# How best to prepare these Maple pieces for turning blanks?



## phillsam (Jan 21, 2013)

So yesterday on my way home from the office I passed by the guy shown below throwing these Maple pieces into a large chipper after he had fell the tree.









I only had my small daily driver but filled the trunk with as much as would fit. Here is what made it home.









Not thinking the wood would be used for anything inparticular the worker cut the pieces a little odd. Some of them showing a lot more end grain than side. I added letters to the photos so that you could comment on a specific piece

I need some advice on how you guys would prep these for turning blanks (im thinking mostly bowls)
Being new to prepping my own blanks, im unsure of the quality of pieces I got. What do you guys think? Did I save myself some money or will most of these be practice blanks?

Please take a look at the pieces and if you have an idea of how to prepare one, let me know

I pretty much understand how to prepare a regular round for a standard bowl blank or natural edge bowl.

But how realistic is it to turn a bowl with end grain running parallel with the lathe bed?

More pics below


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Seal the endgrain and give them a while to dry. After a year air drying the larger pieces still won't even be close. I've never turned anything but completely dry wood before, to accomplish that could take a very long time just air drying.


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## OldWrangler (Jan 13, 2014)

I agree. This green wood will crack and split if it dries to quickly. Suggest you seal end grains with wax or heavy paint. It will also help to seat the whole piece in saran wrap. Pieces this big won't be good for at least a year. Don't store on the ground and not in any sunlight., The slower it dries, the better. You have some excellent looking wood, good score. Best I ever did was salvage some Honey Locust and some Bay Laurel after a hurricane blew down a bunch of big trees. They took forever to dry. Now I have 2 big blocks of the prettiest Flame Box Elder drying, I intend to unwrap and check next fall when they are a year old. Here's a picture of them…...


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Split it before drying and preferably remove any pith or you'll have so many cracks they will be unsafe for turning.


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## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

I am assuming you have a band saw to cut out round bowl blanks. If so F, E and the piece under E could produce normal blanks, A, I would lay on it's side to get a round blank capturing the crotch grain. This is my method, go ahead and rough turn your bowls leaving them one inch thick then put them in a brown paper bag and set them aside for 3 to 6 months then finish turning them.


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## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

http://fwcwt.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Todd-Hoyers-Turning-Log-Orient.pdf

Somebody else shared this link on bowl blanks a while ago and I found it very helpful.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Nice link Shawn.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

I would split that crotch with my electric chain saw, end seal until ready to rough turn. Normally would use my gas chain saw, but due to going crazy splitting logs last time my saw buck little damaged.

I would end seal those half logs until ready to rough turn some bowls Same for those spindle blanks you have there.

Looking at pieces C & D think could get more than a couple small end grain bowls and other spindle projects out of them.

Have fun and good luck with your find.

Shawn, I posted that link, been using that info years.


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Damn wrangler, I'd almost be afraid to try and cut woo that beautiful


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