Cracked Blanks

[Little Festo]

I've got a couple of blanks I made up off a Black Wattle tree friends cut down. Problem is that the tree was left sitting for a couple of months after it was cut down without any end sealing. Some of the cracks are quite deep. Is it worth gluing/epoxying the cracks after rough turning? I'd like to save some of the cracked blanks as there are a few "cruches" that look as though they will have some nice figuring. Most of the other blanks are fine but some of the nicest ones that seems to have the cracks.

Another tree will be cut down soon so I'll seal the logs when they cut it down.

Does Black Wattle stand up well to being turned green and has anyone tried microwaving it (for drying)??

The wood looks very good, deep brown/black with cream coloured sapwood.

Any advice would be apprecieted.

Peter

[colh]

Hi Peter

I recently microwaved some black wattle - a couple of pieces about 50mm square and 300 mm long, for a friend to turn. He hasn't done so yet, so I don't know the final outcome.

It had been cut about a week, and I used an electric chain saw to cut roughly square stock from some trunk about 150 round. From memory, I think I gave them a few minutes each on high, let them cool down, and then a series of 10 minute bursts on defrost, letting them cool in between each burst.

They didn't crack much at all, but one piece bowed maybe 10 mm over its length.

I then reduced them to about 35 mm square on the bandsaw - they looked OK - seemed quite dry and cut well on the bandsaw - but as I say they haven't been turned yet.

Colin

[Gingermick]

All the biggger blanls of Black wattle I have are now split. But the ones I rough turned are now dry, didn't warrp much, didn't split and polished up beautifully.
(I posted a pic on a bowl finish thread today)
mick

[rsser]

Yeah, it does turn well.

Cut em up and give em a go.

If the cracks run well in, apart from the safety angle, just treat them as rustic pieces.

We've come a long way since expecting that every piece will be from flawless stock.

[Little Festo]

That was an old original post. A friend, down the track (at a place called Humpty Doo), has/had four or five trees that have been dead for several years. Spent Friday last week cutting up two of those trees. One was really big for a Black Wattle, about 700mm in diameter. The wood was dry and relativly crack and termite free.


Peter