Comments on: Ask WWGOA: How to Stop Green Wood from Cracking as it Dries

By: Nick Turner

Nick Turner — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:33:08 +0000

Seal the blanks’ end grain with wax as suggested. But then bury the blanks in planer shavings of the same type of wood as the blanks. Completely slows down the drying process. Good luck

By: Dwight

Dwight — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 12:40:59 +0000

Mine were gifts, about 12” across, 1 1/2-2” thick, both were sanded and finished with an oil…one is cracking more than the other but both cracking, can it be be stopped/reversed?

By: James P Madren

James P Madren — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 20:31:50 +0000

In reply to James Madren.

If I’m making several blocks and won’t be working them for several days I simply place them in a pan (I have several 3’x15″x 2″deep) and have 1/4″ of 250 – 500 weight mineral oil in them. I stand the blocks on end (end grain in the oil and up)… then also keep the top grain painted in mineral oil for as long as needed before working. I’ve kept them for up to 3 weeks like this with no problems.
Just holler if I can help.

By: James Madren

James Madren — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 20:26:00 +0000

Be carefully “sealing” ends of logs / blocks. If it is much over 60° your wood will quickly become “dodie” or soft… in winter you can get by with sealing pretty well but when the temp gets above 60 mother nature is the boss, not us.

By: James P Madren

James P Madren — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 19:53:45 +0000

I’ve been making bowls from freshly cut “green” wood for over 35 years. Mostly from maple, but black walnut and cherry at times too.
I try to only cut logs when the sap is “down” but that isn’t always possible. Cutting trees late November and December and trying to get all I need by early January greatly helps with the cracking problem.
But even if I cut a log in June – I can do pretty well keeping them from cracking.
I buy mineral oil from STE-OIL.COM it’s food safe but far heavier than what you’ll get from a pharmacy or grocery store. The local stuff is 70 weight (like water) I buy 250, 350 and 500 weight and mix my own “weight”. When I was a paid display artist for the NC State Fair I did shows outside so I was not in a controlled setting as far as wind and temperature go.
I would use 500 weight, applying it with a brush as I was chipping out the bowl. But in a shop setting – I would wait until the bowl was completed and sanded to 80 grit – coat it with 250 weight… then place on a metal pan upside-down for 24 hours. Then after that – right-side up for 10-12 weeks (maple) and around 6 months for walnut. I check the bowls daily, and apply a light coating on the end grain inside and out for around a week, then “only if needed” after that. The 250 sinks in well but evaporates at a much slower rate than the 70 Wright you buy local. If it’s hotter weather – the 350 weight sinks in pretty good but remains on the surface better to prevent surface drying prematurely and causing cracks.
This method works very well and I will only run across a hard to get along with piece of wood on rare occasions… hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if I can help. JP Madren

By: Customer Service

Customer Service — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 15:00:49 +0000

In reply to Paul Alexander.

If it’s structural and you don’t care about appearance, apply 2-3 coats of paint to the end grain on both sides, and that will help a lot as well. If you want to preserve the look of the wood, I have a couple suggestions that you can try. First, apply this product per the directions: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DL118S/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=vondriskawood-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B003DL118S&linkId=7e82d17b510a8b6f4bba336b018292cf. Also, place the piece in a paper grocery bag and store it in a cool place to slow the rate of drying. Those two steps should increase your chances of reducing cracking. 8×8 is still a large chunk of wood, so unless you are removing a lot of material (which you can’t because it’s structural) there will still be a good chance of cracking. Another way to reduce cracking is to paint the ends.
Paul

By: Paul Alexander

Paul Alexander — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 11:47:03 +0000

I have 8″x8″ blocks of wood used to shore up walls for sewer construction workers. I grinded it to the shape I wanted. I dyed it the color I wanted but didn’t seal it. Within a week or so it cracked. How can I prevent cracking in that situation,

By: George sichalwe

George sichalwe — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 16:49:27 +0000

Am a beginner in bowl coring so this interesting

By: Customer Service

Customer Service — Mon, 16 May 2022 15:21:09 +0000

In reply to Gunther.

Hello Gunther. It slows the drying time; doesn’t stop it from drying entirely. If you want to let it crack before you use it, then do not apply anything. Some people take that approach, and apply resin to patch the cracks, which is a valid approach. I seal my turning blanks to keep them from cracking prior to turning. When I turn green, I rarely have cracks form when the bowl dries. When a crack does appear, I simply patch with epoxy (sometimes I’ll add some dye or pigment powder for effect), then sand and finish.
Paul
Woodworkers Guild of America

By: Gunther

Gunther — Sat, 14 May 2022 12:31:23 +0000

Does this anchor seal slow the drying, or suspend it? Hate to “pause” time just to have it crack when worked later, especially on a lathe! Whoa… What time is req’d for your 3-4″ thick junks example? We have tropical hardwoods growing onsite here, and would hate to waste them.