Preserving Figured/ Burl Wood and Wood Turning Blanks

SeanKroll

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Olympia, WA
Looking for advice.

I'm finding a bunch of figured wood lately. Trying to preserve blocks cut from stumps, and burls.

Maple has a lot of figure and burl. Madrona had root burl, which I haven't looked into yet, but will be on the look-out.



Stump blocks have less obvious end-grain, and pieces of wood are all different shapes from being cut out of stumps. When the end-grain was more evident on some blocks from this summer, I got it all painted. Is there a way around this? Maybe I need to use a sprayer rather than brush.

Someone here mentioned this for some application. http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=20048&cat=1,43456,43390



Right now, I'm cutting a lot of spalted and burl maple blocks out of a huge stump. A pressure washer has been more of a help than I could have imagined. Lots of sharpening. Found a few good sized rocks, and a few hidden inclusions with pockets of small gravel. Learning as I go.
 
I’ve r ad where people will put small pieces in a plastic bag and sit it where it’s dark and cool and dry. Give it enough air to prevent mold tho.
 
For that type of cross cut wood immerse completely in a tub of denatured alcohol. Soak times vary, but this will dry out the wood and almost eliminate checking.
You can try painting, waxing, bagging with damp sawdust then storing in a dark cool place, etc but most of your chunks will check anyways using these methods.
if you are turning you could rough the chunks out green and then soak them.
 
Good information guys. The main reason I never bothered with burls is I figured I’d be dead before they dried.
 
Spaying it with one of the parraffin based wood coating products like " Arbor seal" is the easiest way.

It can be applied with a paint brush, too.

I'm currently preparing a bunch of turning wood for a Norwegian turner, who will come down to pick it up in spring, in exchange for a lot of vacuum packed dried fish. The doggies love that.

I'm sealing the whole lot with Arbor seal.


Bob, if you want to dry burl bowls fast, then rough turn them to a couple of inches thick, toss them in pure alcohol ( Moonshine will work!) for a forthnight, then air dry them.

Goes real fast and they usually don't chaeck.
 
I think I've heard about soaking pieces in antifreeze or something similar... Supposed to drive out the water and bond to the wood. Can't remember where I heard that
 
Nope, not antifreeze which is Ethylene glycol.

What you use is poly ethylene glycole.
What it does is entering the cell structure and leaving a residue on the inside of that, which keeps the structure intact keeping the wood from shinking as it dries. So no checks or splits.

Works well on smaller stuff, but it is an expensive solution and if the wood is later heated, the PEG melts and starts seeping out.
So when your mother in law puts the beautiful bowl that you made for her on top of the radiator, problems will enuse, unless you used a drip proof lacquer.

I'e experimented, but didn't like it.

it works well if you want to preserve a full "cookie" section of a log, without it splitting.
 
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  • #11
How about kiln drying small pieces in a kitchen oven, or what about a small home made kiln? IMG_20180118_091712579.jpg IMG_20180118_091658725.jpg

These are from a summer stump, cut on a table saw, and oven-dried.
15162960681601843662106.jpg
 
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  • #13
Just a bit of sanding and oil on a rough cut little piece I happened to bring in...inspiring!

Still could be much smoother, shot in better light, with a better camera.

IMG_20180119_182905511.jpg
 
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  • #15
Ambitions of wood working projects, and selling raw materials.

My full time employee starts back on Monday. He knows more about milling and turning than I do. I shoots guns, so he will know more about gun grip blanks, turning blanks, etc.
 
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  • #17
My ShopSmith band-saw runs on the power currently available!!:D




Freehand band-sawn, and washed to varying degrees. Shown wet.

IMG_20181223_100111531.jpg


IMG_20181223_173952782.jpg


IMG_20181223_095935338.jpg


IMG_20181223_174125976.jpg

Band sawn facets on left.
Weathered, spalting, chainsaw harvesting cut facet of right.
IMG_20181223_095858892.jpg
 
Nice stuff! Smaller pieces can go in the microwave to dry. Wood turners around here do that. Once heated I guess the trick is to let them cool. Many short heat and long cool cycles.
 
We just soaked more pieces in a barrel of denatured alcohol, worked perfectly. All other methods I have used were hit and miss but not this way
 
Yup, alcohol works.
Works well on rough turned bowls, too, if you are in a hurry.

Doesn't have to be denatured.
 
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  • #22
What type of alcohol, and where do you buy big bottles?

How long to soak? How long to dry?
 
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