Wet is wet - but is it? Elm burrs follow on.

[OldWood]

Is there a difference between the wet in old wood and that in wood recently felled?

This is a follow on from the thread I put up about elm burrs. I've now separated out the two burrs on the log I collected - combination of hacking with the chain saw, the band saw and a hand saw! One is 300 x 250 x 150 and the other a bit smaller.

The surface wood is reading 25% with the core wood 34% with the moisture gauge.

Q1 On the basis that wood will move regardless of it's source of moisture as it dries, I presume I need to let these dry before turning, but that then presents a difficulty as to what I seal ?

Q2 I've not dealt with elm before and am surprised at how well coloured the wood is - is this because it is damp?

Q3 The turning I think I can cope with, but how do I finish the knobbly outside. It is the key feature really and needs to be done well? This surface is well weather, grey and has some 'feature' insect holes.

Many thanks for any help

Rob

 

[CHJ]

As far as the pippy outer:

>I wire brush to remove loose material,
>Seal with sanding sealer,
>Apply Softwax (Woodwax22) with Nail Brush,
>Brush out with stiff Domed Burnishing Brush

 

[CHJ]

.......Q1 On the basis that wood will move regardless of it's source of moisture as it dries, I presume I need to let these dry before turning, but that then presents a difficulty as to what I seal ?
......

As there is unlikely to be any pronounced End Grain in your Burr piece I would place it in a Paper sack (potato type) to dry off.
Being in the paper will slow the drying down a bit but more importantly it will contain the whole piece in a common humidity environment and reduce any cracking that might occur due to uneven moisture loss. Alternately you can loosely wrap it in plastic to localise humidity but watch out for excessive condensation forming on the inside.

 

[The Wood Doctor]

Is there a difference between the wet in old wood and that in wood recently felled?

Yes there is a difference if the tree has been down long enough. A fresh felled tree will contain sugary / starch sap. Over time and in the presence of sufficient water the sap will gradually be replaced with water. As this process occurs the cells will harden and this will help stop cracking and splitting. It is the reason that timber that has been sunk in rivers and lakes can be worked and will dry out to be stable timber, as long as it hasn't been immersed for too long!

Ben

 

[Aled Dafis]

Is there a difference between the wet in old wood and that in wood recently felled?

Yes there is a difference if the tree has been down long enough. A fresh felled tree will contain sugary / starch sap. Over time and in the presence of sufficient water the sap will gradually be replaced with water. As this process occurs the cells will harden and this will help stop cracking and splitting. It is the reason that timber that has been sunk in rivers and lakes can be worked and will dry out to be stable timber, as long as it hasn't been immersed for too long!

Ben

So this must be why it's recommended to leave a holly log in a river for a while before processing/drying.

Cheers

Aled

 

[OldWood]

Many thanks Chas and Ben, your answers give me somewhere to go !

Ben - your answer about wood being workable after river immersion does connect with several comments recently made on this site about immersing wood, notably holly, into water.

In my process of cutting out these burrs I've got a couple of off cuts that I think I will turn in their present state of 30+% moisture and see what happens.

Rob