a microwave before final turning.

[La truciolara]

... but you cant sand green wood effectively .....

This is partially true as I do sand green wood. Of course the finish has to be fine, and i do not use 80 grit, but if require I start with 250 anward. Important is to send with water. Dip your send paper often in water and watch your progress. You obtain this way a perfect finish.

[rsser]

If the wall is thin and even you reduce the chances of cracking (though fruitwood is a b*gger), and as you cut and sand the heat helps to dry the thing anyway. Some people zap the item in the microwave before finishing.

I've had reasonable results finishing thicker green items with n/c sanding sealer and wax, and then coming back 6-12 months or more later for another wax. Some woods like myrtle or some burls can slowly dry to an interesting leather or orange peel-like surface.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Some woods like myrtle or some burls can slowly dry to an interesting leather or orange peel-like surface.

So that's not just my finishing technique? It's a relief to know someone else has observed the same.

[rocabig]

had a bit of a play and this is a vase i turned out of wet tallow wood (trees only been down about 3 weeks) had not been left to dry or been put in the micro will see if it cracks or distorts. Its only been coated in a thin layer of pen wax.

[ribot]

I haven't done any green turning for a few years now however I have a couple of blanks I cut up last week waiting to be turned.
I have placed them in a bin and covered them with chain saw shavings and water to keep them wet and avoid splits and cracks.
The reason I haven't turned them on my lathe is the blanks are to wide for my lathe so I will turn them next weekend at our clubrooms on a dedicated bowl lathe.
To the best of my recolection, turn the bowls thinly, and keep the heart wood out, finish the bowl in the same turning session and I will probably use a wax finish.
If you don't finish the job the same day, place the bowl in a plastic garbag and throw in a heap of the shavings to help keep in the moisture, thus avoiding cracks and keeping movement (warping out of round) to a minimum till you next put it on a lathe.
For me turning green is an interesting way to turn as the process doesn't finish when you remove the bowl from the lathe as it (the bowl) continues to move and distort as it dries out and effected by the varying stresses in the wood.
The end result is a unique piece of turning and a source of curiosity as you watch the bowl take on the shape it wants due to stresses.
Hope this is usefull and please add any comments as it is quite a while since I have turned green.

[Tony Morton]

Hi Rocabig
I was at the tenth seminar of the Association of woodturners of Great
briton two weeks ago and was lucky enough to see Mick O'donnel turn timber cut the day before. he had kept t in water and sprayed it with water while he worked it he turned a bowl and goblet wet sanded it and left it over night to dry before puting a finish coat on it a short burst in micro wave would do same job. His book Turning Green Wood has all the answers. Ive done some green turning in the past and two or three blasts in microwave and dry sand and finish with oil wax etc.
Cheers Tony

[Little Festo]

I think that Neil says in his book on finishing that you can use Organ Oil on wet/green turnings. I have also used the wet sanding technique, then put the piece, turned thin, in a Coles cotton shopping bag for a day or two then applied some Organ Oil to the outside of the piece then let it dry for a few more days (not in the bag) then apply the oil to the inside. I imagine that certain timbers would be better to use that others. Up here I have found that the local Gmelina (Australian White Beech) works very well with very little cracking and turns very well - green or dry.

Peter

[rsser]

Just as a btw, Chris Allen of Hawaii does some great end-grain green turnings of Norfolk pine using the whole piece; ie. including the pith. It's obviously a pretty stable timber; explains I guess why storm-ravaged frigates of the Brit navy would use it green to replace masts while in the Pacific way back when.

[rocabig]

Thanks guys/girls I will look for Mick's book

have fun

Richard

[gatiep]

Richard,

He has a DVD as well, which goes hand in hand with the book. Very nice and very interesting.