Green Eucalipsous (sp)

[Sonny Edmonds]

I got some green euc today. A longish main branch and a crotch.
Figure I'll cut some chunks and try and seal the ends.
What do you suggest I seal the ends with?
Anybody ever turned this wood?
I'm thinking a vase or goblet sort of shape. I finally have something that isn't cracked before it goes on the lathe. The end cut looks really interesting, if it doesn't dry into a bunch of rings setting on a stem like some sort of a ring toss game.
The Euc oil ought to smell the place up rather nice. (I like the smell, go figure.)
Any quick pointers before I get crazy?

:D

Sonny Edmonds
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
http://home.earthlink.net/~sonnypie/
God Bless America !

[dicklaxt1]

http://wowjoke.com/gif/white/1332.gif I have been told just plain old parafin wax is as good as any. I also read an artical somewhere ,where a guy was turning green wood ,a goblet as a matter of fact,he turned the bowl first and applied the finish as it said they sometimes warp out of shape before you can get back to it so he turned and finished as he went and everything was secure


dick

[carl civi]

Dick,you mean if you finnish right away it won`t crack.That means i have been throwing away practice pieces for nothing.You mean that is all there is to it (man i am dumb)I thought there was a way to cut into the wood the right way so it wouldn`t crack,and i figured if i keep at it i would discover how.I was leaving them on the lathe till the next day and every time they would crack.Thanks carl

[Sonny Edmonds]

Hot dipped? Hot brushed on?
I figured I'd turn spigots on it for the chuck and then coat the pieces.
I'll dig out the hot plate and get some melted down.
Thanks! :)

:D

Sonny Edmonds
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
http://home.earthlink.net/~sonnypie/
God Bless America !

[dicklaxt1]

http://wowjoke.com/gif/white/1332.gif As I understand it it allows you to finish sand and finish under turning power, I guess it would also help to stop the cracking because you are sealing thereby slowing down the drying process. I didn't say stop and wait until the next day,when it came off the lathe it was ready to sell, he even did partial finishing on the stem....I thought that was cumbersom but thats what he did.

[dicklaxt1]

http://wowjoke.com/gif/white/1332.gif I think any way to coat it is acceptable but I'm working off of memory.

dick

[Sonny Edmonds]

Dick,
Well I had a half a pound of parafine wax. I dipped what I could and brushed the other 2. But the ends are sealed up for a ways.
Then the one I had on the lathe I turned round and spigoted one end and then sealed it up all over with wax as well.
Thanks my friend! Beats finding it all cracked up tommorrow.
Right, wrong, or otherwise, we tried.
The wood inside is fairly white, but there are some darker growth rings inside.
You guys would have been proud of the shooting thread of a curl I got coming off of the blank. I was amazed. For all of about 5 seconds. LOL! :7 It's quite mesmerizing to see.
When something comes of it I'll let you know. I'm holding out for the chuck you got me to get off the pot and buy. :)
My order left New Mexico, went to El Paso, and is in Memphis Tenn right now. Seems to me it went the wrong way. :( Californ-I-a is West young man, WEST!
Next time it's brown. They chose Fed Ex. I belive I will send them an email; not that it will do any good. But if I let them know this first time customer is NOT impressed at this point, maybe it will enlighten them to use a specified carrier for the shipping.

As the wood turns,
So are the shavings of our lives,
Waiting, waiting and tracking.

Hope yours isn't jocking about the country....
Thanks again for the quick info Dick, I sure appreciate it my dear friend! :)

:D

Sonny Edmonds
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
http://home.earthlink.net/~sonnypie/
God Bless America !

[volleyheads]

Sonny,

Paraffin wax is one way to go. Try to heat without a direct flame is best, since it is pretty flammable stuff. Other choices would include Anchorseal, woodcraft sells a version too, thick coat of oil based paint (although I have used latex too), and another personal favorite is wood glue. The glue can be thinned down by 50% with water if you like, but it works really well to seal the end grain. It really isn't necessary to seal the entire blank.

Best Regards,

Bill

"If it is worth doing, it's worth overdoing"

[Sonny Edmonds]

No garentees at all with wood.
BUT..... it sure sounds like a possibility, don't Ya think?
As Dick gets more involved he will most likely bring tips and tricks to us.
Everybody will.
Anything to slow the drying process ought to help slow any cracking, I would think. But this is very new to me.
And a whole lot of it would depend on what, how much, and damn good luck as well.
Hopefully Limey will chime in later when he can, and Bill and Steve and anybody who might shed more light on us flounderers plying our hands.
I would think that a rubbed in finish as it goes along might be a good thing to try. Just because it will slow the drying process and control it more.
Can't hurt to try anyway. :) Maybe at least the cracks would be smaller :7

:D

Sonny Edmonds
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
http://home.earthlink.net/~sonnypie/
God Bless America !

[volleyheads]

Sorry to all. I never thought to mention it. It works very well. A big problem when working with green wood is to take a break. The wood can dry really fast, enough to distort and cause problems. If possible turn it completely without taking breaks. If rough turning, this isn’t as important. But when going to a finished, thin walled piece it is very important. Applying the finish after finishing the outside and going to start the inside can help. Another way to help reduce the problem if a break must be taken is to remove the piece with the chuck or faceplate still attached and bury it in the shavings to keep it moist. Another option is to cover it with plastic wrap or a plastic bag. But to keep to overnight, I don't know of a way to keep it from splitting (reliably anyway).

Best Regards,

Bill

"If it is worth doing, it's worth overdoing"

[Sonny Edmonds]

Hey, Thanks Bill!
Any and all input is appreciated!
Glue and wax I got. Especially glue. Used up my wax pretty well.
But you got to admit, the wax sure dries faster, as a sealing medium. :)
Ordering stuff isn't my fortey, when it's time, I strike while the iron is hot. (So to speak).
I ran onto this branch and globbed on to the meat of it.
You know how a grazed woodworking mind is. :7
Parafine wax I can get at the grocery store as well.
I wound up with about 2" dipped.
As a child I remember my folks canning up in Mason jars and using wax to seal them. Fond memories indeed. :)
I'm tryin to learn, this was one of those rush jobs. A fallen limb.
Why, you might say it dropped into my lap. :7

And Amen to the flammable part, Boy do I know about that! I use an electric hotplate now. Circa 19__, who knows how old?
I had a flash fire once (well...maybe a few times) as a youngster. Impressed the hell out of me!

:D

Sonny Edmonds
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
http://home.earthlink.net/~sonnypie/
God Bless America !

[carl civi]

thanks all, for all the posts,your really helping. Regards Carl

[Chris Moore]

>The Euc oil ought to smell the place up rather nice. (I like
>the smell, go figure.)
>Any quick pointers before I get crazy?

Sonny,
I read the entire thread and there were some truly great pointers. However, I feel compelled to point out the painfully obvious here. When you are working with eucalyptus - especially green eucalyptus - wear good breathing protection. The same oils that make eucalyptus smell so good (or bad depending on your personal preference) also make the dust from it very irritating to the nasal passages and lungs. If you don't want to have a nasty cough and incurable headache, protect yourself from inhaling the fine airborne dust. I actually saw a cabinet installer coughing up blood after a couple days of using a belt sander to fit some custom work to wall scribes. The 3 packs of coffin nails a day may have contributed to his problem but the blood didn't come until he was exposed to the eucalyptus dust.

By the way, koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves. This means that the little "koala raisins" they leave behind smell just like a cough drop. :)

Chris Moore
Montgomery, AL

"... and remember, there is no more important safety rule than to wear these - safety glasses."

[bucheron]

One thing: Eucalyptus (don't confuse it with the various gums) goes from workable to rock in about 6 months. Here in SoCal, the euc capital of the world outside of "down-under", we use a lot of this wood in the fireplace. If you don't split it immediately after cutting, usually you can't.
Because I'm always looking for freebies and cheepies, I've turned some euc and gum on my Grizzly lathe. Unless I did it when the wood was fresh green, and turned the wall thickness down really thin, it cracked and checked something awful. Granted, I'm not a turning expert, but ones I know told me not to "learn" on euc. "Get some nice maple" they say.

FWIW

xman

[Lou_williams]

My experience with This stuff is also fire wood. The oakland fires a few yeara ago were spread because of this wood. It burns very well because of the oil in the wood. also it split much more than the oak firewood i have had. Not as heavy, almost a softwood in someways. (that is a characteristic not a hardness view)

Good luck is all I can say on that one. It is not a wood I would try, but I might be all wet.