Question about Walnut Log

[Doug Collins]

Hi, New member here.

I've just been turning for about a year when I have the spare time. Nothing big or intricate, just some little projects to get used to working with my lathe.

My skills haven't grown to the point where I feel comfortable dropping big $$ on an expensive piece of wood that I'll turn down to a really nice toothpick, so I get most of my wood from wood piles (found some really nice walnut in my neighbors back yard).

A friend of mine recently told me I could have a walnut log from his backyard if I just come over and cut it up. He says it's about 10" in diameter and 10 foot long. (maybe an exaggeration, but free wood is free wood)

Here's my question: What's the best way to cut up something this big to make it most usable? I've been reading of members that cut up a log and seal it, then let it sit for a year or so before turning it. What's the logic behind that? Why seal it if you want it to dry out? Is there a way to 'read' the log and determine the best place to cut?

[Harvey M. Taylor]

hi,
They gave you an incomplete answer concerning sealing the log. You should leave the log in as long a pieces as you can handle. You seal the ends of the log to prevent the ends from drying out faster than the rest of the log.From there I would suggest you purchase Bill Grumbine's DVD on handling the log from the tree to the finishing of the turned piece. Bill is one of us here at Sawmill Creek and is a professional turner and teacher. Just post A message here that you need to contact him, and he will respond shortly, or at least in a day or two.
Max Taylor

[Frank Kobilsek]

Doug,

Cross cut the log into the largest possible pieces you can handle.

Then don't wait for Bill's DVD as Harvey mentioned just go to his website http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/logcutting.html That will get you through your first log or two.

WOOD magazine had a good story on this topic sometime earlier this year. I might be wrong but I think Phil Brenion wrote it.

Frank

[Joe Fisher]

To expand just a bit on what the other folks already said...

A log loses moisture more quickly through the end grain than the edge grain. Imagine a log as a bundle of drinking straws, and you'll see why. This causes the wood at the ends to dry at a different rate from the wood in the middle. This causes cracking, checking, splitting, and general mayhem. By sealing the end grain, you are attempting to equalize the rate of moisture loss, and so the rate of wood shrinkage, hoping to minimize checking.

I usually cut the logs into manageable chunks, giving some thought to their purpose. If I want to make bowls from a 10" diameter log, for example, I'll usually cut the log about 10-14" long, since the biggest bowl I can possibly get out of it is 10" (more likely 8-9"), and I want to leave a couple of inches in case the ends check (crack) a bit. I'll then rip cut the log into two bowl blanks, cutting out the slab in the center with the pith (1-2" thick, a' la Bill's website linked above). After I'm done processing all of my logs, I'll stack them up and paint all the ends at once with sealer. I've been using an elastomeric masonry sealer, but there are better tools for the job (most notably Anchorseal).

I've taken to cutting the slab in the center on my bandsaw to make nice pen and stopper blanks. If nothing else, they make great free practice pieces to give away to my friends just starting out turning.

Hope that helps! I should have some pictures somewhere...

-Joe

[Joe Fisher]

Here we go. My last blank cutting extravaganza:



Notice how they look just like the ones pictured at Bill's site - where do you think I learned how to do this? I use an old shipping palette to keep the logs steady while I rip them, btw.

In the wheelbarrow you can see a bunch of the center slabs waiting for the bandsaw. Here's what they ended up as:



Lots and lots of free practice blanks. You can also see the stacked bowl blanks behind them that were just painted with sealer. Those can be further ripped into box/goblet/other spindle blanks as well.

-Joe

[Alex Cam]

I'm a new turner with very little experience. I ran into the same type of problem as you -- I have two friends of my family that run tree and lot clearing services. One of them has a barn full of all the "interesting burl and colored pieces of wood" that they've come across for the last 10 years, and have given me free reign to cut and take anything I want (stealth wood gloat ). The problem is, I have NO IDEA what I'm doing, and am terrified of ruining a prize piece with inexperience.

I finally decided to just cut a hunk off of one of the more innocuous logs, clean it up on the band saw, chuck it, and turn it. You'll be amazed at how quickly the light turns on once you've gone through the process once. I'm definately still a rookie, but I have a lot better idea of what's going on now for cutting bowl blanks.

Next step -- HF blanks (shudder)..

[Doug Collins]

Wow! Thanks for the great responses. I appreciate the advice.

[Tom Sherman]

Doug Welcome to The Creek, seems as though you have most of the info you were looking for and I have little to add. As you get settled into the vortex, we thrive on pictures here so don't forget to post away pictures of your shop especially your lathe. You'll find the folks here are pretty forthcoming with info on almost topic don't hesitate to join in the mayhem.

[Reed Gray]

You don't have to wait until the wood is dry to turn it. You can rough turn the bowl blanks, leaving them thick (10% = 10 inch wide bowl leave 1 inch thick) and slow dry them for 6 months or so, then return them. You can also do like I do, turn to final thickness of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch and let them dry, usually about 2 weeks, and then sand and finish them. They will warp, but usually no cracking. Note, don't rush the drying, let them sit out of heat, sun, and wind. To sand, you need to have slow speeds on your lathe, and a power sander really helps. A 10 inch walnut log will probably have 6 or less inches of heart wood, but the wood is free--have chainsaw and hand truck, will trade.
If you are storing the log sections, keep them covered and out of the weather. Left whole, the log sections will always do some cracking. This always centers on the pith/center of the growth rings. I can't remember ever finding a log, no matter how fresh that didn't have any cracks already coming off of the pith. These will continue to expand as the log dries. Cutting out these cracks (the center slab) gets rid of one weak point. Sealing the ends helps control the other. If I keep one end of the log on the ground, I can get some bugs, and some spalting, and almost no checking. Some prefer to keep it all off the ground. You can also bury the log sections in shavings and cover them with a tarp, especially if it is dry where you are. Watering the shavings helps keep the wood moist for extended periods of time.
robo hippy