Drying Redheart

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
I have 8 pieces of Redheart 3" X1-1/2 dia. that I turned yesterday and drilled through with a 5/8" forester. The measured moisture with a General pin meter at 15%-16%. Put them in a toaster oven overnight at 120-130 degrees F and measured the moisture today at 3:00 pm at 4-5%. Does it make sense it dried that low in that time?

My intention is to stabilize the wood and make duck calls.
 
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SabertoothBunny

SabertoothBunny
Corporate Member
If you drilled the center then I can see it drying that quickly. The blanks needed for making animal calls are not large blanks so they can dry fairly quickly. The consistent 120-130 being enough for 12ish+ hours is believable. Just be careful and watch for hairline cracks in the blanks.
 

Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
I believe the North Carolina moisture ambient is about 10-12% depending where you are. As a rule, you only need to get it to that level. If you make it less than the ambient humidity, the wood will seek to absorb moisture to reach parity and eventually reach it unless you waterproof it. On the West coast where my parents lived the mills that dried their wood would seek 5-7% as their target. Remember though the west cost is not humid it is a drier climate.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Thanks for the responses.

Since I'm in temporary quarters, I roll the antique lathe outside to turn. It was sunny Saturday when I was turning and any blanks laying in the sun were (hairline) cracking. I moved the blanks and turnings to the shade and hung a shirt over the blank on the lathe when I was not actively making shavings. With that cracking, I decided to stabilize all the red heart. OBTW, the red heart came from Woodcraft or Craft Supplies USA and were covered in paraffin when received. So the moisture was trapped until I started turning.

The blanks (8) are soaking in Cactus Juice right now. About to wrap them in foil and cook them. I bought a $10 toaster oven from the Goodwill and an oven thermometer at Lowes. The thermostat for the oven is not accurate but holds the temp steady.
 

jcz

Johnny
Corporate Member
You will likely need to redrill or ream the bore again. Red heart has tendency to crack in my experience with it anyway. Hope it holds together for you.
 

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