Round once, and never again since..!

[robutacion]

Hi everyone,

I have reminded of this piece, after reading the cottonwood burl bowl thread of Bruce Gofer.

And I was saying that...this was a piece of olive that I removed from one of the olive tree roots/butt base (round bulges, sticking out of the soil) last year. I got home and turn it that same night just to see how it would look like. I rough turn it (actually not really, as I kept turning until I only had 1/2" thickness left, then soaked it in Fungishield and put it a side. Well, that thing was like a piece of hard rubber from the start, everyday it would have a different shape but never did crack (badly!).

A few months ago I looked at it and realize that the timber was getting quite dry but the shape was very "ovally oriented" very much like a melon so, and trying to correct its shape before the timber was to hard, I mounted it in my work-horse adjustable top "thingy" and start turning the knob squeezing the bajibas out of that bowl.

I wanted to finish that bowl so I needed to get it as round as possible to re-mount it in the lathe. Interestingly, and after a few days of adjusting the tension a bit at the time, the bowl was looking round(ish) so I got it out and put it back in the drying rack. Big mistake... I should have turned it (finished) that day, I've never manage to see it any round(er) since...!
It still waiting to be finished...!

Cheers
George

 

[Fred]

George ... IF you have any more still in the rough stage and it has not dryed out completely try the boiling method some of us use with green woods.

I would pre-turn to within an inch of finished size and then boil like crazy for a couple of hours. Remove the piece and dry it off with a towel a bit and immediately bag it up in a heavy paper bad. Put it away for a few days and check it ever so often just to monitor the status of "roundness." If necessary chock it back into your workmate and hold it for a few more days.

It should dry rather quickly following the 'boiling' vs normal air drying in the raw state.

I bet your results will be very acceptable. Be sure to post your results and likes/dislikes of the process.

Steven Russel - a fellow IAP member - has an excellent procedural article at his website over at: http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/woodturning-education-articles.html. Look down the left side of his main page and go to Boiling Wood.

Have fun!

 

[robutacion]

Thanks Fred,

I'm indeed trying to find a gas burner to put under a 44 gallon drum I have already cut, so that I can do some "cooking" myself. I did use the soaking in water with some detergent, and the results were not as good as I expected, mainly with some timber species. I have use boiling many times before, mainly to remove the oils soaked into the timbers of old shotguns, mainly, that I restore when I was working as a gun-smith. I want to try the boiling again on some of my timber, and see how well or not it will work out!

These blanks were all soaked with a timber stabilizer called Fungishield from Feast Watson, as soon as they come out of the lathe, one coat then the other the next day. I most certainly believe if wasn't for the stabilizer, the piece would have cracked right down the middle! Actually is time for me to get it out from under the bench and finish it properly...!:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George