Fresh Cut Wood Advice

[The Wife]

Hi, we had to cut down a paperbark yesterday and my husband has saved some of the trunk for turning. Is this wood ok for turning and how best do we let it "age" before turning. Should he oil it, wax it, put it in a bag, let it dry for 2, 4, 6 months??? He is a newcomer to wood working so any advice would be most appreciated.:)
Would the advice stand for most types of timber? We have to get rid of a lemon scented gum as well.

Thanks most kindly for any advice.:o

[arose62]

Step 1: seal the cut ends. This is pretty standard advice for most freshly cut timbers, as it slows or stops the wood from splitting from the pith out.

Search for "end grain sealer" to get info and advice about what to use. Suggestions are:
Mobilcer (commercial product)
Old paint
Styrofoam dissolved in turps
Melted wax

Depending on the wood, some needs to be sealed within minutes of cutting, or else expect to cut the split ends off when you go to use the wood.

A rule of thumb is to let the wood dry for one year for each inch of thickness.

Also search for turning green wood.
If the wood is turned while it's still wet, the shavings tend to come off in long streams, rather than chips and dust, which is what tends to happen with dry wood.

If wood is turned wet, be prepared for it to move and distort (possibly crack) as it dries.

If he's learning, I'd suggest seal the wood, but start turning some of it now.
The best wood to learn on is free wood :D

Cheers,
Andrew

[arose62]

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?p=202169

and

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=19985

Cheers,
Andrew

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Arose has it pretty well covered.

Whatever you use to seal the wood, seal it as soon as possible after cutting. If the wood has already started splitting, it's an idea to cut it again to remove the splits and then seal.

Many timbers will start splitting at the pith (heartwood) no matter what you do, so it's also a good idea to split the log down the middle as well. This will help prevent the splits from extending through into the sapwood.