Seal after each turn?
- Thread starter Justin RC
- Start date
I will test on some cheaper maple, but I don't want to test on old growth Brazilian rosewood. suggestion on BRW?
The whole idea behind turning in small cuts/stages is to let the wood move until it stabilizes on its own, with the moisture content and everything. Waiting for it to move in between cuts, then cutting out the movement with each next cut. If you seal it, you are sealing moisture in as well as out. It will not be able to make its natural "movements". I would not seal it until it is done, finish sanded and all.
You cannot go wrong with applying a thin coat of shellac or water-based sealer other than it will take longer to lose any extra moisture. But You can regret not doing it and those people that say not to, will not reimburst you the cost of the wood you may lose due to cracking. That being said, first, weigh it and mark it with the weight and date, then store it, then about a month or more later, re-weigh it and see if any different. If it weighs less, do it again. Keep doing this until it stays the same for a couple months. This is how a responsible person acclimates the wood to their own unique enviroment. I reseal after cuts on the more dense woods, as I feel better safe than out $60-$125 due to a bad crack in the wood that renders it useless. As I said earlier, those that say it's not a concern, are not going to replace that piece for you and neither will the wood supplier. It's your money/wood....take care of it.
JMHO,
Dave.
JMHO,
Dave.
Dave is right, we're not going to reimburse you for the wood. But then you didn't say BRW in the original post.
Not sure I would be cutting into BRW in one of my early cuemaking excursions - can't tell if you are new to this or not.
I should have asked a bunch of questions first.
How big are the squares? and what do you intend to turn them down to?
How long have the squares been resting in your shop?
Do you have a moisture meter? If so, what is the moisture reading this wood.
I prefer to cut my squares to octagons first and let them rest some more. If the wood measures more that 10% on a freshly cut surface, then yes, I seal them back up.
Once they are round though, I don't seal in between cuts.
I leave the ends sealed until the very end.
HTH
Gary
Not sure I would be cutting into BRW in one of my early cuemaking excursions - can't tell if you are new to this or not.I should have asked a bunch of questions first.
How big are the squares? and what do you intend to turn them down to?
How long have the squares been resting in your shop?
Do you have a moisture meter? If so, what is the moisture reading this wood.
I prefer to cut my squares to octagons first and let them rest some more. If the wood measures more that 10% on a freshly cut surface, then yes, I seal them back up.
Once they are round though, I don't seal in between cuts.
I leave the ends sealed until the very end.
HTH
Gary
In 27 years of cuemaking, I've never sealed anything. How is the wood going to move or dry out, if it has a sealer on it?...JER
There is only one wood I know of that needs to have a sealer applied after turning and that is on snake wood to prevent cracking It might still crack but not nearly as often.
Sealing is also good if you are turning green, wet wood for a bowl but you could also just bury it in wet sawdust. For cues, nah.
Sealing is also good if you are turning green, wet wood for a bowl but you could also just bury it in wet sawdust. For cues, nah.
I like to seal cues that are closer to final size for the simple reason that i'm constantly messing around with equipment. I dont want to accidentally pick up a cue and have some type of oil on my hands that gets on, soaks in and ruins alot of hard work.
Also, like to seal cues with alot of exposed surface area of ivory
Also, like to seal cues with alot of exposed surface area of ivory
Something to consider is what environment is the wood stored in? Is the wood being exposed to the ups and downs of the relative humidity? How much does the local in which you live fluctuate? If you store your wood in a climate controlled room then sealing after cuts is pointless. If your wood is being cycled through the ups and downs of humidity then I think sealing has a purpose. If your wood has already reached it's optimum moisture content then sealing the wood can help shield the wood from absorbing moisture which can be a cause for the wood to move.
Justin...
I believe you are in Alabama. Sealing has to do with where is your shop (garage, bedroom, the moon)? What do you have for moisture prevention? Do you have heat and air? How long have they been sitting as squares? It's tricky to learn when to start sealing but we can help once you answer some questions.
I have my lathe and wood in my man cave/pool room. It is located off of my living room and is heating/cooled. It stays about 75 degree's in there at all times. I also keep a dehumidifier running and the humidity sits at 40 most of the time. I got the squares from CC a couple of weeks back.
I'm not planning on cutting these for awhile, but I am a control freak and like to obtain all knowledge possible long before I need it. Thanks
I'm not planning on cutting these for awhile, but I am a control freak and like to obtain all knowledge possible long before I need it. Thanks
If that's the case, cut the shafts and seal them. Take them to rounds.
pointless or counter productive??
thanks Bill
Both...the point of sealing is prevent rapid gain or loss of moisture. If your keeping your wood in a climate controlled environment then once your material has aclamitized it shouldn't move due to enviromental reasons. Once it leaves the shop that is another story though.
I have always thought that the environmental ups and downs is what naturally seasons wood. I think this makes it more likely to stay straight after you get it where you want it.
Kim
clearwatertom
New member
Usually I seal the ends and up about an inch or so which lets the wood go where it wants to. This is a general practice.... varies somewhat as you have to know your material and what it's likely to do...no simple answer. Like Rus said "natural movement". By sealing the ends which is where most the moisture comes and goes (especially early on) you are "babying it along"...P.S. I have been a spindle and bowl turner for many years so have dealt with wood at several different stages from log to dry as well as being a cue nut..If the wood wants to move it often is likely that the rings are proportionately unbalanced, several rings on one side less rings on the other (wet summers vs. dry summers) Then of course there is run-out and the age of the wood . Old wood as already gone thru cellular collapse which moves less.....on and on we go... As Joe Barringer says in his video " Patience, patience, patience" ....
Last edited: