Free Wood & How to Dry It for Woodworking in a Small Shop
Free Wood & How to Dry It for Woodworking in a Small Shop
Free wood is a cornerstone of my business model as I couldn’t be competitive with a 20-50% cost penalty. Plus using what’s available offers lots of diversity and fun experience. It doesn’t cost much more than a little knowledge, planning and patience to dry wood even in a small shop.
———————————————————-
Referenced Videos:
20 Minute Bowl – https://youtu.be/hwu0R5a1QGc
Make a Kiln – https://youtu.be/Du5YGAtVL3k
Rough Turning – https://youtu.be/xYm8-taV998
Shelving – https://youtu.be/04cmpJsBzrk
Tree to Bowl – https://youtu.be/E6tCVQP1DDY
Tree Butchery – https://youtu.be/5zQsF9UrQ5Y
Wood and Moisture Relationships – Oregon State University (pdf download) – https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/downloads/td96k297v
———————————————————-
This channel is based on the value for value proposition. We depend upon patrons like you to fund our channel if you recieve value from it. The time away from ‘real work’ that is our biggest expense. So if you feel these videos and series are of value to you and others please consider shopping and patronizing these sites:
– http://wortheffort.com
– http://wortheffort.com/store
– http://instagram.com/wortheffort_ww
– http://twitter.com/wortheffort_sg
– http://patreon.com/wortheffort
Non-“Affiliate” Amazon list of recommended stuff – http://a.co/7lVnTSh
The slippery slope of woodworking. Today I bought a block plane. Last week I made a laminated bench top from free reclaimed wood. (It took many months from start to finish, mainly cause I would go in fits then nothing for a while) Anywho…Now I "need" kilns, chainsaws, lathes, solar powered drying houses, wood stacked and dated. Sigh.
You know, after seeing all those wood chips fly around, those videos of people using stuff like sawdust to fuel wood-burning furnaces to keep their shops heated suddenly make sense.
Im scrounging wood and prepping it to dry,
What do you think about dogwood, myrtle wood, and chinaberry? I even have some ancient privet good enough for spoons.
That was a great video. I’m new to woodturning. I live in a very wooded area and I’m 58 yrs old, I don’t want to wait years for wood to dry before turning bowls. You make it look very easy and have inspired me to keep learning even though covid keeps slowing up my plans. Looking forward to finding more of your videos. Thanks
I do all of my turnings and drying in a greenhouse, so it is practically a kiln in there all of the time.
Would it work well trying to turn citrus tree wood?
God bless you, sir! You share on all world! That’s amazing! Thank you so much! We watch your channel from Russia!
Super helpful. Thanks! Oh, and now I have an idea of how I’m going to use that small unused greenhouse on the side of my property: drying wood!
Also, thanks for embracing the science and making it accessible to us. Knowledge is our friend. 🙂
Thank you sir! I had a 160 year old apple blow down in a storm! Planted by the original pioneer on my farm ,30 foot high 2 foot thick , what a monster but what to do? Got a keen guy from far away to take the main big trunk… zoom ,got it, gone! Hell what do I do with the 2 big trunk lengths left behind? You have brought me up to speed Thanks SO much! Now I can cut & store bowl blanks & some for planks to do boxes ..Hell this tree was historic now thanks to you I shall be able to keep its story in useful artefacts! Thank you from far away New Zealand
You are fascinating, bro! This is a wonderful video! Thanks!
Great video, also, what you are calling staws are actually called xylem, what water and nutrients flow upwards through during the process of transpiration. Woodworkers often group xylem and phloem together as "wood fibers", put phloem is what sugar and water flows through up and down the tree to fuel cellular reproduction.
Great information, Thank you
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge 🙂
I made it too few weeks ago. Want to know how ? just look for Woodglut.
Great stuff. Very useful, covering basic info that often gets skipped or left out, but makes a big difference. Thanks.
great vid man! ur absolutely right about getting wood for free! speaking of u use Osage? can b very beautiful! wish I had sum to make bows with.. gotta make a trip down south Sumday soon!
Thanks mate great stuff
I have a kind of silly question
I think I shouldn’t do it but still think it’s possible
QUESTION
I have "apparently" 2 years dried, 50mm thick beech, with 20 % moisture, which was kept outside for awhile and looks that have more moisture
i mean originally more,
So i have some stupid idea to dry few boards with torch,
Not burning them japanese style, maybe ends
but evenly, slowly, try to get moisture out, start with bend side first
So my question is
Did anyone tried that
What kind results one has
Is it even possible
Thanks
I’ve collected lumber that has been cut down and just left to rot. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I split it into sections using axe/froe, and most of the wood is good for the fire I think. The rest I’ve put in my garage to dry, but haven’t sealed it – I’m guessing that when I check on it in a few months it will likely be cracked/split? A learning experience! Love the video by the way.
I was surfin the interweb and came across this product, " Pentacryl™ is a wood stabilizer used by woodcarvers, woodturners, builders and furniture makers to keep green wood from cracking, checking and splitting during the drying process." and wanted to know if you’ve tried it and what you think of it.
Good video. I think I’m getting a floor lathe for Christmas. I have a lot of hard wood that I have forgotten about under a table. I’m looking forward to making bowls but from one of your other videos I’ll need to start with something a little more simple. Thank you for your Knowledge.
Just came across this, and I’ve missed your channel love all of your vid‘s especially like the one I think your dad was part of it— you’re a lucky guy!
Les
Oh… man… give me curly, birdseye, burl and crotch pieces all day long for turning!!!
Lots of great information in the video, but it is nearly 1/2 an hour long. Perhaps a somewhat shorter video, and making them into chapters would be a better fit.
24:38 loss of turgor pressure too rapidly results in flaccid or wilting…in a tree it is very similar
if I am going to turn a bowl..should the wood be parallel to the centers or perpendicular? does that question make sense?
Very good video! Thanks very much!
I source wood the exact same way!
At my big box stores the pine 4x4s are nearly all the pines. Is it different for construction lumber than woodworking lumber?
Merci beaucoup!
Can you give a detailed manor for turning the icebox into a kiln? I would really like to make one. Thanks for all your wisdom in wood turning. Am just get started at an old age of 77 but with a young heart. Glen in Lufkin Texas.
For single pieces the convection oven in the kitchen works great. Usually 3 times 1 hour sessions sorts it out.
You were so excited it made me want to go out and find some trees!
What can you make out of a catus or Joshua tree? Hey you said desert.
Oh petrified table. I wanna watch you try and cut that on a table saw or chuck it up on a lathe. Might make a pretty bowl.
Dimond cutter sure we can do that. Sand with a dimond sander. No problems.
Luv it luv it luv it! Soooo practical!
Thanks so much for all of these videos. I picked up a lathe and your videos have helped me stay safe and make some amazing art! Question – how long should I wait from green wood to rough out a bowl? After I rough it, how should I dry it?
desert areas used to be fertile in antiquity. The Nile, for example, ran across Africa.
Fantastic channel! Easy to tell you’re a true professional!
Not gonna lie a 23 year old girl died in a car crash near my home. Knocking down large branches on top of the trees. Been thinking of making a few bowls and vases for the grieving family and friends when ever they visit.
wortheffort: get local woods
me: sounds good
also wortheffort: you might be 3-4 hours from home.
me: i thought we were staying local; like in walking distance…
city local vs country local, two completely different sets of measurements.
Thanks for making this guide!
You need to make your price final price reflect the cost of that wood at a lumber yard.
You are so right I live in San Antonio, Texas and this is the 7th largest city in America and boom tons of trees fall all the time all you need is a small truck or small trailer and put a harbor freight truck crane a small one of course and the harbor freight pull system which looks like a rubber mat with a roller and put that on your trailer and you can grab them all over town, people want them off their yard and the city will only pick them up once a year but they fall down every time the wind blows so keep your eye on Craigslist and just drive around and get off the truck and ask hey you want all that wood? I get free wood all the time and dry it in the back yard or make a barn like i built!
dude, you should be a motivational speaker. no excuses not to indulge our hobby …. great job
This is such a good video
12:56 turgor pressure…13:16 turgidity …use the terms it makes people look them up.
Thank you so much for sharing
Question; I had a storm blow though 3 weeks ago. Lost my sugar maple in the front yard. So cut up the trunk and painted the ends with wall sealant bathroom remodel. But I don’t know if I should remove the bark. ? Please advise
Thanks your videos are great great tips to use
3:50 what’s wrong with Alabama?