I've just purchased a 1x1x12-inch African Blackwood blank from Woodcraft, for my Northumbrian bagpipe project. I will be using a 7 inch long piece, and am wondering about preparation. Since there's no way to know what the condition is in regard to seasoning, one thing I wonder is whether I should be patient and lay the blank aside for a while before doing any finish turning?
I do know that the older commercial bagpipe makers used to rough turn their wood to cylinder, bore the length and lay it aside for a time to stabilize before finish-turning (in my case, the finished bore will be 5/32-inch, and the OD of the finished piece over the majority of its length will be 7/16-inch). Of couse, these makers used to buy their wood in the log, when it was still possible to do so, and do their own cutting and seasoning (it's my understanding (from reading on a bagpipe forum) that the country that provides it now forbids exporting logs and insists on exporting only cut pieces) .
I am also wondering if it would be a good policy to cut off one end by an inch or so before cutting to length?
Thanks for any ideas, John
I do know that the older commercial bagpipe makers used to rough turn their wood to cylinder, bore the length and lay it aside for a time to stabilize before finish-turning (in my case, the finished bore will be 5/32-inch, and the OD of the finished piece over the majority of its length will be 7/16-inch). Of couse, these makers used to buy their wood in the log, when it was still possible to do so, and do their own cutting and seasoning (it's my understanding (from reading on a bagpipe forum) that the country that provides it now forbids exporting logs and insists on exporting only cut pieces) .
I am also wondering if it would be a good policy to cut off one end by an inch or so before cutting to length?
Thanks for any ideas, John