Speaking of a cold workshop...my pens CRACKED!

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truckerdave

Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Messages
134
Location
Rochester, New York
1st off, I have only had 1 pen ever crack before and it was snakewood, so no surprise there. I have been turning pens for almost 15 years now.

My shop is in the basement, so it is heated but it is only about 55 degrees down there. The wood was the same temp as the shop as it sat down there for months.

I didn't see the cracks when I assembled them, but it was a week or two later and I noticed the cracks then.

I turned a pen from some redwood lace burl bought from Woodcraft. It didn't crack at the ends but in the middle of the barrel. I am certain that the wood was dry and I never took this pen out of the shop.

The other pen was from an old Genesee beer barrel that I rescued before they razed one of the oldest buildings on brewery property. As it is at least 40 years old, I am pretty sure that it was dry too.

Any theories as to why my pens are cracking?
 
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