Wildman
Member
What you need to know about making a pen whether using domestic or exotic wood. Please refer to appropriate chapter of reference, "Wood Handbook," for more technical information.
Forest Products Laboratory - USDA Forest Service
Since no reference can completely answer why wood does what it does would like to quote Frank Lloyd Wright," We may only use wood with intelligence only if we understand it."
While reference material can tell you about wood characteristics of various species and provide scientific data. Most of the data is a based upon averages for a particular species. I will talk about ball park numbers a lot without mentioning any species.
See chapter 13 page 5, Figure 13–1. Recommended average moisture con¬tent for interior use of wood products in different areas of the United States. A better working guide is Table 13-2 Recommended moisture content values for various wood products at time of installation also on page 5.
Neither figure 31-1 nor table 13-2 say anything about pen or woodturning bowl or spindle blanks. Those charts do not mention anything about wood species but they do give you ball park moisture contents to shoot for before turning pens or other kit projects where need dry wood.
So how do you get a pen blank to those ball park MC numbers?
a. You can weigh or use a moisture meter when get new blanks.
b. If your blank comes completely sealed in wax scrap or burn off wax from sides of blank.
c. Weigh pen blanks when you get them with either kitchen or postage scale. When wood stops gaining or losing moisture & weight should be at EMC.
d. Inexpensive but reliable digital moisture meter.
e. Store your pen blanks so have plenty of air circulation and no extreme temperature swings.
Example: I buy a pen blank from a vendor in the Midwest, scrap the wax off sides of the blank and set it aside for a week or two. Using my moisture meter get a reading of 12% MC. Buyer from Arizona buys same blank from same place, does all the same things after a week or two gets a reading of 7%. The annual average relative humidity in my area is about 85% and his is only 38%. We are both probably at EMC.
Several charts online can tell you average annual relative humidity for your area. Closest city to me on charts consulted is Wilmington, or Raleigh NC.
Average Relative Humidity USA
To recap, with aid of references you can start to develop general plan for dealing with wood before you turn it.
Forest Products Laboratory - USDA Forest Service
Since no reference can completely answer why wood does what it does would like to quote Frank Lloyd Wright," We may only use wood with intelligence only if we understand it."
While reference material can tell you about wood characteristics of various species and provide scientific data. Most of the data is a based upon averages for a particular species. I will talk about ball park numbers a lot without mentioning any species.
See chapter 13 page 5, Figure 13–1. Recommended average moisture con¬tent for interior use of wood products in different areas of the United States. A better working guide is Table 13-2 Recommended moisture content values for various wood products at time of installation also on page 5.
Neither figure 31-1 nor table 13-2 say anything about pen or woodturning bowl or spindle blanks. Those charts do not mention anything about wood species but they do give you ball park moisture contents to shoot for before turning pens or other kit projects where need dry wood.
So how do you get a pen blank to those ball park MC numbers?
a. You can weigh or use a moisture meter when get new blanks.
b. If your blank comes completely sealed in wax scrap or burn off wax from sides of blank.
c. Weigh pen blanks when you get them with either kitchen or postage scale. When wood stops gaining or losing moisture & weight should be at EMC.
d. Inexpensive but reliable digital moisture meter.
e. Store your pen blanks so have plenty of air circulation and no extreme temperature swings.
Example: I buy a pen blank from a vendor in the Midwest, scrap the wax off sides of the blank and set it aside for a week or two. Using my moisture meter get a reading of 12% MC. Buyer from Arizona buys same blank from same place, does all the same things after a week or two gets a reading of 7%. The annual average relative humidity in my area is about 85% and his is only 38%. We are both probably at EMC.
Several charts online can tell you average annual relative humidity for your area. Closest city to me on charts consulted is Wilmington, or Raleigh NC.
Average Relative Humidity USA
To recap, with aid of references you can start to develop general plan for dealing with wood before you turn it.