Tasmanian Pink Myrtle

[raltenhofen]

Hi everyone. I need some help with tasmanian pink myrtle and green wood turning in general. (If you subscribe to Yahoo! BowlTurners you will see the same message.)

I'm sure you all have seen the recent influx of Australian and
tasmanian woods into the US recently. They are absolutely gorgeous woods.

So I take a gorgeous piece of pink myrtle and, following the seller's advice, and the advice of many other turners, I rough turn the bowl down to about 1 inch thicknss. The wood is so wet! Then I put the bowl in a brown paper bag and tape it shut. The next day I open it up and a crack has formed on the edge. I am so bummed! Did I mention that this is a gorgeous, figured piece of wood?

So what am I to do?

I put the bowl back in the bag, wet it down, taped it shut, put it in another bag and taped it shut. And I pray the wood gods to heal this piece.

My research on the topic of turning wet wood has turned up the
following methods:

1. The one I am currently following.
2. Boiling the wood.
3. Soaking it in dishwasher detergent.
4. Microwaving the bowl.
5. Freezing the bowl.

There are probably other methods or variants of the above out there, too.

So my question is: What can I do with my bowl now? The crack is still rather small, maybe an inch long. But I have other wet blanks, too. How should I treat them? Please keep in mind my question is specific to this type of blank - the ones from Australia and Tasmania.

[Zed]

I've heard of this problem before - its common... its related to the fact that the further away a piece of wood gets from its birth zone the more likely it is to crack when subjected to stress. Its a bit like Zaphod Beeblebrox in the total perspective vortex seeing how insignificant he is in relation to the rest of the universe.

:D

probably TOO wet - should have left it longer before starting (I think) I had a similar issue with a blank made from cypress pine.

[ozwinner]

Hi
I think youll find its more to do with rotation of the planet.
The water goes down the plug hole in the oppesite direction on this side of the planet.
Maybe you should run your lathe in reverse. ( no! dont try it at home ).
I hope this is totaly irrelevent.
Cheers, Allan :D

[ozwinner]

P.S Richard.
You should treat all your blanks with respect.:D
Cheers Allan

[raltenhofen]

I had no idea when I started turning how cosmic it really is! Nor did I realize the international acceptance of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! Thanks for the advice.

[Sir Chiz]

Richard,I turned a piece of Pink Myrtle (http://www.righteouswoods.net/Graphics/Clients_and_%20works/PM_Red_Koala_Myrtle_Burl.jpg) a while back,it did distort quite a bit but it didn't crack.
I've turned several Oz burls that distorted quite a bit but they are worth it!
What I usually do is rough turn to about an inch thickness,coat the bowl with a thick coat of paste wax and put it in a paper bag encased in it's own shavings.
You can try putting CA in the crack,sand it over to seal the crack,then wax and bag it.

I some time use a microwave to dry pieces,I have a food scale that will measure ".000",weigh the piece when ya start,write the weight down.
Start with medium power setting and heat for one minute,take it out and let it cool completely before heating again.Weigh it each time it cools, record the weight each time,when it stops losing weigh,it's dry.Then I let it sit a few days to equalize moisture content.Some time it will gain a little weight back.
Put it back on the lathe and finish.

Chiz.

[raltenhofen]

Thanks for the advice. That is a gorgeous bowl. Just what I expect out of my piece.

[raltenhofen]

Using the freezing wood advice, I was able to save my precious piece of pink myrtle. I turned a nice 5 inch diameter round bowl with only a small crack (it was there before I froze the wood). on the edge. CA glue took care of that and it's barely noticeable.

I still have to turn a cover for it. Planning to use african blackwood. Then I'll post a pic.

I am also happy to report there was no protests on using the freezer/refigerator for this purpose.

You guys are the best. And you grow good woods, too.

Mil gracias!
Richard in Phoenix

[Rustic]

Obtaining good timber is my problem, especially at some of the going prices. If I get a split or even bad shakes in the timber I fill with "Plasti Bond" coloured green or blue to differing shades with Wattyl Turps based wood colour. If a piece is holed right through and I want it solid I hollow it almost to the thickness I want inside and out, pack it tightly with paper, fill and when it is hardened, finish turning and polish as normal. I get a turquoise or jade finish to the damaged parts that looks quite effective in some timbers.

Regards Sid

[raltenhofen]

Here's the end result! Thanks to Tasmania for growing such cool woods. Thanks to you all for helping me honor that.

[raltenhofen]

Hmmm. I thought I attached the picture. Where'd it go?

[gatiep]

Its probably gone to Tassie!



I turn my bowls to finished size except for the final sanding. I then weigh it, put it into the microwave at DEFROST for 4 minutes.
Remove it and leave it in a shady draught free area for 12 hours, weigh and back into the microwave on defrost for 4 minutes. I keep on with this process, microwaving morning and evenings until there is no more weight loss. Then leave it out in a cool and draught free place for about 2 days before final sanding and finishing.


The secret is in using defrost........the temperature never gets to 'boiling' point in the wood. It is important to note that a microwave heats an object from the inside out , not from the surface in. If you use normal heat settings it is quite possible to cause the moisture in the wood to boil and cause major stresses in the wood which can result in cracks.

Do the weighing each time before you put it back into the microwave after the 12 hour period, it gives it a chance to loose a lot of moisture. Weighing it soon after taking out is not worth much as a lot of moisture will still evaporate over the next few hours.

It works for me. (patience is a virtue in the microwave drying process)

[alf t]

Good one Gtp.

I don't lower my standards to turn round things, but I do season wood the same as you do. What I find hard to understand is people who rush in and ruin a perfect piece of wood thro being impatient.
That should stir the possum!!!!

Alf

[gatiep]

Hi Alf



I guess its a bit like sampling a good wine before it has matured......but if it has the desired effect...........why wait?

Have fun................keep turnin

[raltenhofen]

I filed the picture in the Picture folder. Sorry about the size. I'm new at this.