Seasoned or green?
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| Finial bowl in maple and beech 9" x 3" |
The seasoned block of maple required a lot of elbow grease to turn, created lots of dust, and felt like a lot of work. It finished nicely with a little Chestnut wax after sealing.
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| Spalted holly 9 1/2" x 4" |
The cross-grain holly was rough cut to an inch thick and wrapped in plastic overnight. The following day it was turned to size, microwaved twice on high for 90 seconds (an hour apart) and saturated with mineral oil. Sealed in plastic again overnight for a rest and then exposed to let it relax and distort. A few cracks appeared but it held together remarkably well. I quite like turning green timbers that distort if I can manage to keep them from exploding.
For my turning green timber is a lot more enjoyable although unpredictable (plenty of failures) and generally takes several days to complete. In the end the pieces are unique, have character, and I enjoy picking them up.
