Replies

1. 
   Eef | Oct 27, 2009 05:50pm | #1

   hello k,
   mulberry is a very beautiful wood. the heart wood is bright yellow when fresh and turns to a rich honey color with age. depending on the diameter, your logs may still be green, in spite of having sat all summer. i believe it wise to remove the bark and seal the ends with paint or wax.
   eef

2. 
   KeithNewton | Oct 27, 2009 05:57pm | #2

   Ken, Mulberry is one of the most decay resistant woods in the US, so you can leave it out in the weather for longer than you will likely need. It is a bright gold color when fresh, but will darken to a darker golden brown in a year or two.

   I like to leave my turning wood in longer lengths until it is time to cut off a blank, just to avoid end-checking.

   I like to turn green all of the way to finish, then let it do whatever it is going to do. I think part of the beauty is in the warped shape. But then I always carve feet, rather than one turned foot.

   If you turn down to ~ 3/8" or less, it will dry down enough to take out of the paper bag in about two weeks without checking, unless you have some really thick parts or have left the pith in the final turning.

1. 
   kentmich | Oct 28, 2009 12:07am | #3

   Wait - you're getting way ahead of me. If I seal the ends of the logs for, let's say 6 months, will it still be turning it "green" next spring?Am I better sealing the logs or cutting out the blanks now, for turning in 6 months? If I cut the blanks should I seal the ends of them? (Let's say some blanks for spindles and some for bowls or plates).What about a paper bag - what's that all about?Thanks,
   Kent

   Edited 10/27/2009 5:09 pm ET by KentMich

1. 
   KeithNewton | Oct 28, 2009 12:31am | #4

   Kent, The time to paint the ends is right after you cut it, not a year later. It is OK to paint the end of a full round log section if you are leaving it out in the weather to keep it green / wet. If you want to dry it before turning, you certainly need to seal the ends, and split the logs down the middle. However, wood is only about half as hard to turn / cut when it is wet, as it is dry, so you will enjoy the process much better if you turn it green. This is a much better place to start for a beginner. If you haven't gotten any lessons yet, I would suggest that you find a club in your area. They will have someone willing to share techniques. Once you have turned a green turning, it is less likely to check, if it is kept in a closed paper bag for a few weeks while it dries.

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Oct 28, 2009 04:57am | #5

   Keith,

   So the object of drying in a paper bag is to slow down the drying process?  That helps to minimize checking?

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

1. 
   KeithNewton | Oct 28, 2009 05:44am | #6

   Yes, The air can absorb moisture from the surface of the wood faster than it can come up from deeper inside the wood. When it dries on the outside, while the inside still has saturated cells, the drying cells start to shrink. If the moisture leaving the wood has to evaporate into the air inside the bag, the be absorbed by the bag, before evaporating again, this will slow down the drying enough that the wood in the middle gets to keep up. When I was turning a lot, and may have a lot of time in a piece that I wanted to make sure didn't fail, I would take them up to my sleeping loft. If during the night, any checking started to occur, I would hear it, and take some action, like adding another bag, or wetting the end-grain, or covering with a damp towel. After a few hours, I could go back to normal drying.

3. 
   old saw | Oct 31, 2009 10:07am | #7

   As someone else has already said here, you really should split the pieces in half; otherwise the wood will check uncontrollably as it dries, and it will dry - that or the sapwood will rot.  You can also paint the ends with something to help prevent checking, but it is probably too late for that now.  Since you have had the wood all summer, I'd be surprised if the bark were still tight, but you should probably remove it to help get rid of any bugs that might be under it.  I say "probably" because sometimes a chunk of log will dry much too rapidly when the bark is removed - depends on the species, moisture content, environment, etc.  If it dries too rapidly, it cracks.

   If you want to keep the wood really green for turning, I would suggest keeping it submerged in a non-metal container of water until used, but the end checks will close back up, of course, only to re-appear later where you had forgotten they were.  :-)  I would still split the pieces in two regardless.

   If you have a lot of wood, and you don't care if it dries,  you can loosely stack or pile the pieces out of direct sunlight under a carport or something; keep it up out of the dirt or the bugs will soon have it.   What I used to do, if I had only a few small pieces of log, was to put them in a clean, plastic trash can to keep them from drying too quickly - especially during the hot Texas summer.  Every morning I would open the can and remove the moisture condensation from inside the lid, and as time went by there would be less and less of it.  The trash can acted like a small solar kiln and allowed me to speed up or slow down drying rate.   Eventually I could remove the wood and keep it inside the shop until I wished to use it.

   And oh yes, mulberry is a very nice wood for turning, as well as other things.  It has been used for everything from tool handles to chair parts.  I have red mulberry where I live and it is a beautiful wood.  The fruits, which are almost as big as my little finger, are quite delicious, too - but you probably already know that.  ;-)

   Regards,

4. 
   Napie | Nov 01, 2009 08:54pm | #8

   Rough turn the blanks to about 1 ½” to 2” wall thickness and coat with cheap past wax.  Put them in cardboard boxes with the shavings from the turnings and wait 3-6 months then put them in the open air for another 3 months.  Re-mount and finish turn.  I have over a thousand dry blanks, including mulberry, in my shop loft.  I have found this method to reduce drying loss to less than 5%.  Note that the cardboard box is important because it allows moisture exchange.