Thread: A new way to dry timber????

Originally Posted by robutacion

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Where do you source your wax from? I need a fair quantity for a good price, off-course!
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I get my wax from here. I get second grade candle wax, which because of the addition of stearic acid makes it brittle and subject to cracking. I'll let you in on a little secret here, if you add 75 grams of vaseline to 5Kg of wax it'll soften it up just enough to stop it cracking.

Hi John,
How much do you pay for your wax?

Originally Posted by steck

Hi John,
How much do you pay for your wax?

From memory I think I paid $12.50 for a 5Kg slab of 2nd candle making wax.

I always though that the unfortunate thing with drying was that as the moisture leaves the end grain, the cell structure must collapse (for want of a better word) but of course there is still moisture further in preventing it from collapsing at the same rate, so the cracks begin. This allows some moisture to escape from the faces of the cracks, localised around each crack, causing them to deepen. Then the pattern repeats. Am I somewhere near it?

I always liked the idea of heating the wood and boiling the sap out, if not to remove it at least to harden it up and stabalise it. I guess that is what led a lot of people to spend a lot of money on microwave drying (with mixed success).

If nothing else I bit that first 1/2" cuts nicely GJ

After a conversation with Calm this morning I think I'll sneak into the local Fish & Chip shop tonight and put their fryers to work drying some more timber .
Imagine what the Flake will taste like after 50Kg of Camphor Laurel has been through the vat .

what about putting it in hot oil?

oil would penetrate further.

or am i just talking jiberish.

I have heard of rough turnings being fried in oil to speed up the drying. Bruce Leady mentioned that they had tried it back in the 70s before microwave drying came along. He said it did work but it made a bit of a mess when back on the lathe.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by weisyboy

what about putting it in hot oil?

oil would penetrate further.

or am i just talking jiberish.

It would have to be hot and under high pressure.

Originally Posted by Grumpy John

I get my wax from here. I get second grade candle wax, which because of the addition of stearic acid makes it brittle and subject to cracking. I'll let you in on a little secret here, if you add 75 grams of vaseline to 5Kg of wax it'll soften it up just enough to stop it cracking.

Was just re-reading this post and realised that you need 150 grams vaseline to 5 Kg. of wax , sorry for any probs. this may have caused.

I have just checked the MC of the "wax boiled" blank with a moisture meter loaned to me by Calm (thanks mate) and it measures between 12% & 14%. Similar sized pieces from the same tree not subject to the same treatment start at 20% and go off the scale from there.
I am not advocating this method as a viable alternative to kiln drying, or in fact any other recognised drying technique. It was just one of those "what if" moments that sometimes occur in life .

Very interesting. Can you let us know how a finished piece comes up? I would like to see if the treatment affects the finish at all.

Originally Posted by Robomanic

Very interesting. Can you let us know how a finished piece comes up? I would like to see if the treatment affects the finish at all.

I'm planning to do just that Shannon. If not too many other jobs get in the way I should have some results by this Saturday arvo.

I may have a scientific answer for you reference the use of wax to drive out moisture from wood.

If you are getting a boiling effect I would assume it's the same as adding water (wet French fries) to boiling oil, the wax floats, the water sinks and superheats, turning to steam and then rising up through the wax - the boiling effect. This continues until all the water is driven off, whether this means all the moisture is driven out of you timber I cannot say.

The other and similar method of driving out moisture by immersion is the use of PEG, Poly-ethylene glycol which replaces water in the woods pores stabilizing it against cracking. Especially useful in large blocks of green wood.

Now I don't know about your wax but PEG is food safe, non-flammable and easily cleanable from clothing.

Shannon, I was able to turn a small bowl from the "wax dried" Liquid Amber this arvo. The timber obviously was still a bit damp, but there was noticeably less effort required in cutting. I don't know if this had anything to do with the wax treatment or LA is just an easy cutting timber (I've never turned LA before). After sanding to 320 I burnished the bowl with a handful of shavings at ~1200 RPM. Finish is a homemade mix of 2 parts boiled linseed, 2 parts turps and 1 part poly.

The cracks caused by the forced drying are quite obvious, don't know if the bowl will move much, I'll keep you posted.