Thread: Plum

mate... let it dry for as long as possible!!... I have been attacking my plum pile of and on for awhile now but its still wet as buggary and turning it just means its gonna crack and buggar up a perfeckly nice bit of turnin

The only pieces that havent cracked and dont ask me why cause I have no blasted idea is the wee flute I carved for my sis in Broome a tiny bowl I made and one of the carving mallets... the rest some 20 peices now have CRACKED severely badly and appallingly

So let it dry out!! paint the ends phiss the bark of and leave it in some corner to dry out for as long as possible... fruit seems to be about the worst timber Ive found for splitting and cracking never had a prob with Jarrah Tuart Sheoak Karri nor any of the exotics or pines just the damned fruit ones... plum mulberry pear and necterine ALL have done the split an crack dance which seriously gets up my nose!

but Im an impatient buggar and your a patience calm sorta fella so you'll wait for the years it will take... while me I will just tear into it!!! and then mutter curse fume and generally chuck a wally with it

Originally Posted by Wild Dingo

mate... let it dry for as long as possible!!... I have been attacking my plum pile of and on for awhile now but its still wet as buggary and turning it just means its gonna crack and buggar up a perfeckly nice bit of turnin

The only pieces that havent cracked and dont ask me why cause I have no blasted idea is the wee flute I carved for my sis in Broome a tiny bowl I made and one of the carving mallets... the rest some 20 peices now have CRACKED severely badly and appallingly

So let it dry out!! paint the ends phiss the bark of and leave it in some corner to dry out for as long as possible... fruit seems to be about the worst timber Ive found for splitting and cracking never had a prob with Jarrah Tuart Sheoak Karri nor any of the exotics or pines just the damned fruit ones... plum mulberry pear and necterine ALL have done the split an crack dance which seriously gets up my nose!

but Im an impatient buggar and your a patience calm sorta fella so you'll wait for the years it will take... while me I will just tear into it!!! and then mutter curse fume and generally chuck a wally with it

Thanks Dingo I was wondering if the Microwave would do some drying for me.

Paint the ends with what do you suggest anything???

You impatient yeh right how long have you waited for the right time for the Boat.

Good job I haven't let loose Dingo, then again when you deal with simpletons (not you) you have to be patient.

I am so damn frustrated today rain, I have 3 jobs going and can't finish of one of them due to it
1 The fact I am waiting on a weld job to come back stainless steel nuts to mild steel plate a mig job done where No2 son works for the base of a laundry cabinets adjustable feet mountings. A love job for a long term mates No2 sons godfather.

A Loom backbeam sanding and relaqure and polish for LOML, after it went sailing out the trailer on the way here and got badly damaged. Flamin truckies couldn't tie a knot to save his life. Of course some idiot had o run over it coming out fo a drive way didn't he. deep gouges into wood filed with resin and first sand done.

3rd
Next door neighbours car have to finish sparying repaired dents he had thats been on hold since last year before I broke my leg.

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Thanks Dingo I was wondering if the Microwave would do some drying for me.

Paint the ends with what do you suggest anything???

You impatient yeh right how long have you waited for the right time for the Boat.

Good job I haven't let loose Dingo, then again when you deal with simpletons (not you) you have to be patient.

I am so damn frustrated today rain, I have 3 jobs going and can't finish of one of them due to it
1 The fact I am waiting on a weld job to come back stainless steel nuts to mild steel plate a mig job done where No2 son works for the base of a laundry cabinets adjustable feet mountings. A love job for a long term mates No2 sons godfather.

A Loom backbeam sanding and relaqure and polish for LOML, after it went sailing out the trailer on the way here and got badly damaged. Flamin truckies couldn't tie a knot to save his life. Of course some idiot had o run over it coming out fo a drive way didn't he. deep gouges into wood filed with resin and first sand done.

3rd
Next door neighbours car have to finish sparying repaired dents he had thats been on hold since last year before I broke my leg.

I have some salvaged almond, tried microwaving, didnt work, cracked, a lot. I agree with Dingo, they have to dry slowly.

Cut it up, break it down into smaller pieces, get the pith out of it. Most fruit trees have LOT of shrinkage, which is why it cracks and splits badly.

you need to get rid of the sapwood, thats the biggest problem with drying fruitwoods

A plum tree that size probably had reached the end of its natural life. If it had been "blown down" most likely all the inside had already become spongy and there was very little usable timber anyway. If you have small "live" branches, say up to 100mm diametre, they will tend, as other have already said, to get one or two large cracks along the grain, no much use painting the end grain. My solution has been to let them crack while drying then to cut along the cracks to get long pieces for spindlework (good chisel handles etc.). If they are over 150mm my solution has been to cut in pieces about as long as they are wide and then split in the middle. The timber will then shrink without cracking (much) and you have usable bowl blanks.

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

A plum tree that size probably had reached the end of its natural life. If it had been "blown down" most likely all the inside had already become spongy and there was very little usable timber anyway. If you have small "live" branches, say up to 100mm diametre, they will tend, as other have already said, to get one or two large cracks along the grain, no much use painting the end grain. My solution has been to let them crack while drying then to cut along the cracks to get long pieces for spindlework (good chisel handles etc.). If they are over 150mm my solution has been to cut in pieces about as long as they are wide and then split in the middle. The timber will then shrink without cracking (much) and you have usable bowl blanks.

Spot on FE blown down was an age but still a barer of fruit apparently.

The piece I have (I am getting a few more) is about 40cm long x approx 15cm dia hard at the moment cracking has already appeared in the heart at one end.

I wont get the rest till next friday unless I go pick them up will be sorting indoors in shed, considering the debark.

It has been on the ground already a week I am just sorry I missed out on the bigger stuff oh well.

Apparently the same lady had a gum go down last year due to winds and it tool all of 6 months for someone in hr family to come clean it up for her. I didn't know of that one.

Thanks to all.

Ok its here all of it my wood collection is growing or should that have been grown and fellded.

PLUM nice it is all just nice size for my little lathe or what ever I make

There are 3 other pieces besides these I had already.

Looks like I have some work ahead wait patiently for a year or so and see what turn up.

The only reliable option with plum is to seal the ends thoroughly and then when you're ready finish turn in one session. Even sealed, over time it'll often crack inside and blow you a raspberry when your carefully managed stash turns to cr*p when turned down.

Rowie's point chimes with me. I've end-sealed and plastic wrapped Almond and the sapwood still cracked and continued into the heartwood. A bootload only yielded a couple of bowl blanks.

Originally Posted by rsser

The only reliable option with plum is to seal the ends thoroughly and then when you're ready finish turn in one session. Even sealed, over time it'll often crack inside and blow you a raspberry when your carefully managed stash turns to cr*p when turned down.

Rowie's point chimes with me. I've end-sealed and plastic wrapped Almond and the sapwood still cracked and continued into the heartwood. A bootload only yielded a couple of bowl blanks.

Hopefully will get to the end seal this weekend plastic wrap I had considered also.
Timber has a habit of being a bit$% like that wont behave the way you want it to.

The stump one has me stumped do I
cut it and seal it ??
or
seal it leave it ??

By the way thanks to all for your comments and hints

That stump is certainly a tricky one wheelin , I would probably cut and seal

Originally Posted by djstimber

That stump is certainly a tricky one wheelin , I would probably cut and seal

TY DJ looking at cutting it straight through retaining each side then when the time comes (its dried enough) possibly the side that is like a figure 8 I'd turn from the inside really just cleaning it up a long sided bowl shape if i can do it.
Of course I wouldn't do this on the Jet Mini.

I'd have to seek LOML permission to buy my next lathe after I order it and its arrived of course.

If it's big enough have two bob each way; halve it, cut and seal one piece, rough turn the other then seal and wrap, or finish turn (if it's bowl size).

I can recommend finish turning green fruitwood ... usually cuts like butter. Some guys microwave it at the end to complete the drying. BUT:

* do the turning and sanding in one session; if you go get a cuppa wrap the piece in plastic
* aim for a thin and even thickness all round so the drying rate is the same
* watch out you don't get the timber too hot while sanding; with thin walls the sanding will go a long way to drying them out and you can then finish. I usually use nitrocellulose sanding sealer and wax. Not sure how Shellawax would go; prob. OK.

Good luck; let us know how you go.

Originally Posted by rsser

If it's big enough have two bob each way; halve it, cut and seal one piece, rough turn the other then seal and wrap, or finish turn (if it's bowl size).

I can recommend finish turning green fruitwood ... usually cuts like butter. Some guys microwave it at the end to complete the drying. BUT:

* do the turning and sanding in one session; if you go get a cuppa wrap the piece in plastic
* aim for a thin and even thickness all round so the drying rate is the same
* watch out you don't get the timber too hot while sanding; with thin walls the sanding will go a long way to drying them out and you can then finish. I usually use nitrocellulose sanding sealer and wax. Not sure how Shellawax would go; prob. OK.

Good luck; let us know how you go.

Thanks rsser

now all I have to do plan every piece to perfection and try try try my hardest not to stuff any of it.