Processing green wood...

[robo hippy]

Okay, a few things here.... One, I prefer to leave logs whole and cut off pieces to process as I get to them. If the log has been sitting, you may need to cut off an inch or two to get to sound wood. If you cut it into short lengths, you have to cut an inch or three off of both ends of the blank. This seems to still be the case if I leave one end in the bare dirt. Essentially, you end up losing a lot more wood if you cut into short lengths. I haven't used end grain sealer in years. If I am prepping spindle blanks, I do use Titebond 3 as a sealer. Make sure to round over ends, and I put a thick coat on. let dry at least over night, then coat the other end. Never tried the freezer method, or boiling. Dumping into a drum of water can work, but you don't want them to sit long as the water gets nasty. Also, a standard metal drum will iron stain your wood. Never waxed things, but it does make a good seal.

I don't put rough outs or even cut log sections into, or cover with wet shavings. This encourages mold and other strange discolorations in your pieces of wood. It does not seem to encourage spalting. If I am cutting out rounds for turning bowls, the stretch film around the outside, and make sure to overlap the rim an inch or 3, this can keep blanks for a week or three, up to maybe 6 months, depending on the wood.

The LDD (liquid dish washing detergent) soak makes pieces easier to sand out. As near as I can tell, it does nothing towards stabilizing the wood or preventing cracking. If you soak black walnut, you don't want to soak any other wood in it because the soap pulls out color, and walnut is pretty dark. It does wonders for my once turned bowls, and brings out the red in the madrone, which is my favorite bowl wood.

robo hippy

 

[Doug Freeman]

I lay the log on its side then use the chainsaw to cut the bark off on two opposite sides. Next I split the log down the middle which forms two bowl blanks that are flat on the top & bottom.

This is good if all bowls will be flat rimmed. I only cut the pith out so the 1/2 logs can be natural edge or flat rimmed. Big logs can have the outside 5-6” cut off for NE bowls and inner part for flat rimmed or other blanks.

 

[Ron Solfest]

When splitting the pith out with a chainsaw lay the log on it’s side and cut through (you’ll get long ribbons) instead of setting on it’s end and fighting all the way down cutting end grain. Don’t ask me how I know this

 

[Brian Gustin]

It is also helpful (if it has not been mentioned yet) to get yourself a spare skip-tooth saw chain (or two) and take one of them and file the cutters at a 5 degree angle straight across, to turn them into a rip cut chain and try and plan out your cuts to minimize chain swapping (cross cut to sizes, then rip your blanks, then perhaps if you do that, back to crosscut to round out the blanks) Better yet, if you got the budget, have two saws - one just for the rip cuts (typically the more powerful saw, if possible - rip cuts are HARD on a chainsaw) I use a battery powered Wen , battery lasts twice as long when doing crosscuts with the regular chain.. as compared to ripping... then I got another skip tooth chain and ground a rip profile on the cutters, battery life is extended rather a bit, but still no where near as long as when crosscutting.. I suggest skip tooth for the rip cuts as (much like with a table saw blade) fewer teeth with bigger "gullet" (between cutters) is better for ripping operations..

 

[Karl Loeblein]

When splitting the pith out with a chainsaw lay the log on it’s side and cut through (you’ll get long ribbons) instead of setting on it’s end and fighting all the way down cutting end grain. Don’t ask me how I know this

Then you definitely won’t like milling with an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill because it is all end grain cutting. A ripping chain like Brian describes does help some, but it is still very exhausting work on both you and the chainsaw. Most people borrow my Alaskan Mill just once.

 

[Russell Nugent]

Then you definitely won’t like milling with an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill because it is all end grain cutting. A ripping chain like Brian describes does help some, but it is still very exhausting work on both you and the chainsaw. Most people borrow my Alaskan Mill just once.

What brand do you have? Or home fabbed?

 

[Ashley Bell]

How long would you keep a log or blank immersed in water ,is it just to delay the start of the greenwood process ?

 

[robo hippy]

If you have a pond or stream to keep your log blanks in, you can leave them there until they petrify. Logs from the bottoms of the Great Lakes, and from the peat bogs are hundreds to thousands of years old. I wouldn't want to leave them in a barrel that long. Water needs changing...

robo hippy

 

[Aaron Harris]

If you have a pond or stream to keep your log blanks in, you can leave them there until they petrify. Logs from the bottoms of the Great Lakes, and from the peat bogs are hundreds to thousands of years old. I wouldn't want to leave them in a barrel that long. Water needs changing...

robo hippy

Hmmm, interesting idea. I have a small creek in my backyard that is probably full of lawn chemicals. I will definitely mask up if I try this!