AS REPORTED BY DAVE SMITH

IN THE NOVEMBER, 2004 ISSUE OF

FOR PIECES < 8 INCHES DIAMETER – ROUGH TO ABOUT ½’ WALL THICKNESS.

FOR PIECES 8 – 12 INCHES DIAMETER – ROUGH TO 5/8 – ¾” WALL THICKNESS.

YOUR FINISHED THICKNESS WILL DETERMINE THE ROUGH OUT THICKNESS AND MUST ALLOW FOR DISTORTION WHILE DRYING.

SUBMERGE THE ROUGHED OUT BOWL INTO DENATURED ALCOHOL

A. SMALL BOWLS <8” NEED ONLY SOAK FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS.

B. LARGER BOWLS SHOULD SOAK LONGER. SOAKING TIME DOES NOT SEEM TO DAMAGE THE WOOD SO USE A TIME CONVENIENT TO YOU.

REMOVE THE BOWL FROM THE ALCOHOL AND LET AIR DRY FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TO DRY THE SURFACE.

NOW WRAP THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOWL IN A HEAVY PAPER SUCH AS A GROCERY BAG. FOLD THE PAPER OVER THE RIM AND TRIM OFF THE EXCESS. USE MASKING TAPE TO HOLD THE PAPER IN PLACE.

PLACE THE BOWL UPSIDE DOWN ON A RACK TO DRY. AUTHOR PRESUMES THAT THE THICKER TENON WILL DRY FASTER IF FACING UP WHICH ALLOWS GRAVITY TO MOVE THE MOISTURE DOWN AND OUT OF THE WOOD. THE INSIDE OF THE BOWL NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED TO AIR.

THE THEORY FOR WRAPPING THE OUTSIDE ONLY IS TO CREATE A COMPRESSIVE STRESS ON THE BOWL BY DRYING THE INSIDE QUICKER THAN THE OUTSIDE. AS THE INSIDE DRIES IT SHRINKS WHICH PULLS ON THE OUTSIDE CAUSING IT TO COMPRESS. THE COMPRESSIVE FORCE MINIMIZES CRACKING DURING THE DRYING PROCESS. THINNER WALLS YIELDS LESS DISTORTION AND FEWER CRACKS BY DECREASING THE MAXIMUM STRESS DEVELOPED BETWEEN THE INSIDE AND THE OUTSIDE.

USE THE ALCOHOL STRAIGHT FROM THE CAN AND IT SHOULD COVER THE PIECE. (SUGGEST A LARGER TUPPERWARE TYPE LIDDED PLASTIC CONTAINER). AUTHOR USES LIDDED PLASTIC ICE CREAM CONTAINERS.

THE USED ALCOHOL CAN BE RETURNED TO THE CAN AND REUSED MANY TIMES.

ALCOHOL THAT BECOMES DISCOLORED FROM THE WOOD DOES NOT SEEM TO ADD THE COLOR TO THE NEXT PIECE OF WOOD.

ALCOHOL THAT BECOMES CONTAMINATED WITH WOOD CHIPS AND SUCH CAN BE FILTERED THRU A PAPER TOWEL.

SMALLER BOWLS SEEM TO BE DRY IN 4-5 DAYS. LARGER BOWLS MAY TAKE UPWARDS OF 10 DAYS TO TWO WEEKS.

COMMENTS:

THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN IN USE NOW FOR OVER A YEAR BY HALF A DOZEN TURNERS WHO HAVE FOUND IT TO WORK SUCCESSFULLY FOR DRYING ROUGHED OUT WOOD IN WEEKS RATHER THAN MONTHS.

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR DAVE SMITH:

EMAIL: davesmith@woodnheart.com

WEBSITE: www.woodnheart.com

DAVE LIVES IN LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON