Super wet wood--what now???

[Fish30114]

I am making a couple of pepper mills, actually one pepper one salt. They are out of olivewood, and the blanks I got turned out to be very wet wood. I've already got the first one turned and sanded, but no finish on it yet--so my question is, what should I do with it now? Sit it outside in the Sun for a couple of days, put in the oven for 8-10 hours at 200+/- degrees? or any of these or any other suggestions. I am planning on starting on the second blank tonight--so looking for input/advice now!

This wood actually turned very nicely, but when drilling the thru hole in the top of the mill, it was actually like I struck oil--wonder if olive wood has oil in the wood? But the drill bit was actually dripping. Anyway, I'll probably not use that source for wood anymore, at least not unless I have their word that what they are shipping me is reasonably dry!

Thanks for any input--Don

 

[mikedealer]

with the few peices of olivewood ive worked with from a sampler pack, it was always been oily, even though the whole sampler pack said "kiln dried or naturally dried".. it was still wet as heck inside. didnt end up using it cause didnt like that.. i prob still have those blanks i made months ago, ill see if they dried up any sitting in my scrap box.

 

[Cwalker935]

You can use a microwave, I tried it a couple of times with success but I had to give it up when I let it go too long and smoked up the microwave, kitchen, and hallway to the back door. Lets just say it "was frowned upon in this establishment."

 

[Fish30114]

Be interesting to see what they did in a few months Mike

Cwalker--That would be 'frowned upon' in this establishment as well.

 

[nativewooder]

Olive wood loves to crack. This is due to the fact that most olive trees are very slow growing and very old. I used to love turning olive wood as the smell of olive oil is very nice. It was all "mission" olive wood from land that was being "developed" after the land was cleared.

 

[nativewooder]

Olive wood loves to crack and takes forever to air dry. This is due to the fact that most olive trees are very slow growing and very old. I used to love turning olive wood as the smell of olive oil is very nice. It was all "mission" olive wood from land that was being "developed" after the land was cleared out in California. As far as I know, "Joey" is still selling on Ebay and never sold me a bad piece of wood!

 

[low_48]

DON'T put it in the sun or the oven. Give it a couple of weeks to relax. Hurry it too much and you will be asking us how to repair cracks. Most kilns start the run around 100 degrees and wait for moisture to start to leave. 200 degrees right off the bat and you will dry the outside too quickly, set up stresses, and then cracks!

 

[JimB]

I don't think there is any reason to stop using that supplier unless they told you it was dry. If they don't say if it is green or dry then you need to ask.

I've turned some green bowl blanks and felt like I was in the shower!

 

[JimB]

Forgot to mention, be sure to dry your lathe and tools when done so you don't get any rust.

 

[Fish30114]

Jim, that's sage advice, but slightly late, as I turned this piece last night, and today my bed-ways had already developed a good coating of rust despite me being pretty anal and keeping them waxed frequently--all's well anyway, and folks I appreciate the advice on not cooking it--with Sun or otherwise--I'm thinking of filling the through hole with Rice--any feedback on that??

 

[low_48]

There are two types of water in wood. Free water and bound water. Free water easily drops out and gets you to around 20%. After that you have yo get rid of the bound water in the cells. That's what a kiln is about. Really doubt that rice will remove cellular water.

 

[keithbyrd]

I have good luck with Denatured Alcohol - I would put in a covered bucket of DNA and let it soak for 5-6 days and then take it out and put in a brown paper bag. The DNA forces the water out and then when you take the wood out of the DNA it starts to evaporate and in a few days you can generally finish. Take it out of the DNA and weigh it using a postage meter or food scale and when the weight has stabilized it should be finished.
Now I have not used this method on olive wood but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
I just did this with very wet longleaf pine and cypress and it worked great for pen blanks. Being drilled out I would expect a pepper mill to work well too.

 

[The Penguin]

If you need the pepper mills soon - I would suggest putting those pieces on a shelf and buying kiln dried wood to use.

wood dries at about 1 year per inch of thickness. Plus it moves as it dries - so even if you turn it now, it will fit fine. As your pepper mills dries, it will warp, and the top and bottom may not dry equally and the knob won't turn.

 

[robutacion]

Oh boy...! pepper mills and green Olive wood, not a good combination...!

All Olive wood is oily, the lower the part of the tree, the more oil concentrations will be found and even after kiln dry, the oils are still present but that, is not a bad thing, in most cases...!

Olive wood takes a very long time to dry, only when cut into small pieces, the wood dries faster but never without, lots of movement and shrinkage.

Olive wood is also well known to have a mind of his own, just when you think you got over the top with it, it proves you wrong by cracking or warping, despite all that, is still one of my preferred woods in the world...!

Other have already mention other aspects of working with it so,

Good luck,

Cheers
George

 

[TellicoTurning]

I've never used olive wood for a pepper mill... since it has such a high concentration of oils, I have thought it might permeate the pepper corns with the smell of olives... what I have turned has been just for pens and loved the results.

I concur with the DNA solution... I've used that method a number of times.. matter of fact I keep a 5 gallon bucket about half full of DNA just for that purpose... I prefer to microwave wood as I don't like to wait... I keep an old microwave in the shop just for that purpose... run in 2-3 minute cycles, cool thoroughly between cycles.

 

[Fish30114]

Thanks folks, I think I will try the DNA Keith--I special ordered these blanks at the customers request, and I need to make these blanks work.

Appreciate all the feedback and help people.