How long till it cracks...

[Russell Eaton]

I did another lidded box this past weekend. It has a Snakewood insert, and a Mahogany body and lid. I am just waiting for the darn Snakewood to crack. I have made 2 pens and both made it less than 1 week till it split. Maybe the ca finish will make it last a little longer. I guess the question is am I the only one with this problem? Comments welcome. Still waiting Russell

[Bob Espy]

ten,nine,eight,seven,you get the idea

[David E Keller]

Ask Hart... He's the only person on Earth that can turn that stuff without it cracking. Nice box BTW.

[John Hart]

I dunno. Maybe put it in a hyperbaric chamber with pressurized oxygen??


No...my secret is temperature. I've turned a lot of pieces out of this stuff, and if I were to guess, the oil has a lot to do with it...and it reacts to the temperatures created by friction.

So what I do is inspect the blank closely and ensure there are no existing cracks...then while drilling, turning, and sanding, don't heat it up...not even a little bit. It's so beautiful, it's worth the extra time and tedium.

When drilling, I keep the bit cold with water and drill tiny bits at a time...let the blank cool often.
When turning, keep the bevel off of it...but really, I suggest the skew only, and only the tip...work slow....little cuts

When sanding, do it at low speed and don't apply any pressure.

That's my big secret. Seems to work about 99% of the time.

Nice Box!!

[Russell Eaton]

Thanks for the tips John. I need the help. By the way, it still is holding.

[Gordon Thompson]

lol....same experience here with snakewood...pens cracked within a few days

[Steve Schlumpf]

The Snakewood looks pretty good! How about a profile shot so we can see the rest of the box as well?

[John Hart]

By the way, I want to lodge a complaint with the International Consortium For Wood Naming (ICFWN)

Snakewood and Leopardwood need to be switched.

This is a clear insult to trees that spend lots of time making this wood. Let's get it right.

snakewood.jpgLeopardWood.jpg

[Baxter Smith]

Very pretty box! If you made it through turning, would paper bagging like you would treat a green roughout, help until it got acclimated?

[Russell Eaton]

Steve here is a profile shot. The grain lines up pretty close. It measures just shy of 3 inches. The finish is the new ca glue that I have been testing out. It works pretty well so far. Thanks for the comments.... still waiting

[Jim Slovik]

Nice box and a great inlay. I'm holding my breath hoping that is doesn't crack. When I saw that you replied to your posting I thought it was bad news. I'm glad it's still intact.
Jim

[Steve Schlumpf]

Thanks for the profile shot Russell! Very nice form and now that I can see the wood - really looks good!

[John Keeton]

Russell, that is a really nice looking lidded box. I have heard all the stories on this Snakewood, and I know it must look great, but I don't know if I would be willing to put up with the hassle. I admire your willingness to challenge it!