How Green?

[pgkevet]

This is probably an unfairly big question but I'm curious..

 

I've stumble across some web articles that imply folk have been building cabins with fresh felled timber, milled and profiled and used rather than left to season and refinished. Is this a matter of species selection, just a shortened form of the truth or disaster waiting?

 

In a similar way one comes across green carving and turning discussions. Now I understand that turning it green will spin a lot of the moisture out and with that and carving it may be necessary again to rough out the work then out it aside to season before going back to finish it.

 

Is it true that with smaller articles its often adequate to wrap in newspaper to slow the process to avoid splitting? How far can one go with the finishing before this stage?

 

Are you guys using moisture meters or just winging it form experience?

 

I do appreciate a lot of this is 'how long's that string'.. but comments welcome.

[tommer9]

Green timber used out of doors is generally fine. Green oak buildings really are just that- green!

[Daniël Bos]

I may have made this up, not sure of myself, but I seem to remember that they used to build in the green so that the working and shrinking of the seasoning wood would tighten the joints a lot more than is possible when working "dry".

[pgkevet]

Green timber used out of doors is generally fine. Green oak buildings really are just that- green!

 

..except the inside of what you build outside is inside.. and possible heated?

Differential seasoning?

 

I may have made this up, not sure of myself, but I seem to remember that they used to build in the green so that the working and shrinking of the seasoning wood would tighten the joints a lot more than is possible when working "dry".

 

That sounds rather cool. Mean some interesting joints to pull it together and presumably some math on the shrinkage amount? Rafters for instance could pull those walls right in unless the end walls join the march? And that means thinking through the base/foundation.

 

If memory serves then lime mortar took literally years to fully cure and was used more as a levelling surface than a 'glue'?

[Rob D]

With say oak framed buildings which are all made from freshly sawn/green oak it's the weight of the building that helps keep everything straight as the oak dries.

 

Someone I know took some relatively straight oak beams that were 100 years old give or take out of a building they were refurbing. 2 weeks in summer sun and they'd twisted and bent (not that they were going to re use them mind you....).

 

Same as if you make an oak table out of fresh oak and bolt it all together the oak won't move as much as if you left it lying around in the sun.

 

Where a lot of building wood is from 6" by 6" upwards if you tried to produce it from dried wood you would prob be looking at x10 cost! And there wouldn't be much point as green wood works anyway!

[Daniël Bos]

..except the inside of what you build outside is inside.. and possible heated?

Differential seasoning?

 

 

 

That sounds rather cool. Mean some interesting joints to pull it together and presumably some math on the shrinkage amount? Rafters for instance could pull those walls right in unless the end walls join the march? And that means thinking through the base/foundation.

 

If memory serves then lime mortar took literally years to fully cure and was used more as a levelling surface than a 'glue'?

 

 

The rafters will not pull in anything as the wood only noticably shirinks in diameter, not length. Some clever folk were about in them olden days :thumbup1:

[geoff]

The rafters will not pull in anything as the wood only noticably shirinks in diameter, not length. Some clever folk were about in them olden days. Quote.

 

Rover is on the money with this.

 

If you want to slow dry green turned wood,burry it in its shavings & leave it to dry slowly under the lathe.

[Green man 1970]

I Have found I can turn some woods, such as sycamore, maple and beech when green but to prevent them splitting I coat them in wax, both inside and out. This drastically slows the water loss and rarely suffer from cracking. Once dried it's then easy to clean off the wax and finish off the bowl!

Simples!!

[pgkevet]

The rafters will not pull in anything as the wood only noticably shirinks in diameter, not length. Some clever folk were about in them olden days. Quote.

 

Rover is on the money with this.

 

If you want to slow dry green turned wood,burry it in its shavings & leave it to dry slowly under the lathe.

 

I did look at some of the old construction methods and design a while back. some interesting approaches. Particularly on old mills. No way was anyone going to handle timbers that size without being sure it was all going to work!

 

The simplicity of wax coating I like..won't soak in like other proofers. Burying in shavings...simple so long as you keep working in a mess :-)

[Baggy]

Hiya

 

 

Is it true that with smaller articles its often adequate to wrap in newspaper to slow the process to avoid splitting? How far can one go with the finishing before this stage?.

I often carve very green wood, I remove as much wood as I can in the first session and then place the chips and whatever I am carving into a plastic bag and leave it somewhere cool.

 

If It is going to be a while between session one and two I place the bag in the fridge much to my wifes annoyance.

 

 

HTH

Mark