I am a bowl turner. I will cut my blanks down the pith/heart of the tree, depending on knots/broken off branches. I would never put wet chips in with the drying blanks. That greatly increases chances for mold forming. Best method I heard of came from another turner. use a dry paper bag to put the pieces in, then chase out the paper bags every day. I turn green to final thickness and let them warp. A 1/4 inch thick bowl is dry in a week. I would also round over the edges of the boards since a sharp edge is far more prone to splitting. I also will use basic wood glue on the end grain to slow water evaporation and "equalization" as in coming into relative humidity.
Oh, some one wasn't checking my spelling..... CHANGE out the paper bags daily. Once dry, they can be reused. My favorite bowl wood is Pacific Madrone which is noted for insane warping. One sculptor down south of me in Medford/Grants Pass area suggested this method. I was having problems with one log in that I was losing many bowls to cracks. The paper bag method worked. I have found with Madrone that with the trees harvested when the spring sap is running, I get a much higher survival rate, like almost 100%. If I get a late summer tree, terrible survival rate, like way less than 50%. The idea with the bag is that it absorbs the moisture but it doesn't take too much away. Also, it doesn't keep moisture content to high that you get mold like wet or green chips and shavings can. I have even heard of people using the desiccant beads that come with electronics. The whole idea is to control the moisture loss. Too fast and the wood builds up stress, and stress is relieved by cracking. Every wood is different. What are you going to make from your wood pieces?
@@robohippy ahh, that makes sense now! I get some of my fruit from a local shop in brown paper bags, so I'll start saving them. There aren't many substantial trees available nearby, so I mainly carve small figures for the kids. I'm not particularly good at it, but I enjoy it! It's quite amusing to see them graciously accept my hideous creations. I just make up stories like: this penguin lost half his nose in a shark attack. That sort of thing. I suspect I'll get good by the time they're adults!
Thank you again for taking the time to share your knowledge (: the method with the paper bag does sounds better, if I’ll have dry wood chips I would prefer using them, but you are right using wet wood chips can encourage mold growth (:
I usually paint the ends of my logs with melted candle wax to slow down the drying process and keep them in a cold shed. So far I've had no cracking. Love your channel.
You just need to know when to collect the wood. Always in winter, from late October to March, before new shoots start to grow. Only collect wood in the last few days of waning moon, when the water and resin in the wood is naturally at it's lowest. Leave the wood to dry in a covered space, like in a garage, but even inside home should be good. Just avoid to put it close to heating objects. By doing so basically no cracks in the wood will form, maybe a few really small ones, just a few millimetres, on some types of wood. But for the most part you should be good. I learned this stuff reading some books, and it works. No wax, resin, spray or other fancy stuff. People used to do it this way
@TheOneAndOnlyLewis It's mostly from an Italian author called Mauro Corona, he's a really famous wood sculptor. Unfortunately I don't think the books have ever been translated to other languages
Excellent, learnt a lot there. Once in bag, or box were they restored under shed ? Also why did you leave those smaller pieces on box lid. Thanking you from Devon UK
I keep the bag in the house, looking in from time to time to make sure mold doesn’t grow. And I left the small pieces just because I felt they cluttered the box, so I moved them to a separate box(:
I am a bowl turner. I will cut my blanks down the pith/heart of the tree, depending on knots/broken off branches. I would never put wet chips in with the drying blanks. That greatly increases chances for mold forming. Best method I heard of came from another turner. use a dry paper bag to put the pieces in, then chase out the paper bags every day. I turn green to final thickness and let them warp. A 1/4 inch thick bowl is dry in a week. I would also round over the edges of the boards since a sharp edge is far more prone to splitting. I also will use basic wood glue on the end grain to slow water evaporation and "equalization" as in coming into relative humidity.
What do you mean by "chase out the paper bags"?
Oh, some one wasn't checking my spelling..... CHANGE out the paper bags daily. Once dry, they can be reused. My favorite bowl wood is Pacific Madrone which is noted for insane warping. One sculptor down south of me in Medford/Grants Pass area suggested this method. I was having problems with one log in that I was losing many bowls to cracks. The paper bag method worked. I have found with Madrone that with the trees harvested when the spring sap is running, I get a much higher survival rate, like almost 100%. If I get a late summer tree, terrible survival rate, like way less than 50%. The idea with the bag is that it absorbs the moisture but it doesn't take too much away. Also, it doesn't keep moisture content to high that you get mold like wet or green chips and shavings can. I have even heard of people using the desiccant beads that come with electronics. The whole idea is to control the moisture loss. Too fast and the wood builds up stress, and stress is relieved by cracking. Every wood is different. What are you going to make from your wood pieces?
@@robohippy ahh, that makes sense now! I get some of my fruit from a local shop in brown paper bags, so I'll start saving them. There aren't many substantial trees available nearby, so I mainly carve small figures for the kids. I'm not particularly good at it, but I enjoy it! It's quite amusing to see them graciously accept my hideous creations. I just make up stories like: this penguin lost half his nose in a shark attack. That sort of thing. I suspect I'll get good by the time they're adults!
Thank you again for taking the time to share your knowledge (: the method with the paper bag does sounds better, if I’ll have dry wood chips I would prefer using them, but you are right using wet wood chips can encourage mold growth (:
I usually paint the ends of my logs with melted candle wax to slow down the drying process and keep them in a cold shed. So far I've had no cracking. Love your channel.
Bei größeren Mengen Holz empfehle ich Anchor-Seal zur Behandlung der Stirnseiten
I tried with wax, though it worked for several months, then started to crack 😅
incredibly helpful. your videos are inspiration to keep doing more
good tips thank you
You just need to know when to collect the wood.
Always in winter, from late October to March, before new shoots start to grow.
Only collect wood in the last few days of waning moon, when the water and resin in the wood is naturally at it's lowest.
Leave the wood to dry in a covered space, like in a garage, but even inside home should be good. Just avoid to put it close to heating objects.
By doing so basically no cracks in the wood will form, maybe a few really small ones, just a few millimetres, on some types of wood. But for the most part you should be good.
I learned this stuff reading some books, and it works. No wax, resin, spray or other fancy stuff. People used to do it this way
Interesting, what books did you learn this from?
@TheOneAndOnlyLewis It's mostly from an Italian author called Mauro Corona, he's a really famous wood sculptor.
Unfortunately I don't think the books have ever been translated to other languages
@@andreicocor4383
Thats a shame, I unfortunately dont speak Italian.
Thanks for sharing ✌️
Thank you for sharing with us this information 😁🙏🏾
@nadavartandwood 🌱♥️
I have a piece of dry oaks wood, but i cant cut that with the axe, it seem to hard to split, you can tell me why?
נדב, חבל שאתה לא ממוקם בקנדה. הייתי בשמחה מלווה לך את ה-maul axe שלי 😊. אגב, אני נהנה מהסרטונים שלך. תודה!
Excellent, learnt a lot there. Once in bag, or box were they restored under shed ? Also why did you leave those smaller pieces on box lid. Thanking you from Devon UK
I keep the bag in the house, looking in from time to time to make sure mold doesn’t grow. And I left the small pieces just because I felt they cluttered the box, so I moved them to a separate box(:
The wood doesn't crack after you carve it? I've only carved seasoned wood but I'd like to try green wood.
They won’t crack If I make sure to store it in the bag or box in between sessions(: