Burn or Turn??

[Lynn Kasdorf]

I partially heat my house with a wood furnace, and all winter I'm cutting and splitting. A couple years ago I bought a semi load of tree sections from a builder that was clearing a lot. I've been working my way through the pile.
Yesterday, I brought a couple of massive maple tree trunks up to the splitting area. I started to buck, and now I'm really torn about whether it would be a waste to burn these, or whether I should cut bowl turning blanks.

I don't know how realistic it is to think that I'm actually going to have time to turn bowls, but maybe I could make a few bowls and sell tuning blanks? I dunno- but it just seems a shame to burn the stuff, especially since much of it it is not checked and cracked. I reckon I need to seal the fresh cuts to prevent further cracking.

My lathe is a Powermatic 45 with VFD speed control, nova chuck, free standing tool rest for outboard turning, a good bowl gouge and sharpening jig, etc. I'm all set up, but I have not turned a bow since 2003 or so!

I reckon that I need to set up a chain saw with a ripping blade in order to cut bowl blanks. or maybe I could use the splitter.

I guess I'm just looking for a sanity check here...

[John K Jordan]

My advice is if you have cut the log into chunks seal everything immediately. If you don't seal, it may be too cracked to turn later. If you can't turn it, sealed wood still burns fine.

Some advice from the experts - never accept more green wood than you can turn in a week or two. Our love of wood sometimes DOES exceed our sanity. Advice from the other John Jordan, woodturner, the famous one - he gets the log as he can even if he has to pay to get it delivered. He never cuts it up into chunks and never seals the end grain. He puts the log off the ground in a shady place. When he wants to turn something he goes out with the chainsaw, cuts 6" off the end and throws it away then cuts off a blank to turn immediately. He says "only turn green."

If you get short logs, you can leave them as long as possible and seal the ends.

However, another option, what this John Jordan does. (I say "only turn dry" ) I process an abundance of green wood into useful turning blanks with my chainsaws, Woodmizer sawmill, and shop bandsaw, and put the blanks up to dry. Dry wood can be used even decades later. I'm turning Dogwood now that I cut into blanks in '06 and earlier. I still have some of the walnut I got green in the '70s. I actually do turn green occasionally but I prefer dry, the harder the better.

BTW, I don't use a ripping blade on the chainsaw. I can rip fine with a sharp crosscut blade but just a little slower.

Another way to keep green turning wood good for a long, long time - ponding. Submerge the pieces underwater in a pond, 55gal drum, whatever. Change the water when it gets nasty.

Another thing if you find yourself with with too much good green wood cut into chunks is to share with other turners. Some people don't have the knowledge or ability to get wood. Most clubs have a wood raffle. You can advertise on Craigslist and give away or sell wood to turners. If it goes bad you can sell it as firewood.

JKJ

[Lynn Kasdorf]

Hmm... I do have a pond. But the question is, how would I retrieve the wood later? Maybe if I tie sections of rope to them that I could attach to and pull out with a tractor. This wood is far from green- it has been sitting (off the ground) for about 5 years.

Maybe I'll take the one that has some crotch sections and seal the ends and leave it for later. I have 3 big pine logs that I've done that with.

[Alex Zeller]

Turning shavings make for a great way to start a fire. Try turning one and if it doesn't work then you know. My problem is I try to only take the trees that aren't healthy and often need everything for the wood stove. The only stuff I don't burn is the crotch of the trees since it doesn't always split easily. Sometimes if I have spare time I'll try to cut the tree very low so I can turn the base. If you're buying it then you're at the mercy of what is delivered.

[John K Jordan]

... Sometimes if I have spare time I'll try to cut the tree very low so I can turn the base....

Have you ever tried digging up and using the wood in the ground? On a large tree there can be some big pieces. I once dug up the stump on a huge cherry tree that hand to come down. The wood right at ground level and below was some of the most dense and most figured wood from that tree, looked like burl. Of course, it helps to have something more than hand tools, like a backhoe.

[Alex Zeller]

Have you ever tried digging up and using the wood in the ground? On a large tree there can be some big pieces. I once dug up the stump on a huge cherry tree that hand to come down. The wood right at ground level and below was some of the most dense and most figured wood from that tree, looked like burl. Of course, it helps to have something more than hand tools, like a backhoe.

I haven't mainly because I can't get my backhoe close enough usually. Also the root balls around here tend to have stones in them (lots more than one chainsaw chain that way). I never thought about trying to turn a root ball though. Maybe when I did one up I'll throw it in the stream to wash it off. I do know the grain can get pretty funky down by the roots.

[John K Jordan]

.... Maybe when I did one up I'll throw it in the stream to wash it off.

Pressure washer. Disassembly by carbide toothed chain saw.

[Alex Zeller]

I've never gotten around to getting a pressure washer. Maybe it'd be a good excuse to buy one.

[John K Jordan]

I've never gotten around to getting a pressure washer. Maybe it'd be a good excuse to buy one.

A small electric pressure washer should do the trick without the expense and maintenance of one with a gasoline engine. You'll need to plug it in somewhere but you need to connect to a water hose anyway. What ever you do, don't loan it to anyone and don't keep it in freezing temperatures (unless winterized).

SO handy. I'm going to drag mine down to the barn the next time I run the excavator in muddy ground. The other day it took me an two hours with a strong nozzle on a water hose to clean huge gobs of half-dried mud from the dozer blade, bucket, and especially, inside the tracks and behind the drive sprocket.

I called today and ordered a carbide chainsaw chain from Bailey's Online. I've never had one on a chainsaw but a friend uses his to cut up roots and logs lying the dirt without worrring about what the blade touches. They have really come down in price since I first looked at them a couple of decades ago.

JKJ

[Thomas Wilson80]

I partially heat my house with a wood furnace, and all winter I'm cutting and splitting. A couple years ago I bought a semi load of tree sections from a builder that was clearing a lot. I've been working my way through the pile.
Yesterday, I brought a couple of massive maple tree trunks up to the splitting area. I started to buck, and now I'm really torn about whether it would be a waste to burn these, or whether I should cut bowl turning blanks.

I don't know how realistic it is to think that I'm actually going to have time to turn bowls, but maybe I could make a few bowls and sell tuning blanks? I dunno- but it just seems a shame to burn the stuff, especially since much of it it is not checked and cracked. I reckon I need to seal the fresh cuts to prevent further cracking.

My lathe is a Powermatic 45 with VFD speed control, nova chuck, free standing tool rest for outboard turning, a good bowl gouge and sharpening jig, etc. I'm all set up, but I have not turned a bow since 2003 or so!

I reckon that I need to set up a chain saw with a ripping blade in order to cut bowl blanks. or maybe I could use the splitter.

I guess I'm just looking for a sanity check here...

Is the wood rotting/soft or have big cracks? If so I’d burn it - not worth the time/risk. If it seems solid, why not give it a shot? Worst case scenario you end up burning it!
That’s my 2c.
Tom

[Tim Otto]

Even bowls will burn if they don't meet your expectations.