RE: Sweet gum wood

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 19:22:14 -0700

Bill,
Thanks.
I learn something new every day. 
I didn't realize there was "crystal cat litter".  That will help explain the price differences.
At those prices, with warmer weather coming here, I'd try "baking" it in the sun after using - in attempt to "re-dry" it. 
Just don't let your neighborhood cats see it spread out in a pan in your driveway!
Mac
-----Original Message-----
From: bulke...@mmnet.com.au
Sent: Mar 11, 2020 10:01 PM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Sweet gum wood

It’s the cat crystal litter we are talking about mac its made of silica crystals I don’t know what the cheaper stuff is made from looks like a sort of clay to look at were the crystals look like beads of glass .


Bill

From: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com <legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of MWF
Sent: Thursday, 12 March 2020 12:40 PM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Sweet gum wood

 

Attached is result of a quick search I did for bulk cat litter. 

Looks to be a LOT cheaper than what you two are finding. (Less than $0.55/lb. - USD)

Clumping vs non-clumping?  NO cats in our house - so I don't know.

Another idea:  Contact local veterinarians - ask if you can buy bulk thru them.

Mac

-----Original Message-----
From: bulke...@mmnet.com.au
Sent: Mar 11, 2020 9:08 PM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Sweet gum wood

Holy crap that is expensive that same size bag is only $7 in our cheap bargain shop here also I always find a container just a little larger than the piece so I don’t have to use too much a foot square block cost me 3 bags to cover $21.

But at $20 a bag your money it would cost me over $90 AU way too much money


So it looks like it is a living in a different country thing sorry if my post was misleading. One thing I have found here if I cut down a long dead standing tree here the wood usually has very little cracks through it where the same wood even from the same tree lying on the ground has lots of cracking I wonder if drying wood vertically would help. I have heard of drying logs under water silly as it sounds under water for a few years then slowly dry out the log. I have harvested dead wood myself from under water in our murry river when the water is very low and they always had no cracks.

 

Bill

From: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com <legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Michael Kratky
Sent: Thursday, 12 March 2020 11:23 AM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Sweet gum wood

 

Bill,

Looks like one of those different continent, wood species, and climate things.

https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Step-Crystals-Premium-Scented/dp/B001OQXEHK

 

8 pounds for $20.92 US per Amazon.

 

8 pounds doesn’t go far, would take 50 or more to fill a 5 gal bucket

 

I don’t know what to tell you Michael, I can buy a big bag for $7 here and I have had like 80%success drying wood this way

With very little cracking even a piece up to a foot thick I do remove the pith and seal the ends at the same time when cutting the green wood. It seems to work for me. maybe being in Australia makes a difference different woods hotter climate I don’t know I’m going to still dry my wood this way.

 

Bill

From: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com <legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Michael Kratky
Sent: Thursday, 12 March 2020 2:46 AM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Sweet gum wood

 

1st crystal kitty litter is not cheap (have 3 cats).

2nd it doesn’t work well.

Have tried everything in my 50 years of woodworking/woodturning to dry logs/branches without cracking and checking to no avail here in the northeast, only success is in the concrete encapsulated dry basement on drying racks where the temp hovers around 65°F year round and the humidity is 40-50%, I seal the ends in achorseal, then again do you want logs and branches in your basement?

 

Don’t have a kiln but that’s another subject.

 

Michael

From: 'Curt George' via Legacy Ornamental Mills [mailto:legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2020 11:04 AM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Sweet gum wood

 

Thank you Bill

This is a new one on me.   

The funny thing here is, I work with medical air's, Most dryers use the same process's to remove moisture from the air,  I never thought about trying it for wood.

 

I am glad to hear you have had good success with this, Perhaps I will try it as well?

 

Have a good day.

 

C.A.G. 

On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 06:03:04 AM EDT, <bulke...@mmnet.com.au> wrote:

 

 

Curt,

I assume your talking about drying wood in kitty litter crystals I been trying this off and on with quite good success

I have never posted anything on it as it was not legacy

But here is a video or 2 about it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Q5-_dGaMuCE&feature=emb_logo

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMrsKJbyiic

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpM_3uTNm5Y

 

kitty litter crystals is made of silica gel I just leave covered in the litter in a sealed container usually for a couple of months depending on wood thickness changing the crystals every few weeks or when the few coloured crystals change colour if the litter has the few coloured crystals in it mine does.

and keep weighing the wood it till it stops getting lighter. I don’t bother recharging or drying out the crystals kitty litter is cheap I just throw it out. And this method does seem to help stop cracking by drying the wood evenly all over provided it is totally submerged in the crystals. There is a video out there somewhere of carl Jacobson doing the same thing in rice.

 

Bill

From: 'Curt George' via Legacy Ornamental Mills <legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 11 March 2020 4:06 PM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Sweet gum wood

 

Bill

I must have missed something. Do you show any pictures?

I very much like the topic. And have done a lot of my own processing of wood in the past.

I would like to see and learn as much as I can on this topic.

 

thank you.

 

C.A.G.

On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 12:58:50 AM EDT, <bulke...@mmnet.com.au> wrote:

 

 

Seal the ends as soon as possible bark later and wood usually dry’s 1 inch per year.

Bury them in kitty litter crystals or rice will speed up the process. just weigh it every couple of weeks till it stops getting lighter

I did some tapered legs once I milled the full length square  then just lowerd one end of the legacy and milled 3/4s of it round and cut a spiral  nothing very fancy.

 

Bill

From: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com <legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of 4 Jim Carpenter
Sent: Wednesday, 11 March 2020 12:37 PM
To: legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com
Subject: Sweet gum wood

 

Major tree trim - 4 straight arrow 48" x4" limbs ?

 

Dry time to work ?

 

Bark now or after ?

 

Anyone have experience working it for tapered table legs ?

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