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Thread: Turnin' Green vs. Dry Wood

  1. #1

    Turnin' Green vs. Dry Wood

    I recall bringing this up once before but now that I had an opportunity to work with some green wood the comparison of turning it versus dry wood has more meaning. First off I didn't get to experience the pleasant aspects that many talk about when turning green wood. As for the turning process I saw no difference. Wet wood seemed to cut the same way as dry wood. Following are my thoughts thus far regarding the two processes.


    • Wet wood is by far much messier than working with dry wood. The turning tools get clogged with wet wood and if not wiped clean immediately is difficult to get off. The bed ways have to be cleaned far more than just brushing them off after dry wood use. This aspect alone could be a deal breaker for me.
    • As mentioned above I saw no difference in turning either forms of wood. They seemed to cut the same.
    • It makes sense that a turned or partially turned green blank dries faster than a green blank therefore reducing the overall time involved. Can't disagree with that advantage.
    • No question that turning green wood in a finished form like Robo Hippy with the warped look is not possible with dry wood. If that's the goal than turning green is the only way to go.


    So far I'm not impressed with the practice of turning green wood but I'll continue with it for a while, at least until I finish my study of the book "Turning Green Wood". Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments.

  2. #2
    Different strokes for different folks.

    I like turning green wood. Yes it's messier but it's also less dusty than turning dry.

    I suspect for most people turning wet or dry just comes down to how it feels. I like turning green rough and then finishing after dry. It's two very different experiences and allows me two bites of the apple.

    i also like the process of rough turning a bunch of green blanks quickly and then having an inventory of Roughs that can be quickly finished and still quite customized when I need a quick gift.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    One other big factor for me - Green wood is usually free wood found where dry wood has to be bought. The price of a few 16 to20" dry blanks will almost pay for a chain saw to work green wood, and then without a coring setup, the shavings off green are a lot easier to make and can go easier to compost pile. I also enjoy looking for the unusual piece of wood and try to determine the best use.

  4. #4
    I much prefer turning green than dry. I can rough turn several 12-14" bowls or platters in a single session.
    It's messy alright but steps can be taken to lessen the mess. I use a shower curtain behind and to one side of my lathe to help contain those long streamers coming off the blank. I also keep a large can of WD-40 handy and keep the ways well coated to help prevent rust.
    I don't worry about the mess until I finish for the day then use a snow shovel to scoop the shavings into a utility trailer sitting outside the door of my shop.
    I love standing knee deep in wet shavings!!
    I don't know what type of green wood your turning but if it's not cutting fast wet you aint seen nothing yet when it dries. Every kind of wet wood i've ever turned was always easier to cut than a dried blank.
    Of course i'm lucky in the fact that I have never had to purchase turning wood, I have an abundance of various woods to choose from just outside my door. I leave the logs whole, some I stack off the ground some I leave lying on the ground to promote spalting. When I'm ready to turn something I get the chain saw out, choose what type of wood I want, cut a couple of pieces off, cut them in half, draw a circle on each half and cut the rounds out on my bandsaw.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
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    San Diego, Ca
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    1,647
    Steve,

    To add to your comparison list:

    - Green wood left in thick rounds and slabs and not roughed out is more likely to crack, rot, mold, spault, etc.

    - Dry wood is difficult to get and/or expensive to get in sizes that one would use for a larger turned items. Often times dry wood comes in thicknesses like 3/4", 4/4", 8/4", etc. and larger turned items require glue-ups.

    When I'm turning green wood with a sharp bowl gouge I can take deeper and/or wider cuts than I can with a similar piece of bone dry wood. On wet wood when roughing, the shavings often look like continuous thick ribbons of potato peelings being propelled into the air.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    lufkin tx
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    I really hate to turn dry wood of any size. Just try turning dry live oak or white oak and then green oak. The biggest difference is you won't see sparks shooting into the air.

  7. #7
    As with most questions, it depends on what you are turning. There is room for both. I turn mostly dry wood and enjoy that, but I also will rough out pieces for lidded bowls. Once they are dry, then I finish turn them and fit a lid to them. I find they are more stable than if I turn the bowl from a dry 3-4" blank.

    On pieces where tolerances are tight, dry wood is a necessity. I am now turning a lot of large platters, most of which are offset. Dry wood is a necessity, and it is very difficult for me to get a clean platter blank accurately cut with the chainsaw I have. If I had a sawmill like John K., then it would be easier. One would need to cut the blank to 3-3.5" thick to account for warp. I like to start with 2" thick dry material. Even then, one gets some movement while turning.

    It is fun to watch you travel this path into turning as so many of us have done. Just don't let yourself start buying up a bunch of tools or wood until you advance your skill level and find out what you ultimately are going to enjoy turning. If you aren't careful, you will acquire tools that are task specific not knowing that you will enjoy that type of work. And, even that may change over time - it certainly has for me.

    Early on I was doing a lot of hollow forms with delicate finials and pedestals, so I processed a lot of wood into blanks for that type of work. Over time, my interests changed and I now have a bunch of dry wood that I don't have much interest in turning. Perhaps I will revolve around to that point of interest again soon and the problem will take care of itself. I have two hollowing systems, and it has been months (perhaps more than a year?!?!) since I last hollowed a piece.

    Left click my name for homepage link.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    E TN, near Knoxville
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    If beginning turning, I would not get too concerned with dry vs wet and especially not after one experience. I think it is best to try turning a bunch of different things from different woods, different sizes (AND with different tools) and get some experience.

    I love turning dry wood and far prefer it to green. Sharp tools and good technique are needed for hard species like dry hickory, oak, lyptus, lignum vitae, etc. I do use a lot of free local woods but I usually process into turning blanks, seal, and dry before use. Some of the wood I'm turning now I've had drying for over 10 years now. Not for the impatient!

    Wet wood can be extremely easy to turn but a lot depends on the species. Green soft maple or cherry cuts very easily (with sharp tools and the RIGHT tools), almost like a hot knife in butter. And fun too! However it is so easy I don't find much challenge.

    Wet or dry also depends on the type of turning you do. Want to turn lidded boxes where the lids actually fit? Turn spindles? Turn platters that are not warped? Yes, I can partially turn, let dry, then finish turn but I rather start with dry.

    Big bowls? - wet wood is usually the best choice since it is free and so easy to turn but you can't always keep big wet chunks for long before they self destruct. You need a lot of storage space too, especially if you like a variety of species.

    Turning smaller things like boxes, finials, ornaments - I want dry wood. I also like the variety of color, figure, and properties - I have well over 100 different species of turning blanks to pick from on a whim, many are exotics.

    JKJ

  9. #9
    I sure like to see those long ribbons coming of the gouge when turning green wood. Dry Mesquite is quite a challenge to turn, I usually have to sharpen my gouge every 5 min,not so with green wood. JMHO

  10. #10
    Hmm, I never noticed any extra mess, other than the water that flies off. Some woods do leave a lot of sludge on my tools, but if it sets up on the tool, I have a wire wheel on one grinder that polishes them up quickly, same for the chucks. I do let the wet shavings dry before I bag them because it reduces the weight by half or more. In summer, rake them outside and let them sit in the sun for a day. In winter, spread them over the floor and put a fan on over night. Only thing bad about the shavings inside is that when I scoop them up, there is a lot of dust in them that I don't get when it is wet.

    One other difference with the dry wood is how it is dried. Air dried, vacuum kiln dried, or solar kiln dried cut with nice long ribbons, almost like green wood. Standard kiln/kill dried wood cuts with a lot of dust. If you rip an air dried board on your table saw, you get shavings. If you rip a kill dried board on the table saw, you get dust.

    robo hippy

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Harvey, Michigan
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    20,801
    I agree with John Keeton in that it really depends on what it is you are turning. Precision fit items require dry wood, bowls and hollow forms do not. I prefer green wood for a couple of reasons - first and foremost because it is free and second is because it is so easy to cut. I turn mostly sugar maple, black cherry and white birch and they all cut like butter when green. I find that makes the roughing out process extremely enjoyable and I don't have to work to create pleasing curves. Unlike John K Jordan, I don't want a challenge when I am roughing out/creating a form but accept that I will have a challenge when finishing that piece. Makes NO sense to me to make turning any harder than it has to be because I do it because it is fun and allows me to try and be creative for the first time in my life.

    Added benefit of turning green is the absence of dust and all the shavings are composted for use in our gardens. I have turned green that was so wet that I have racing stripes on a couple spots on the wall and ceiling over the lathe. Used to have to scrub the lathe bed and wax each time I roughed out wood but now my lathe has stainless ways and I don't have that to worry about anymore.

    I keep thinking that because of where you live, you haven't turned green wood that even comes close to what the rest of us have experienced. So don't worry about what is easiest to turn - just have fun with what you are turning now and keep experimenting.
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
    Please don’t let that happen!
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  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Keeton View Post
    ...Dry wood is a necessity, and it is very difficult for me to get a clean platter blank accurately cut with the chainsaw I have. If I had a sawmill like John K., then it would be easier. One would need to cut the blank to 3-3.5" thick to account for warp. I like to start with 2" thick dry material...
    Do you like to make platters from Eastern Red Cedar? I've made a few; Frank Penta once said he liked turning cedar platters so I gave him some slabs a few years ago.

    If you do, I might be able to cut some slabs soon. I have a big pile of cedar logs I'm going to saw into siding and plan to cut some slabs out of the widest. I won't know how wide I can get or what is inside, of course, until the saw hits the wood. If you are interested, and assuming the wood it good inside, I could cut a few extra and save them until you pass this way one day. I'm just a few miles off I-75. If so, what sizes would you prefer? ERC, btw, has always dried quickly for me and without warping. I cut most cedar slabs 2" thick and sticker for a while - I've not yet had one warp.

    (Depending the size, I still have a few on hand from this log, cut in 2008, be glad to cut a blank for you:
    cedar_P9064287es.jpg cedar_P9054283es.jpg

    If you can use Hickory or White Oak, I have a bunch of logs. It will often warp more of course so I'll cut them thicker. I usually saw some 4-5" thick to use for outdoor steps too. (I use them before they dry.) And one big cherry tree that needs do come down but I don't know when I'll get around to it. Also a maple with the top broken off from wind damage.

    I was actually planning to saw tomorrow but yesterday the front wheel broke off my tractor! I found pieces of the wheel bearing all over the ground. Gotta fix that first to move the logs...

    JKJ

  13. #13
    John, thanks for the offer. I will email or PM you and we can explore the possibilities. Thanks, again!

    Left click my name for homepage link.

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