Holly trunk drying out process

[Watchman]

Hi Folks

I have got a holly bush "trunk" (not sure if that the right term?) about 6 ft in length and 4 inches in diameter.

The trunk is very green having only just be cut down.

Not sure if to cut it into logs or leave whole?

Could you suggest best way of drying it out to prevent splits.

As always your assistance is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Beau]

If you want it to keep the lovely creamy white colour holly normally is you need to dry it quite quickly or it develops's a greenish hue. Splits are pretty much inevitable with quick drying IME

 

[Watchman]

Hi Beau

Should I take the trunk in doors with the central heating or in the garage which is not heated but not damp?

New to this so please bear with.

Thanks

 

[Phil Pascoe]

At 4" it's probably safe indoors - you'll probably lose the last few inches to splits, whatever. I have read that it is wise to stand it on end to season, but I don't know from experience.

 

[CHJ]

If you take it into a heated environment then I would expect it to split all along its length. It will dry out too quickly for natural air drying timescales in the round.

Holly is one of those woods that usually needs specialist kiln drying to retain its pale colour, slow air drying to avoid splitting invariably results in colour casts in the grey-green spectrum, (I believe from sugars conversion)

That has been my experience to date.

Your best bet is to turn it green to thin even thickness (including base) and expect the pieces to distort when drying .

some notes on drying from the help sticky.

 

[Roland]

Good luck. In the summer I acquired a similar sized trunk. It had to be cut into 3ft lengths to get into the car. Once home the ends of each log received several coats of paint to try to limit cracking. No chance.

In anticipation of none of it drying into something useable I turned a couple of pieces green, within 48 hours of felling. It’s a lovely creamy wood to turn. It warped so quickly that in the time it took to sharpen the gouge it had gone elliptical.

Eventually I got two rough bowls, with 10mm thick sides, which I intended to dry and rework. Both were given a couple of coats of Osmo to slow the drying. They still cracked, and distorted so far that I probably won’t be able to re-mount either of them.

The rest of the logs are still drying. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to salvage some small bowls form the middle of each 3ft section.

 

[Dalboy]

Think you have problems drying holly the three short pieces are holly the slabs they stand on are 18" square to give an idea of size

 

[Watchman]

Gosh

Didn't realize my first attempt at finding and turning a wood would turn out to be Holly.

Live and learn

Thanks for all the advice.

Back to the woods for a more friendly wood :lol: !!!!

 

[custard]

If Holly stains it looks awful, and as long as the moisture is above about 15% it's at risk of picking up airborne pathogens which cause staining. Therefore most woodworkers I know force the drying even though they know they'll lose a fair bit of the timber to splits. The alternative is losing the lot to staining.

If you live in an area with sustained temperatures of about zero or below you can get away with some outdoors drying without risking staining, otherwise get it indoors and cross your fingers!

 

[Watchman]

How long would you expect the holly to take to dry in a heated room at approx. 21-23 degrees?

 

[custard]

I know one guy who stood some 2" wet Holly boards directly against a radiator, it took two or three months to get down to where he needed it to be, but the warping was pretty bad and he ended up with 3/4" boards.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If it behaves badly, throw in out under a hedge somewhere - it spalts beautifully.

 

[Beau]

Hi Beau

Should I take the trunk in doors with the central heating or in the garage which is not heated but not damp?

New to this so please bear with.

Thanks

Only dried holly once. It was a 12" tree on the farm. I cut a few planks and put them by the dehumidifier. They cracked to bu@@ery but had enough to make half of a lovely chessboard.

 

[John Brown]

I've got a piece I was planning to make a small cribbage board from, but I think by the time I've sawn and planed the splits away, I might have to downgrade my expectations to a couple of cribbage pegs.

 

[Trevanion]

Don't the professionals steam Holly as soon as possible after it's felled to keep the colour white or is that something I've made up in my head over the years?

 

[Lazurus]

I have used holly quite a lot last year, I turned all the pieces green and very thin, coloring can be a problem but Oxalic acid will bleach it white. Holly is a nice wood to turn but bland and as mentioned very prone to staining and checks. If you are a new turner use it to practice on, try some end grain deep hollowing or basic bowls.