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.