Frank Robie wrote:
My first experience with green wood (walnut) I found the wood turned out long curls. now for advice , in the past there was mentioned drying the half done turned piece in the microwave, what precautions should I need to know, like too much time? Any other advice will help.
More of an art than science, according to most. First things first.
Do not use the household microwave, and do it out of SWMBOs area.
Trouble is, your home microwave really doesn't have "power" settings. It's either rattling molecules or not. You can hear it slow the fan and watch it dim the light when you select a less-than-full power option. So, the trick is to avoid continuous stimulation, allowing the whole thing to shed water evenly. Depending on your model, go to about 30-40% on (3-4 on the tens scale) and give it about three-four minutes for the first kick. I put the whole in a plastic bag which evens out the humidity. After the cycle, let sit for five, ten minutes, letting the water run out of the bag. Turn the bag inside out, repeat, until the bag no longer drips. At that point, a cycle or two at 30% and two minutes will end gross moisture evolution. I then give it two days sitting on the shelf.
You don't want knots or dense grain in a thick piece, because they can ignite inside the insulation provided by the other wood, rather than cooling. You can't stop the burn if it does. Get the piece out of the house/garage, and throw it into water.
One of many articles available from a search.
http://mgorrow.tripod.com/microwave.html Two references at the bottom as well.
Personally, I rough a lot and shelve the results for simple air drying, Takes a couple-three months to equilibrium at a inch, less at less thickness. Also keeps me busy on the wet log until it's gone rather than losing a bowl or two fiddling for one to finish.