Drying Apple Wood For Turning

You can probably talk to several shops that way.

Drying apple wood for turning.

General rule of thumb is air dry one year per one inch thick. The fee will be worth it because apple is valuable on specialty markets. Remove the core and cut into thin slices. A useful tip is to add weight to the top of the stack to prevent distortion or warping.

Dip in solution to prevent browning. If there is a lot of warp this means power sanding with the lathe off. I finish turn the apple wood to final thickness 1 4 rough sand it put it in a paper grocery bag or wrap in several layers of newspaper to slow the evaporation rate as it drys. Stack the timber in a way that makes sure it is exposed to air on all sides.

Have them slice it and press dry it. Available from packard woodworks. Check some of the veneer mills that sell on ebay. Stabilizing wood is a technique of treating a soft or punky piece of wood in order to turn it into a usable blank ready for use in your next project.

There is no accurate visual or tactile test for determining a wood s moisture content. Because the ends of a log start to dry immediately after cutting seal them right away to avoid checking. No need to peel them. Leaving on the peel adds a little flavor to the dried apples and increases the.

My first suggestion is to keep it wet until you can find a mill with a veneer knife. I did that for you. Test the wood s moisture content. We cored and cut our apples using our apple.

Use the moisture meter according to the manufacturer s directions. To measure the moisture content of wood i dry i use a wagner mc220. You can place small pieces of wood called stackers between the planks to boost ventilation and dry the timber evenly. I recommend air drying for one year spaced with 1 x1 stickers every 16.

Apple wood is one of my favorite woods to turn. The wood is green but you will not have to wait for it to dry. Lay out a row of stickers on which to dry the wood. Remove core and slice.

So when selecting wood for turning blanks avoid limb wood and look instead for trunk logs with minimal knots. When it is dry i finish sand it as it is. Use a commercial green wood sealer. Be sure to use a backing veneer.

Purchase a moisture meter. Barring that you may want to research ways to dry very thin boards 1 8 inch. There is no need to throw away your scrap pieces after this article you will be stabilizing your own blanks and making the very most of your materials. Removing the bark and turning the wood to a uniform cylinder allows the wood to dry out uniformly and also allows you to see any cracks that start to form in the blank any cracks that stat to appear should be turned down to about 1 4 past the crack and left to continue to season.