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"found" wood question

Bill Simpson said:
Perhaps Mature might be a wrong term, for I was referring to those of us (also on the other side of 60) who were technically trained in schools of higher education with the materials and processes of the woodworking industry realize that the quick processing of bowl materials into blanks for future turnings and the ease of making curls and cast iron distroying sap rich spaghetti love to use green wood (wet brown wood as well)

Snip: And so on
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Oh Bill, just because you are smarter than me doesn't mean you really are.

I work with both green and dry wood, it all depends on what I want to accomplish.

Do yourself some research, find out how dry the wood is that is used when making Windsor Chairs. Then come back and tell me more about where you were technically trained in schools of higher education
 
Mike Gager said:
...i know newly cut trees are considered green and need to be dried but would a tree thats been cut down for a long time have any usable wood and if so would it still need to be dried?...
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I'm not much of a turner (yet), but I do know a bit about logs (I am a former logger for a paper company) and from years of milling logs into lumber for my woodshop. You would be surprised at how much water is still in a log or standing stick that hasn't been opened up yet. Even years after the tree has "dried" after it has died, bark falling off etc, that tree is most likely still very wet inside. Only after it's been cut into firewood sized chunks or sliced into lumber will that water escape quickly compared to when it's still stored in that log. Best way to think of a log is as if it is a big dense sponge, and only when it has enough surface area exposed to the open air will that "sponge" lose its water. It must also be noted that if you dry wood too fast there is a danger of a defect called honeycomb caused by outside of the board or chunk drying too fast causing internal stresses that pull apart the fibers. I've personally run across this in some of the lumber I've dried incorrectly in the past.
 
If, like me, cost is a factor, green wood is the obvious way to go as you can get it cheap or free. Personally I turn according to my material. By that I mean that I turn things according to the wood. If I get given a piece of wood I will assess whether or not I can use it as is or whether it will need to be dried out. Much of the wood that I use is as dead as a Dodo and dries whilst I am turning and sanding it but occasionally I get given fresh cut wood which I then have to either dry out or rough turn and wait. If you want to turn things that are full of detail and can be finished now you need to buy blanks but for me half the fun is in not really knowing what I will end up with. Frustrating at times but fun. I too have only be turning for about 12 minths and I have learnt most by simply having a go with whatever I get my hands on.
It's an expensive enough hobby as it is without going and spending loads of money on kiln dried blanks that may well split when exposed to central heating anyway. DAMHIK:eek:

Pete
 
Ron Sardo said:
Oh Bill, just because you are smarter than me doesn't mean you really are.

I work with both green and dry wood, it all depends on what I want to accomplish.

Do yourself some research, find out how dry the wood is that is used when making Windsor Chairs. Then come back and tell me more about where you were technically trained in schools of higher education
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Ron, Oh Ron, You speak as if you think I think I'm better than you, I are not nor do I want fellows to feel that way. My point is/was that a definitive remark, such as Most, is far too incompassing and should not be considered. Weather or not you are learned in school or on the task, bears not for it is the personal preferances that control our decisions. The Windsor chair is a specific case where it might be of an advantage to approach spindle turning from a different angle, But again it is Specific and an example not all incompassing or is it Most of the time.


Again, "Most" turners do not prefer wet wood... some do and some don't. Which is the same as "Most" turners do not prefer dried wood, some do and some don't. Depends on the project and the attitude at the time. I have turned quite a few pieces wet both successful and not too cool. Mostly I turn dry but if I want to spin out something from the wood pile, I have that option. (and often do) I am quite accomplished at drying through Alcohol soaking and have had good success stories. I have also failed. The same with dry turning, I have had some great success stories and a good number of failures as well.

No I have never built a Winsor chair but I have built a wealth of different projects and know of the structures and tribulations of a good many more. I am Learned in the technical institutions but I learned more WWing from the years teaching and practicing, but the theory and scientific facts I learned in school.

Am I smarter, Heck no! I would be pretentious to say or even think so. I've been there and done that in a lot of different fields and am still learning as I go.

Your second statement is the most appropriate "I work with both green and dry wood, it all depends on what I want to accomplish."
 
Bill Simpson said:
Ron, Oh Ron, You speak as if you think I think I'm better than you, I are not nor do I want fellows to feel that way. My point is/was that a definitive remark, such as Most, is far too incompassing and should not be considered. Weather or not you are learned in school or on the task, bears not for it is the personal preferances that control our decisions. The Windsor chair is a specific case where it might be of an advantage to approach spindle turning from a different angle, But again it is Specific and an example not all incompassing or is it Most of the time.


Again, "Most" turners do not prefer wet wood... some do and some don't. Which is the same as "Most" turners do not prefer dried wood, some do and some don't. Depends on the project and the attitude at the time. I have turned quite a few pieces wet both successful and not too cool. Mostly I turn dry but if I want to spin out something from the wood pile, I have that option. (and often do) I am quite accomplished at drying through Alcohol soaking and have had good success stories. I have also failed. The same with dry turning, I have had some great success stories and a good number of failures as well.

No I have never built a Winsor chair but I have built a wealth of different projects and know of the structures and tribulations of a good many more. I am Learned in the technical institutions but I learned more WWing from the years teaching and practicing, but the theory and scientific facts I learned in school.

Am I smarter, Heck no! I would be pretentious to say or even think so. I've been there and done that in a lot of different fields and am still learning as I go.

Your second statement is the most appropriate "I work with both green and dry wood, it all depends on what I want to accomplish."
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I guess you didn't catch my drift.

Later
 
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