07 - Logs into Bowl Blanks

Processing some urban harvested lumber into bowl blanks.

[@alanscott6088]

Very useful tips for this beginner. Thank you for sharing 🇬🇧

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Alan, thanks for watching and commenting. Glad it was helpful! Cheers!

[@spanglecraftworks259]

Great idea with those circle templates! I might make myself some of those. The "something going on inside this grain" is "spalting". Spalting is the very beginning of the rot process, where mold and fungus begins to follow the water path up the tree. It can make some of the most desirable patterns in wood bowls. Beautiful stuff and on the harder-to-find side. You might not want to wrap those in plastic so well, depending on how much it had dried out after felling. Thanks for the video!

[@paulschmolke188]

Good job! 15 free blanks and some of them looked pretty nice.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Paul, thanks for watching and commenting. Always fun to find what's hiding inside a log, makes it an adventure instead of work. Cheers!

[@pjseiber2774]

Great video, I just found your channel, now subscribed.👍👍

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi PJ thanks for watching, commenting and subscribing! Hope you found the content informative and I plan to put up more in the future. Cheers!

[@douglasschultz9730]

Thanks! Wonderful Information.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Thanks Douglas, I appreciate you watching and commenting. Cheers!

[@cattleNhay]

I use candle wax for sealing the ends, very cheap and easy...boil a big pot and just dunk the ends in it.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hey Eggman, thanks for watching and commenting. Candle wax is good, and I understand that common white glue works too. Cheers!

[@markashford827]

And all we wanted to know is how long they need to dry for - and didn't get told!

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Mark, drying time varies. The typical woodturners rule of 1 year per inch of thickness is what I follow. Cheers!

[@pjseiber2774]

I have found that if you rough turn them in about 2 to 3 months they will be ready. HTH

[@hosseinhayati9820]

Thank you for sharing :)

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hossein Hayati Thanks for viewing and commenting Hossein. Cheers!

[@hosseinhayati9820]

U R welcome, Sir. Cheers !

[@mikeyandalyssab4782]

Thanks for the video! What blade is the best to use on the bandsaw for cutting blanks? Tooth count and thickness? Thanks!

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Mike, thanks for watching and commenting. I generally only use two blades, and it depends on whether I'm cutting dry wood or wet wood. For dry wood I like a half inch Lennox diamaster to Blade with three teeth per inch. For wet wood I like the 3/8 in woodturners blade from Highland woodworking. Cheers!

[@davidfallow2231]

@@BillRockwoodWoodturning thank you for the blade info. I have a laguna 14 12 and I have broken 3 blades doing wet blanks. Didn't know there was a woodturners blade for wet wood. I had given up using the bandsaw for blanks. Cheers Dave from Portugal

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi David, thanks for watching and commenting. Glad you were able to find some useful information in the video. Wet wood blades are great for preventing binding and breakage, but they're not maintenance free, as wet wood is still messy. Cheers!

[@woodlab]

Great video. Any idea what kind of wood that is?

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Thanks for watching, I believe that was a batch of carob my buddy had taken down. Cheers!

[@TheOtherGuybo]

Thanks for good tips. Did you paint all the blanks? Didn't really seam like they were. Or does the anchor seal dry clear? I do see that you covered all of the blanks with cellophane.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Guy, thanks for watching and commenting. Yes, all were painted with the Anchor Seal, it dries clear. Cheers!

[@AffordBindEquipment]

I hear my neighbor try to get his gas saw going every spring. It takes quite awhile. I plug in my craftsman do the job and put it away before he has even gotten started. For suburban work, it's the only way to go. I realize the electric chain saw doesn't have quite the testosterone punch that the male ego seems to needs at times, but I have better things to do with my time.... love the cradle idea.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Thanks for watching and commenting! This saw its still my go-to where I have electricity, but not long ago I bought a Ryobi 40v cordless, love the gasless portability. Cheers!

[@DeseretRider]

Bill-----I'm just a beginner. I have some old dried out applewood logs. I am wondering what I am going to run into when I split them and cut them round as you have shown here. Would it be better to start with 'wet' logs and dry them as you have shown---or will these probably work as well?

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Lynn, thanks for watching the video. I would try and cutting the apple wood logs and seeing what's inside, you might find you have some good usable turning wood there. If it doesn't pan out, then you might try finding some Greenwood and either rough turning some bowls and drying those for later, or drying the blanks for later use. Happy New Years, and cheers!

[@DeseretRider]

Thanks Bill @@BillRockwoodWoodturning

[@jolox.]

Thanks for the informative video! How long do you let them dry?

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Jolox, thanks for watching and commenting. I typically let them dry 1 year per inch of thickness. Cheers!

[@markb8954]

@@BillRockwoodWoodturning That’s the downside….if there is one. I process wood like you do as well, but often then turn a few. I often “get lucky” and nothing drastically cracks, maybe a bit of warping, but the warp adds character. Good video.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

@Mark B Hi Mark, thanks for watching and commenting. In my experience, wood species has a big role also. Olive and pepper tree crack more, where ash and camphor are less prone. Cheers!

[@michaell7877]

Do you mark the date you put them up for drying? Good video, I enjoyed watching it.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Michael, thanks for watching and commenting. Yes, I do put the date on, and also typically the weight. Then I also recheck the weight periodically and mark it with the date and the new weight. Glad you enjoyed the video - cheers!

[@ronaustin7090]

What is Anchor Seal and where is it purchased? Your videos are very informative and enjoyable. Thank you

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Ron Austin Hi Ron, thanks for watching and commenting, glad you find the content informative! Anchor Seal is something between a latex and wax combo that you can find at woodworking supply stores, also online I believe. I pick mine up generally at Woodcraft. Cheers!

[@crackerjack3359]

Try Titebond 3, half the price and very effective.

[@TheOtherGuybo]

@@crackerjack3359 Truly? Use glue in place of paint, and it's cheaper. Surprising.

[@A6Legit]

5:26 improper, thats about the only thing i use flatheads for lol

[@shaunwhiteley3544]

Useful, thanks. Bit more detail would be nice, like how long for storage, why left outside for a few days. New subscriber 👌

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Shaun, thanks for subscribing and your comment! Storage times depend on a couple factors, including wood species, blank size, and turning methods. If you want to turn the wood wet to final thickness, or if you want to do the twice-turned method and store the roughed out bowl for final turning later, you don't have to wait (Reed Gray, aka Robo Hippy, has some great videos of his method for this). If you want to wait until nearly dry, write the wet weight of the blank on it before storing, then wait about 6 months before starting to weigh the blank again for weight loss. Then weigh the blank one a week or so (writing new weight on each time) until the weight loss has slowed significantly. About sitting out - that wasn't outside the shop, that must mean on my shop floor; there's no magic there, its just me making sure the exposed faces of the blanks have dried off a bit before having them join all the other drying blanks in my little shed. Cheers!

[@victoranfossi4201]

Shaun Whiteley

[@herbertjordan8390]

What brand band and model bandsaw do you use? Thanks.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Herbert, thanks for watching and commenting. For small work, I have an older Ryobi 10in bandsaw. For larger, including making blanks for bowls and such, I used to have a Delta 14in with a 6in riser block, but I recently upgraded to a Grizzly 17in, which is 2hp. I typically use Lennox bandsaw blades. Cheers!

[@gregjohnson8486]

Wow! What a nice stack. Happy turning later. 😊You don't add a date to the blanks I noticed. So other than periodically weighing them, how do you know when it's dry enough to do a final turning?

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Greg, thanks for watching and commenting. When the weight stops changing appreciably, their ready. Cheers!

[@TheErastus]

what enviroment do you store in for drying. what about the loft of a barn. It can certainly be hot and dry most of the year

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Forge Shop Thanks for your comment. I store mine in a shed outside my garage and the humidity in California is generally fairly low and the temperatures are mild. I would be careful about storing somewhere to warm because you want the blanks to dry slowly to avoid splitting checking cracking. Cheers!

[@steve-km3oo]

awesome video! very informative. can't imagine why 28 thumbs down.....

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Steve, thanks for watching and commenting. Apparently my style of video is not to everyone's taste, and I'm all right with that. Glad you found it informative. Cheers!

[@krazypolak1820]

How long u let them dry out

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi, depends on how green I want the wood for turning, also depends on thickness of the blank, but I leave most to dry about 1-2 years.Cheers!

[@krazypolak1820]

Cool.

[@zarrir]

Awesome! So these will probably be left to dry for 3 years or so?

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Yes. Most are still drying. Cheers!

[@bobboyer9440]

If it is small enough to fit in a microwave would you be able to dry it faster, and if microwaved would you still need to use a sealant?

[@markb8954]

@@bobboyer9440 Ive done the microwave process a few times. It takes a lot of time - heat up, weigh, cool, heat up, weigh, cool, heat up, weigh, cool. Over & over as the water evaporates, the bowl blank gets drier & drier. It does work… when it reaches a good weight, u can turn. No sealant. Ive also turned green bowls & mw’d when done. That worked well too.

[@martkt10]

What if you don't have a band saw ?

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Mart, thanks for watching. Without a bandsaw, the next tool of choice would be a chainsaw too rough off the corners - this would be serviceable to get your blank mounted on the lathe. Cheers!

[@martkt10]

Great, it would have to be an electric one, as noise would be an issue where i am

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Mart Ashton electric chainsaws work just fine - I own two of different bar lengths, and use them on all the logs I break down for blanks. You just need to let the saw do the cutting and be patient since it doesn't have the same power as gas obviously. Cheers!

[@martkt10]

Just subbed, as you make things easy to understand without jargon

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Thanks Mart, glad you enjoy the videos, and happy to have you along. Cheers!

[@allyncross6973]

Hey Bill, Nice video but unless your using that scrap to heat your home seems like your wasting a lot of wood that you could make smaller stuff from. Living in Florida I am quickly learning to be very conservative where wood is concerned because it can be difficult to come by. I often take left over pieces from one turning and use it for something small like a Christmas ornament for example. Otherwise good video. Yall have a wonderful day.

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Allyn, thanks for watching and commenting. Yes, I do keep some of the larger scraps for small turnings. Some of the smallest scraps I actually do end up using as firewood. Cheers!

[@bobboyer9440]

I keep most of the scraps from burls to make necklaces. Get $30.00 each at craft shows.

[@crackerjack3359]

Titebond 3 works great and is half the price of Anchorseal

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi CrackerJack , I've heard that but haven't tried it yet. I may give that a shot when i run out of what i have on hand. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers!

[@markb8954]

Regular latex paint works well too & much cheaper than Anchor Seal or TB. TB is pretty expensive & takes a lot to cover the edges an a good sized bowl.

[@donlyons8964]

You are the first one I have seen that doesnt cut out the pith why is that

[@BillRockwoodWoodturning]

Hi Don, thanks for watching and commenting. It actually depends on the wood species. For those I know will crack at the pith, I do cut out the pith. Cheers!