Moisture Level

[COsby]

What is a good moisture Level is good for turning wood with no adverse effects?

[David @ Mad Duck Game Calls]

For a call maker 6-8%

[HuntnCarve]

A good rule of thumb is 6-8%MC.

HuntnCarve
Dave

[Butch1]

Blanks in my basement normalize at 5.5% to 8% with a cheap contact meter from lowes, these meters are calibrated for douglas fir, they will read differently on other woods but i think they are close enough. I have turned wood at 10 or 12% acording to my meter and left under a heatlamp theres a little shrinkage inserts will get tight, but not crack.Turned some xcut hedge once that was green like 20 25% it turned oval and bowed and cracked." I was curious."

[COsby]

Well I got some cocobolo at woodcraft the other day. I stripped the wax off the lengths and let it sit in an area that would be in the sun but moving air.
Today I got one of the cheaper meters at Lowes, I assume the same as yours Butch. It's reading 5.5%.

[Aaron at Wingerts Woodworks]

Well I got some cocobolo at woodcraft the other day. I stripped the wax off the lengths and let it sit in an area that would be in the sun but moving air.
Today I got one of the cheaper meters at Lowes, I assume the same as yours Butch. It's reading 5.5%.

My advice would be to cut that cocobolo and take a reading at the end.  My experience with wax-covered exotic wood from Woodcraft is it is usually not all that dry.  5.5% is mighty dry for wood.  I'm skeptical...

Wood seeks equilibrium with its environment.  It is very difficult to dry wood below 7-8% naturally, because the humidity in the house is usually higher than that.  If your house is 10% humidity on average, your wood will not go below that. 

[Joe aka COLD @ J. A. Kolter Calls]

Well I got some cocobolo at woodcraft the other day. I stripped the wax off the lengths and let it sit in an area that would be in the sun but moving air.
Today I got one of the cheaper meters at Lowes, I assume the same as yours Butch. It's reading 5.5%.

Wow, your very lucky.  Having wood dry in the direct sun is an absolute no no.  If there is any moisture in the wood it usually checks quickly on the exposed surfaces.  After sealing the ends of fresh cut wet wood I set my pieces crosswise on small 1x1's above my garage shelved joists.  It is ventilated well, but still gets up to 140 degrees or more from late Spring through early Fall.  Very wet woods over 20% will dry quickly down under 10% in just a month or so.

[Joe aka COLD @ J. A. Kolter Calls]

Well I got some cocobolo at woodcraft the other day. I stripped the wax off the lengths and let it sit in an area that would be in the sun but moving air.
Today I got one of the cheaper meters at Lowes, I assume the same as yours Butch. It's reading 5.5%.

My advice would be to cut that cocobolo and take a reading at the end.  My experience with wax-covered exotic wood from Woodcraft is it is usually not all that dry.  5.5% is mighty dry for wood.  I'm skeptical...

Wood seeks equilibrium with its environment.  It is very difficult to dry wood below 7-8% naturally, because the humidity in the house is usually higher than that.  If your house is 10% humidity on average, your wood will not go below that.

I agree, seems to be a mis-calibration meter reading.  I have two types of cocobolo in my shop, one box half full of Mexican is over 28 years old, the other box of Nicaraguan is about 20 years old, both read at 14% with my meter calibrated to a rosewood level.

[COsby]

What do you guys use to wax the ends?

I have a bunch of firewood, from fresh and wet (literally almost dripping) to a few year old seasoned. I'll do some playing with the meter.

I agree, 5.5% just can't seem right. I'll plane the end off take a fresh measurement, then re-wax.

The block is 6 inches. I turn barrels at 3 inches. If I cut the blank in half, will it dry quicker?

[Butch1]

I use parafin or old garage sale  candles melt them in a old crockpot, but have read threads where guys have used latex paint and wood glue on the endgrain. There is a page on the web about drying wood from a university about the maximum % of moisture that can be removed in a 24hr period from various hardwoods without cracking or checking. I dip my blanks and have some expanded  aluminum screwed under my floor joists in the basement, my house is about 10yrs old and as soon as it warms up in spring the air is turned on. So the humidity seems very low still takes 9 mos to a yr minimum to turn. Found the webpage if anyone is interested not sure but I think this is it.


http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Drying_rates_for_hardwood_lumber.html