Drying Green wood

[avbill]

I'm in the process of talks with an estate that grow exotic plants & tree from all over the world. The ordinary owners love different plants. I will be receiving green cutting limbs and branches.

My question: How do you dry the green wood to workable blanks? How long will it take? Any infor will be helpful.

thanks

 

[bitshird]

Bill I would recommend sealing the ends of the limbs with something like Anchorseal or melted Paraffin Wax. the type used in home canning. in reality there is no proven guideline as to the length of time it take for wood to dry, since they are going to be loosing the free-water content and the residual moisture through the bark, the old timers say a year per inch, but this simply isn't true, most woods will dry at different rated depending on specie and the diameter of the wood. Smaller sizes I would say seal them with Anchorseal let them sit a few months and check them with a moisture meter.

 

[KenBrasier]

The bigger the chunk of wood, the longer it will take to dry. I cut my green wood in to pen blank sizes ~ 3/4" x 3/4" x 5 - 5 1/2" and place it into a food dehydrater I bought at a yard sale for $5. In 3 - 5 days the moisture content is typically less than 8-9%. Some woods like Oak and Hickory take a little longer. I've also gotten some interesting results drying small limbs and grape vines that I used both to make some pens and handles for letter opners and magnifing glasses.

I'm in the process of making a solar kiln for larger lumber, but that project is currently on a back burner.

 

[soligen]

This link is to a page that talks about harvesting wood for a bow stave. Bow staves are much more demanding than pen blanks, but I think you can get the picture.

http://www.wwmag.net/firstimebowyer.htm

Most important is to seal the ends. I never tried this, but I read someplace on bow making that you can seal the ends with glue, and people do the sealing in the field right after the wood is cut from the tree.

I have some cherry my dad and brother cut and didn't seal. It's not suitable for flat work becasue the splits in the ends, but I can get pen blanks from it fairly easily.

 

[witz1976]

The bigger the chunk of wood, the longer it will take to dry. I cut my green wood in to pen blank sizes ~ 3/4" x 3/4" x 5 - 5 1/2" and place it into a food dehydrater I bought at a yard sale for $5. In 3 - 5 days the moisture content is typically less than 8-9%.

Do you seal the ends, or let them go as is? DO you get much warping, checking and cracking?

 

[bitshird]

I'd seal the ends regardless, the moisture will leave via the grain and pith of the limb which will cause splitting since the pith drys faster than the outer rings.

 

[ThomJ]

I picked up a slow cooker at a yard sale & keep wax in it.

 

[low_48]

I've dried thousands of blanks, never seal the ends. I've dried them in my attic, the garage attic, the back deck of my car, on top of the main duct on my furnace, the microwave, etc....... I cut them 1 x1x6. Figured wood will warp quite a bit, so I want some extra material for truing up. Don't leave the center of the branch in a blank, it will definitely crack. Well except for walnut, but the center is a hollow tube on that. I wouldn't go directly to the attic this time of year, but if you give them a week or so with air movement around them, then you can take them to the attic. If you have a bunch, I made what would look like big envelopes from chicken wire, and then hang them from the rafters. A single layer in the "envelope" allows lots of air movement and your blanks should be dry in about 3 weeks. Weigh one once and a while. When it stops losing weight, it's dry.

 

[Wildman]

Want to make sure you are not just hauling away trash, limbs-branches less than 1-inch diameter not worth fooling with.

Depends upon when those limbs or branches cut and when you will get them. If they cut on Monday and you do not pickup until Saturday, may/may not have to cut away lots of end check wood until find something useable. Depending upon diameter may or may not worth the effort.

In any event after cutting away waste end seal. I would not try to dry anything less than ¾" inch in diameter by 6 inches long for pen blanks. Blanks 6 inches long can reach EMC in a month or two.

Branches 6 inches and above would split and remove pith. Also curved or bent branches can contain reaction/tension wood. Reaction wood found in hardwood, tension wood found conifers or softwood. I would cut, seal, and wait until reaction/tension wood reaches EMC. Finishing may-may not be more of a problem with reaction/tension wood.

 

[KenBrasier]

Do you seal the ends, or let them go as is? DO you get much warping, checking and cracking?

No, I don't seal the ends when I cut to pen blank size. I see very little warping, and no additional cracking. The dehydrator doesn't get the blanks hot, probably about 95 to 105 degrees F.

I do however, paint the ends of logs that I am holding to take to the sawmill, especially id I plan on letting them sit for extended periods.

 

[Fred]

I have been using the boiling process as explained by Steven Russell here:
http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-green-wood.html

So far my losses has been reduced 95% over conventional methods. Just follow his directions exactly as stated and I bet you will be pleased as can be. Not only will you be pleased you will be turning quicker as the drying process is actually speeded up a good bit.

Have fun! :biggrin:

 

[Rick_G]

For pen blanks I cut mine an inch square and 6" long, 4 at a time in a small microwave on defrost for 3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature a minimum of 1/2 hr and repeat. I have a cheap moisture meter that the first indication is 8%, when it doesn't read any more they are ready. I recut to 3/4 square and put them away until time to use them. I start at 1" square because sometimes they warp a little. I lose a few due to cracking but most are good. Don't leave the room while the blanks are in the microwave, once to often and they could catch fire and don't use the kitchen microwave. DAMHIKT.

 

[jtrusselle]

I cut the wood down to blank size for the product I'm working, seal the ends and then place on the top of my oil furnace. Every other day or so I turn the wood and check with a moisture meter. So far so good.