How to Dry Green Wood: 99.5% success RATE. Avoid Cracks. A Comprehensive woodturners guide

Thanks for the info.

+i live in Adelaide and work much olivewood (i do walking sticks spatulas, spoons, cups, bowls, honey dippers, and am learning all the time. )

like you, I have found that my wood dries faster than americans quote. i doubt that the wood dries the same as Brisbane, but in Adelaide, it is in the same ballpark. . That said, my biggest problem with olive is cracking. i have found that cold weather felling is better than summer felling. but never put my observations together until you said it. ) autumn and spring are the best seasons for felling olive trees, the trees are less wet, the weather is kinder to me and the wood. Winter is no good, after rain, there is water on the leaves (so you get wet in cold weather), the clay paddocks are slippery, and my tyres have lost grip on a clay hillside before.

. in any case, i paint the end grain with olive oil after i load the vehicle
(sooner if the wood is stressed) re-paint the wood when i arrive home (usually 1 hour), then paint the end grain after the oil has penetrated (a day or two). it acts as a barrier to the paint if one tries too soon. i am seeking to replace olive sap with olive oil. it seems to work. When i whittle repair a damaged spatula, the oil oozes out of the cut cells. People have suggested that olive oil will go rancid, but i have never found the oil to go rancid once it is in the wood. on the bench in an open container, yes.

cracking is much reduced with end grain sealer, i used to lose a third of bowl blanks to cracking (it is okay, i work a woody weed which grows thickly round here).

Of my last 5 once turned bowls, 3 have cracked: Of my bowl blanks', 3 out of over 40 have cracked, so olive seems to like drying as a solid.

direct sun is a killer, so i cover the wood. . During summer heat (35 to 40 Celsius) I move precious wood pieces into the house (the coldest area , usually 25 to 30).

snow is not on the menu in Adelaide

Finally, thank you for your videos, it is good to see a local (in a global sense) presenting your world and your experiences

Another excellent video bud. Very informative.
Thanks for sharing.

Great video, always good to get a bit of a refresher. Ive got some logs outback I need to process and never thought about doing it in the winter time. Once this snow melts and it thaws a bit I may go give them a cut and get some larger blanks going vs what I have right now.

Americans go on about Anchorseal, which you can't get outside of the US. Google the data sheet and you'll find its a soluble wax. Google that and I've found its commonly used as concrete sealer, the stuff that stops it cracking from moisture loss. This seems just like the product a contractor used in our house, it left a waxy film on the concrete. Last I looked it was €35/25L container. I haven't tried it yet but if it works it might be good value for a pro woodturner. Have you got and buddies in the trade who could give you some to try out?

Very helpful, thanks! Direct and to the point!

Thank you for the excellent video on drying and prepping wood for the lathe.

Good info. Next you might address off center pith and how to best address that issue.

Another great video mate! Your demo and explanation of pith avoidance during chain sawing was very clear and concise. I can see your fingers are healing nicely too, and your staying off the lathe just as the doc ordered. Wouldn’t wish you any harm by a too early return. Besides these videos are very helpful for all of us no matter our experience level. Well done, speak soon! Johnno

Super interesting information, Kerry! Thanks for this!

Top info. I'm in Ireland and follow a very similar drying regime but I use pva polybond instead of glue, with a much colder damper climate the process takes a lot longer. I finish the drying process by bringing the blanks into a drying box, which is an insulated plywood box, 4 inch vent at one end, computer fan at the other and a small greenhouse heater. I weigh the blank and note the weight and when i get two weights the same after a couple of weeks we're good to go. Super to see you back turning again, always enjoy your straight to the point approach

Thanks Kezza!! 😊
That was a really helpful video. Ive been working predominantly with dried blanks till now because of past issues using green wood. This has taken alot of the fun out of it, as turning dry blanks is dusty and hard on the tools.
Appreciate the advise, and i think ill give it another go. Vic weather isnt as great as qld, but we have much less humidity so it might work well.

Even though I should know all this,I like hearing you talk about it. There is always some bit of informational benefit. I have a moisture meter but I don’t trust it much. I always wonder how deep into the wood it is actually measuring. I like to measure the weight in grams right after rough cutting and the sealer is set up. Then I watch that going forward and it is easy to calculate the percentage weight reduction. Just a hobbyist here so I can be less efficient. But I like watching the efficiencies that production turners figure out.

Kezza, Do you coat the end grain on the inside of the bowl too, or only the outside?

Great video , I have been using PVA glue for sealing for quite a few years now and it is very effective and cost effective.

Excellent information. Love the explanations. Thanks so much. Rod

Great information Kerry, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Take care and stay safe.

Excellent video brother!

awesome as always brotha!

Cricky young fella bloody good info, bloody love it MATE. I will see you up the mountain this July, that if I can remember this year. Keep the dream alive son. Aussie Aussie Aussie GDAY MATE from brisbane Australia.

It's good to see you are getting better. Stay healthy.

Great video with some solid info. I rarely get to turn green timber, but I'm working on making friends with a local arborist and also harvesting myself, so fingers crossed I can get a good source of timber to be working with.

Great to see you. It's nice to have you back. I live in southern Ontario Canada and it takes me at least a year to dry a blank. My last 3 large turnings all warped after I finished them. I was able to remount 2 of them and save them. Thanks again for the video.

Thanks for asking Kerry. One of them is a natural. Excellent eye for form and shape and making good cuts already. One is a little impatient and stops short of what I would call finished. Told them we get away with it for a little while but the day will come soon that fit and finish goes up a level. The third is making great cuts to the left. She forgets when she makes cut to right to adjust the tool handle to the left. Once that kicks in and moves her body to shape the cut she will have it. All three are highly motivated to get good and very proud of them. I started out watching videos and trying it by myself. They are making better cuts at 3 weeks than I did for sure. Actually having mentor helped me immensely and I hope it is helping them as well. High school classes are going well also. Have a great one big guy. Keep up the good work

Thanks the info Kez. Hope your hand is doing well 😊

Well done.

I got a dirt Celler under a hill,in Switzerland..never gets above 13 degrees and very moist. Had good success with rough turned bowls not cracking…

what if the diameter of the tree is not bog enough to cut out the center, and the wood is cut in circles like 10"" inches in diameter??/

Thank you so much, that was a great video.

Sir, I have it the pith from my lumber and have started to harvest and have a few bowls turned and sealed. I know have a moisture meter as all the wood I turn is green. Is there a percentage that shows pecan is dry and I can finish my final product and turn? Thanks

Does some of this apply to hand carving bowls?

another quick question. I cut out the pith but then all of my bowl stock is cracking, am I supposed to seal the end grain of all the slabs I cut??

Yours was the 5th video I've watched on preventing drying wood from cracking and it gave me by far the most information. I'm just trying to hand carve a few bits and pieces like wall fittings for drapes and wooden spoons, and I didn't realise how important removing the pith was. My pieces were cracking within a few days after spending hours on them. I will try again starting with a larger log, avoiding the pith, and gluing the end grain. Your video was much appreciated.

hi kerry thanks so much lerned heaps from you vidioes ,well done mate . are you in brisbane ????

will Titebond wood glue work??

Thank you Kerry for all the tips

I don't think its possible to say something in the Australian accent without it being funny.