Please Critique my Firewood!

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687
Location
Harvey, Michigan
This is a piece of cherry that for whatever reason continually develops radial cracks while turning. I had hoped to make a nice looking hollow form out of it … but it makes for some really nice looking firewood! :D This is my second attempt at this form (had radial cracks in the first one also - both from same log) and in the hopes that I (we) can learn - I ask for critiques on the form.

Cherry Firewood.jpg

It's 7" from the foot to the lip, 4" at the mid-section and the foot and the lip are matched at 2 1/2".

Thanks in advance for your input!

Steve
 
Brand new to the forum and already posting pics:thumb: I've never done a HF, but yours always look great...maybe it's the log(both had cracks)?
 
Jeff - it was absolutely that particular piece of wood. I never even got the chance to start hollowing. Was just finishing off the outside and getting ready to install my steady rest when I heard a high pitched ping. Shut everything down and found the crack. Spent about an hour trying to CA cracks on the first HF I tried out of that cherry. Didn't work as everytime I would start the lathe back up - Ping! So, this time I won't spend any more time on it and hope to get some insight as to the actual form and possibly some ways to improve it.
 
Steve, I think as soon as you get some non-pinging wood, that form's going to be a winner. :thumb: It has a real classic look (to my eyes).
 
Steve, looks very good, only you created a kind of a double foot, without the lower part it would be more elegant, but this is my opinion.
Anyway you did a great job. :thumb:
Oh well, cherry, most of the time it cracks on different places, also this is my experience.
Better is seal the ends and put it in your store for a very long time.
 
Ad, I'm guessing the lower foot that you're seeing would be removed in the final version. That looks like the tenon Steve is using to hold the piece in his lathe chuck. ;)
 
Bruce - the pith is still in the wood. Was hoping that I could hollow most of it out and if it cracked on the base I could just fill it with something.

Ad - Vaughn is correct - the bottom portion of the base is just the tenon. The actual foot would be just below the slight flair located about 2" from the bottom.
 
Is ths from Orchard Fruit Cherr or from Wild Black Cherry. does make a difference. I have heard that Orchard wood is most difficult to dry and cure properly. Also is the piece green or dried. and if dried, to what MC. If it is green or near green and you do the turning you are exposing wood cells to atmosphere in a more rapid speed as you remove bulk. The tight grain of cherry added to the rapid release of moisture when turned may be causing this problem. Also If it is Orchard wood I believe that the constant baring of the weight of the fruit and releasing at season's end does cause cell structure failure and with the rapid MC changes occuring with turning these failures occur.


It has been my experience that Dried Cherry is the only way for success.
 
Steve, I was going to say the foot needed some work but you already explained that. So with that out of the way, the form should finish out very nice. Are you using DNA for drying ?
 
Steve don't let the cracks bother you. I had a cherry bowl that cracked in the shape of a smile. I filled it with instant coffee mixed with epoxy. Then I finished turning it. It came out fine. I think it is a great looking piece.
 
Bill - the actual type of cherry is unknown to me. It is more of an ornamental - non edible - tree that grows wild through this neck of the U.P. Some here call it pin cherry, some say sand cherry. It gives a pea size cherry that I have only seen robins and blue jays eat. It's a nice looking wood but every time I have tried to turn it - it cracks and it makes no difference if I turn it spindle or face. The wood has air-dried for about 6 months - so it is somewhat green but the tree was dead when I cut it down and seemed very dry at the time.

Keith - I have DNA available to dry the form with but thought before starting that the wood was dry enough to turn without having any problems. I do not own a moisture meter at this time but plan on doing a search and seeing what everyone suggests as I want to make sure the HFs I have drying are ready for final turning.

Bernie - I have one radial crack at this time. Do you suggest filling the crack first, allow it to dry - and then hollow the form or do you just hollow it all at once and go back and fill whatever cracks appear?
 
Bruce - the pith is still in the wood. Was hoping that I could hollow most of it out and if it cracked on the base I could just fill it with something.

Ad - Vaughn is correct - the bottom portion of the base is just the tenon. The actual foot would be just below the slight flair located about 2" from the bottom.

Steve, I think didn't read well what Vaughn said, and I didn't realise that it was a tenon, so it will be looking very elegant, glad you were able to fill the crack, so at the end it's a stunning piece of work. My compliments.
Ad. :D:D:thumb::wave:
 
Looks good :thumb:

Cracks are a pain, but I've turned a fair bit of the ornamental Cherry and had the same problems. If the cracks are hairline, I fill them with thin CA ASAP, but it they are bigger, I usually just toss it. I know that Bernie and others have had great success with the epoxy stuff, and I'll admit to doing a few as well, but for me, I'm getting to the point where cracked wood is just not worth my while. To you, it might be well worth your while :dunno:

Still, if you can keep cracks at bay and get it done without blowing it up, should be a VERY nice piece for sure.

Cheers!
 
Steve,
How long are you taking to turn it? If you leave it overnight, it is a recipe for disaster. Sometimes a few hours is too long to leave it on the lathe (especially if it is dry like it has been). If you can't finish the whole rough-out within an hour, I'd suggest you put some water back on the surface with a sponge. If you plan to leave it for a while, you should bag it with a plastic grocery sack until you finish turning it.

I think you know you'd have much better success without the pith but I assume the wood diameter of the log wasn't large enough for your purposes. You may want to scale back your design to better fit the properties of the wood.
 
In MHO the pith, even if mostly turned out, is your problem. You said you got the cracks even before turning, During the drying process, the wood dries unevenly, which I'm sure you know. A way to see what happens to the pith, cut a small piece right down the middle of the pith. Seal the ends of the piece. watch as it drys. You'll see that the side where the pith is will crown. This will cause longitudenal (Radial) cracks, if still in one piece. I believe that it's this stress causing your problem.

Bruce
 
Took everyone's advice and finished the vase and was surprised that it did not crack again.

Dick - it normally takes me 2 1/2 hours to rough out a large hollow form and I so far I haven't had any checking problems. This one cracked when sanding after shaping the outside profile - so I had about 1/2 hour into it when it cracked. Had to have been the heat from sanding - even though I thought I was using a light touch.

Bruce - the pith is in the wood and I know that will lead to cracks. Had a guy in our turning club turn a large vase out of Northfork Pine and left the pith in it. It did crack but only on the bottom as the rest of the pith had been removed during the hollowing process. I had hoped to do the same and figured that if it cracked on the bottom center - fill with coffee grounds and CA.

Here's the result of running the lathe at a very slow speed to help keep the heat down. Comments/critiques are always wecome.

Finished Cherry Vase.jpg

Only finish at this time is a single coat of Watco Natural.

Thanks for looking.

Steve
 
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