# How to handle found wood



## putnamm (Apr 16, 2016)

I've been advised by more seasoned woodturners that usable wood is everywhere. I happen to live in an area with a lot of trees, and so I am increasingly on the lookout for fallen or other wood that I can use for a project. What should I look for in found wood, and does anyone have any tips for what to do with it or how to treat it when I have retrieved it?


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## Edgar (Apr 16, 2016)

In general, all cut ends of a log should be sealed. A sealant like Anchorseal can be used, but I usually just paint the ends with whatever latex paint I happen to have on hand. This helps to minimize cracking on the ends as the wood dries.

If the log is already quite dry, you can just cut off the ends until you get to some wood that isn't too badly checked. If spalting has started, but not as much as I would like, I'll sometimes wrap the wood in plastic wrap & let it sit for a few months to a year. There are other techniques for encouraging spalting.

If you want to store some wood until you are ready to process or use it, you can stack it on something like old shipping pallets to keep it off the ground. Also best to store it under a shed or somehow cover it to keep it out of the rain.


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## putnamm (Apr 16, 2016)

Thank you. So, if I find a piece or am given a piece of wood, how can I tell if it is ready to be turned? I understand it needs to be dry, correct? No sap or other moisture? Is this just something you know by feel? Are there other ways to test it's readiness for the lathe?

Thanks for your help.

Mark


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## JimB (Apr 16, 2016)

You can turn green (fresh cut and wet) wood. Many turners actually prefer green wood especially for bowls. You turn the wood leaving the walls thick, about 1" or more for a 10" diameter bowl. Then you store it to let it dry. The are several methods. I usually put it in a paper bag with shavings and let it sit for several months or longer. Then put it back on the lathe and finish turning it. The drying process will warp it. That is why you turn it a second time.

Another option is to turn the green wood to final shape. The drying process will then warp the bowl and give it a natural look. Many turners prefer this.

There are other options. I just gave you the two I use most often.

Try turning green wood. It is different then all the dry wood and it doesn't produce all the dust.


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## TellicoTurning (Apr 16, 2016)

I turn wood green and if it needs it, I'll run it through a few cycles on 2-3 minutes in and 30-40 minutes out of the microwave... You can dry a nice piece of wood that way in a couple of hours. 

Another method some turners use is turn it green near to size, but leave it a little proud, then soak it in dna for a day.... let it dry a week or two and return it to size... 

 More often than not though, I'll just let it warp.


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## Edgar (Apr 16, 2016)

A moisture meter is a good investment if you're going to harvest your own wood. I have this one from Amazon - it's a little under $30 and works great.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00275F5O2...=1460851310&sr=8-1-ac&keywords=moisture+meter

If you're going to turn bowls, Jim & Chuck have already given some good advice. If you're going to turn pens or other small things like bottle stoppers, tool handles, etc., it's generally good to let the wood dry until it reaches the  equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for your area. Where I live in the Texas Gulf Coast, that's about 12-16%. 

For small pieces or strips of wood that are cut green, the general rule of thumb is that it will take about 1 year for a 1" thick piece of wood to reach EMC. If you're making pen blanks, cut your wood into 1" thick pieces & stack it with spacers in between the pieces to allow air flow to all sides. By starting with wood a little thicker than the final needed size, you'll have some margin for warping as the wood dries.

If you don't want to wait for the wood to dry normally, you can use a microwave or toaster oven to dry the wood.


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## Loucurr (Apr 16, 2016)

Watch out for termite infested wood. Cut a green log today that I found and it was loaded inside with white critters! I always keep some termite insecticide handy just in case.


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## MTViper (Apr 16, 2016)

I turn 95% dry wood.  I don't like waiting for a bowl to dry so I can turn it again.  I have a moisture meter I got at Woodcraft (on sale) and here in west TX, I'm usually looking for 6-10% moisture level.  

I picked up some a downed tree at my late grandfather's place to make some bowls for a silent auction for a family reunion.  When I cut it up for bowl blanks, I tested each piece of dry wood to make sure it would stand up to turning.  I cut away any obviously punky wood.  If I could dig it out in chunks with my fingernails or pocket knife, it got cut away.  Loose bark was knocked off before I put it on the lathe.  I turn found wood with a faceplate to start and in this case I used 2.5" wood screws to make sure I had a good hold on it.  The bowls were going to be deep, so that wasn't a problem. 

Watch out for weak spots like bark inclusions, knots, and insect damage.  Some insect tracks can be used for  aesthetic value, but some just looks dirty.  Just have to see how you feel about it.

Don't forget to cut out the pith.  That's where most cracks start.


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## JimB (Apr 17, 2016)

You should not use wood screws with a face plate. They do not have the sheer strength you need. You should be using sheet metal screws. I didn't know this when I started turning. One of my first bowls was held with wood screws. It started to wobble and I didn't know why... 2 of the screws were broken.


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## 1080Wayne (Apr 17, 2016)

If you are looking for wood with character , you want crotches - the underside of a curved branch next to the trunk for curl - a trunk with many closely spaced branches to give knot figure - a branch or trunk area which has been damaged by something rubbing against it , providing an opening for insect or fungal damage or both - a tree which has blown down but not reached the ground , basically cured in its own juices plus perhaps fusarium fungi which co-exist with the living tree to give some red colour - a tree which has hit the ground and spalted with fungi causing black lines or a nice solid green - a tree which has obviously suffered in any way while it was growing , the more the suffering the greater the character in the wood . All of the defects mentioned in the good advice above can be handled and used as features in turnings as your skills develop .


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## putnamm (Apr 19, 2016)

This is all great advice, folks. Thank you! I just turned my first "found wood" bowl today. Got the wood out of a firewood pile at my parents' house. I'll send pics later.


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## Edgar (Apr 19, 2016)

Firewood piles are a good place to look for wood alright.


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## putnamm (Apr 19, 2016)

edohmann said:


> Firewood piles are a good place to look for wood alright.



Are you...are you being sarcastic? I can't tell! But yes, this one turned out great.


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## JimB (Apr 19, 2016)

putnamm said:


> edohmann said:
> 
> 
> > Firewood piles are a good place to look for wood alright.
> ...



He isn't being sarcastic at all. You will be surprised what you will find. I go through my neighbors firewood piles all the time.


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## putnamm (Apr 19, 2016)

JimB said:


> putnamm said:
> 
> 
> > edohmann said:
> ...



I believe it! I will be going back to the wood pile many times.


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## SDB777 (Apr 20, 2016)

Leave the limbs lay....not worth the effort to try to make anything with 90-95% of them due to stress in the timber.

If you don't mind the extra effort, get rootballs....clean those up really good and then cut them open for hidden treasure(just be ready to use some four letter words when you hit rocks and whatever is imbedded in them)...


Scott (I love some crotch) B


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## thunderwear (May 24, 2016)

Be careful transporting wood you may find over any distances and think responsibly.  I have a wood source at an arboretum and they are proving me with some box elder pieces from one they cut down....however, they won't let me have it until they freeze it n their freezer for about 25 days. Supposedly kills the critters so I don't spread them to areas without them. Just a comment and something to think about.  It will also kill any critters inside so you don't have to deal with them later while turning.  I know a guy who built an entire bunkbed and when spring rolled around all the critters came out of the wood. He had to throw is kids bunk beds outside. Ha ha ha!


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## 1080Wayne (May 24, 2016)

Many critters survive extended freezing without a problem ! Learned that when I thawed out some raspberries picked a year or two before , and found a nice crawly maggot .


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## SDB777 (May 25, 2016)

1080Wayne said:


> Many critters survive extended freezing without a problem ! Learned that when I thawed out some raspberries picked a year or two before , and found a nice crawly maggot .


 
That's why kilns operate at such high temps.....


I need a kiln, keep getting asked about drying service to go along with my bandsaw milling.  But the area, cost of running, and just the thought of extra work....ugh.




Scott (therapy is fun) B


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## Rick_G (May 25, 2016)

If I am making pens from found wood I cut the blanks an inch square then dry 6 at a time in the microwave.  3 minutes on defrost and may have to repeat several times to get them dry enough.  Allow to cool to room temperature before checking moisture level and putting them back in for another heating session. The microwave does a good job of killing any critters or eggs that may be in the wood.  If I have to save it for any length of time in log form I split it to cut the pith out of the center (that's where the cracking starts) then coat the ends either with latex paint or wax.  If I am making bowls I like to turn the bowl while the wood is wet and then coat the whole thing in watered down wood glue and set aside until dry.  I weigh them with a digital kitchen scale on grams and then check the weight every month or so until it stops going down. It's now ready to finish turn.   
If you go the microwave route it's a good idea not to use the wifes microwave in the kitchen.  Also stick around while they are in the microwave I haven't had any catch fire since I limited the time to 3 minutes and used defrost but better safe.  Also a bucket with water nearby is handy if the blank starts to smoke drop it in.


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## liljohn1368 (May 25, 2016)

If I had a vaccume chamber there is tons of spalding hackberry in my sons yard.  I move 2 or 3 limbs every time I mow the lawn.


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## TellicoTurning (May 26, 2016)

Rick_G said:


> If I am making pens from found wood I cut the blanks an inch square then dry 6 at a time in the microwave.  3 minutes on defrost and may have to repeat several times to get them dry enough.  Allow to cool to room temperature before checking moisture level and putting them back in for another heating session. The microwave does a good job of killing any critters or eggs that may be in the wood.  If I have to save it for any length of time in log form I split it to cut the pith out of the center (that's where the cracking starts) then coat the ends either with latex paint or wax.  If I am making bowls I like to turn the bowl while the wood is wet and then coat the whole thing in watered down wood glue and set aside until dry.  I weigh them with a digital kitchen scale on grams and then check the weight every month or so until it stops going down. It's now ready to finish turn.
> If you go the microwave route it's a good idea not to use the wifes microwave in the kitchen.  Also stick around while they are in the microwave I haven't had any catch fire since I limited the time to 3 minutes and used defrost but better safe.  Also a bucket with water nearby is handy if the blank starts to smoke drop it in.



This is really good advice... I picked up an old microwave at the local haitat store for about $20 that serves me well to dry wood... It's a large capacity from Montgomery Wards, so no telling how old it is... but sometimes, the wood smells when it's being dried and will leave the smell in the MW.... also if you're doing smaller pieces of wood, they can heat up in the middle, before you see any signs of burning and that smells... I put a pile of pen blanks in mine, started the microwave and then went about doing other things, forgot about the wood, and suddenly my shop was full of smoke.  Seemed like it took days to get the smoke smell out of the shop. 
I've done this twice... the first time not thinking, I just grabbed the blanks and tossed them out the door... into the dry leaves that accumulate around my shop... :redface:   --  I had water for the next time.


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