Un-stabilized Woods

[LAKingsFan]

When you get woods from suppliers and they are not stabilized...what do you do. I heard of Micro waving the blanks. What are the steps for drying in a MW?

1) How many blanks at a time?

2) What Temp? Low, med, high?

3) How long do I set the time?

4) Do I cut the blanks to length and drill the holes before MW oven?

The reason I'm asking this because I have a new microwave oven...thanks to Christmas...but, I already have a microwave that is great. So, I wanted to keep this in the shop for this purpose.


Thank you guys

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Ron

 

[TomServo]

You should only need to microwave green wood - with the exception of mesquite (which is great to turn green). I think the formula is something like 15 minutes per pound of fresh cut wet wood. I'd assume with an 1100 watt microwave. Most pen blanks are kiln dried.

 

[UKpenmaker]

I have used a microwave on a few blanks, i have read, heard and use the following procedure.
If the blanks are cut slighly oversize MW for 2 mins on defrost, then let the blanks cool down and repeat. Weight the blanks between each session and when they have stopped loss any more weight they are dry.
I have tried one or two on higher settings, but you have to be very carefull as you can burn the inside of the wood very easily, you can't tell from the outside[xx(].
I am sure there are lots more different ways of doing the blanks, this is just the way that i have had a bit of success.

 

[fuzzydog]

UKpenmaker has given the best info. There is another advantage to MW ing wood. It also kills micro organism and bugs that are in the wood. Think about the dollar value of your wood pile and losing it because of bugs attacking from other wood.

 

[ldimick]

Ron,

Hope this helps

http://www3.sympatico.ca/3jdw8/microwavedrying.htm

 

[dubdrvrkev]

Well, are we talking stabilizing or drying here? The initial post askes about stabilized blanks, if that is the case there are quite a few threads where people have posted their shop made set-ups for stabilizing blanks, none of which invole a microwave that I recall. Or you can send them out and have them professionally done.
As far as drying goes the desription above sounds pretty good.

 

[jdavis]

dry wood in microwave

 

[Borg_B_Borg]

I have a feeling you're confusing wood drying with wood stabilization.

My opinion of using a microwave oven to dry pen blanks is that it's much ado about nothing. If you can wait a day or two there is no need to microwave. Just drill and glue the wet green blanks as usual, but don't trim the ends all the way to the brass tubes. Then turn the wet blanks slightly proud of the bushing diameters and let the barrels dry and shrink for a couple of days. If you have an oven that has a pilot light, leaving the turned barrels in the slightly warm oven will also help to dry the barrels. Remember by the time the wood is turned, it's typically only 1 to 2 millimeters thick over the brass tubes and it will usually dry overnight on its own. If in doubt, use a heat gun at low setting the following day to help finish the drying. Then when done, trim the ends to the correct length and sand/finish to the bushing diameters. I used this procedure a few times with some very wet and green myrtle burls and the pens turned out great.

Steve