out of round

[Cory Martin]

Just wondering how much movement is normal when drying a bowl? I've been getting alot of movement on the walnut bowls I roughed out. I soaked in dna, wrapped in newspaper and set to dry for about a month.
I think I'm on the right path but curious about how much movement to expect.

Thanks Cory

[Steve Schlumpf]

Cory - kind of a round about way to give you an answer, but - if you go to this website www.fpl.fs.fed.us/ and down load the Wood Handbook -located under the General Information heading - it has everything you ever wanted to know about wood - including shrinkage rates.

[Jim Becker]

It can vary a lot, even with two turnings of the same species, but from different trees. Some of that variability is due to the starting moisture content when you first start working with the wood.

The resource that Steve provides should be useful as to the details.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Cory I have had the same thing happen. I agree with Jim about it will vary amongst turnings. I have turned bowls from the same tree. One will move all over and the other will barely move. I have also turned wood from two different trees. One bowl would warp every which way the other wouldn't.

[Curt Fuller]

I've had some really green woods warp to the point that they can't be returned round. But my experience is that most of the movement takes place in the first month. So what you see is about what you're going to get. You mileage may vary in different climates and humidity. But here in the arid Utah air most of the warpage occurs in the first month.

[Bill Wyko]

I had recently turned a eucalyptus burl bowl about 8 inches in diameter. I turned it rough to about3/4 inch. I let it sit for about 6 weeks and it shrunk towards the center about 3/8th's of an inch. I did discover that putting a couple coats of Deft on the outside made it shrink fairly evenly towards the center which tightened up the grain. This may have been unique to this particular piece of wood but it did make it easy to turn in the end.

[Cory Martin]

Thanks guys, and Steve that is a lot of information. A invaluable resource, Thanks again.

Cory