Replies

1. 
   DennisS | Mar 07, 2004 04:36am | #1

   Anderson -

   I use greenwood endgrain sealer but it's not necessary to buy stuff like this. I like it 'coz it's an emulsified wax type of material that's not too messy. You can dilute it a little for coating rough turned blanks to help them season evenly.

   I've heard of using plain old latex paint, some people use bitumen (messy!) or, as you mentioned, melted wax.

   Have you turned ash before? I've only done a little making some handles for mallets and found it to be pretty stringy to work with depending on the grain orientation. Haven't done *any* hollow work with it, just spindle stuff which turned out quite well but the end grain situation in bowls seems like it would present some problems. Lemme know how it turns, though. I have some large pieces that I would like to make into bowls as well.

   ...........

   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.

   Dennis

2. 
   fdampier5 | Mar 07, 2004 09:45pm | #2

   Don't cut it 'til you carve it would be my advice..  whack a chunk off and turn it if it takes more than one day to turn it get a damp rag and wrap it around the piece and cover it with a plastic bag.  When finished with your work  be aware that green can and sometimes does move around a bit so if it has a lid make sure that it's well clamped on so that the lid will fit evan if the bowl warps some..

    Depending on how thick the finished piece is it may dry in a month or less  (five months if it's left 1/2 thick and a year if it's left 1 inch thick.    You'll want it to dry as slow as possible to reduce checking or splitting..   All kinds of schemes have worked..  one local turner puts his pieces in a plastic lined box with a vaporiser and adds water in declining amounts every day..

    another just puts his in the basement in the spring and the attic in the fall.. Some coat theirs with the greentreat wax while others paint theirs with mismixed hardware store paint..   (then put it back on the lathe when dry and sand off the paint)

      A couple swear by the oil it up techneque claiming that reduces the drying rate..

3. 
   Napie | Mar 08, 2004 05:08pm | #3

   I turn about a hundred bowls a year and love working with ash. I rough turn to about 1 ½” thick, pack them in cardboard boxes with the shavings and let them dry about six months depending on local weather conditions, you don't really need any wax.  Then, I stack them loose in the shop loft for another six months, (it gets pretty hot up there), after that, they are ready to finish turn.  The shavings really slow down the drying rate and when you’re through with them they make great mulch.  The green wood is a great place to practice tool control also.  Even counting the time with the chainsaw and bandsaw, I can rough 25-30 bowls on a long Saturday.

4. 
   GeeSeaWhy | Mar 08, 2004 09:30pm | #4

   First off, leave the logs as long as possible until you're ready to turn, then cut chunks off as you can use them. Minimise the number of ends and maximise the distance between them. Anchorseal is the best-known commercial product for sealing the ends. It is designed for the purpose and easy to use. If you use wax it has to go on hot enough to seal, not just lay there on the surface. Paint or something else might work for you, or might not. Maybe worth trying as an experiment but do you want to risk the whole tree?

   I've found ash to be a good wood for turning. Open grain but not difficult to get a good finish on. I've never felt the need to fill the grain, as I have with oak and sassafras.

   First time turning green wood? Take a piece into the shop as soon as the tree is down and be amazed at how easy it is to turn. This is how you get the long streams of shavings everywhere. You also get wet. And addicted.

   HTH

   Graeme