Keeping green wood timeframe

Keeping green wood timeframe · 10-04-2009, 09:30 AM

I have found a very large maple tree 25"+ diameter with ambrosia beetle tracks almost to the bark. Most of the wood is good and off the ground. I have been cutting on it for a couple of weeks and have a number of chunks or blocks now coated with wax. It will be a while before I get rough turn all of it. Will the wax sealer hold it for 5-6 months or more. I still have about 10 feet of the tree to cut

PChristy · 10-04-2009, 09:39 AM

Hi Keith - glad to have you with us - I am no exxpert on this matter but from what I understand about this is that you should be ok in that time frame if not longer - Sometimes you will still get some checking and slpits but not as bad if you didn't have any sealer at all on it - If you don't mind hop over to the "Who We Are" forum and tell us a little bit about yourself - Hope this helps

CarvedTones · 10-04-2009, 11:25 AM

One thing I am learning is that large variance in ring diameter in a thick chunk seems to make it the most check prone. It is hard to avoid that, especially with smaller logs. A really good coat of wax pretty much preserves it as green wood though.

flyrod444 · 10-04-2009, 01:29 PM

It is always best to leave it in log form right until you are ready to rough turn it. This being said coat it with green wood sealer where it is cut, cover it with a tarp and keep it in the shade and it will keep for a long time. You want to keep it from drying out by the sun hitting it. I have some that is 2 years old and still sound enough to turn.
Happy Turning,
Jack

CarvedTones · 10-04-2009, 06:58 PM

Since you are new and just got conflicting advice from me and Jack, I will spare you a bunch of research and let you know that Jack has more experience with large pieces of green turning stock than I do. The troubles I have had have been with splitting and sealing half and quarter logs; if I leave part or all of the very small diameter rings near center on a a big chunk that is mostly outer ring, it often checkes from the small ones into the larger ones. Anyway, take Jack's advice over mine on the big logs.

flyrod444 · 10-04-2009, 07:46 PM

I would like to add one more piece of advice. It is a good practice to slice several inches off a log and discard it before you start cutting your piece up for blanks. This helps to take off some of the checks that occur on the end of logs in a short time. If you don't get all these checks out of the blank your bowl will crack and check. You have to start a bowl with a check free blank to ever have a chance of having a bowl dry without checking. According to a number of big name turners this is the number 1 reason roughed out bowls check or crack for new turners. If the cracks are there at the start they will just get bigger as the bowl dries. In my experience maple is a very stable wood to work with if done right. It is my favorite wood for bowls. Your not far from brasstown. They have a great club over that way with a lot of good turners that should give you good advice.
Have Fun,
Jack

mountaintop · 10-05-2009, 09:32 AM

Thanks for all the advice. I can see leaving the log intact would be best and will try to do that where ever I can. I'm having to split most now because of weight of the total log is to much for me. Even at half it still weights over 150+ pounds. I'm going to remove all the pith and coat the entire log and the ends as you have suggested.
Thanks for the help