Drying "Cookies" or "Rounds"

[Greg Cook]

Bet this lady I'm cutting these for never expected we'd be getting advice from Central and South America! Thanks for all the input, now we just have to wait and see.

Greg

[ironstumper]

Jim, I have seen butterflies used before by someone on this site. That looks like a great idea. Not being a carpenter I don't have a clue how to do those. Is it a special tool?

I charge more for cracked table tops when I put in butterflies and people love the look.  After one or more butterflies I fill what ever crack or better yet cracks with sawdust paste mixed with polyurethane or fiberglass resin.

[bck]

I am sure its a better way , but the way I have done it is to make the butterfly first .Then place it where you want it then scribe with a knife ( not a pencil ) . Then using a chisel cut it out , being carefull to get the bottom level for a good glue joint. A router or dremel tool with a small straight bit would work too. 

[jim king]

Ironstumper:
The only way I know is exactly as you described, hammer and chisel.  If it would help I could have one of my guys do one and take photos.

Jim

[stumpy]

Jim King

I'd love ta see pictures or video of how you do it.

[brdmkr]

I've seen templates for use with a router and bearing bit to cut out butterflies.  Cant remember where I saw them though.

[ironstumper]

I'm assuming a bandsaw (shop style) or jigsaw. To cut the butterfly? And yes I'd appreciate photos. We love photos. ;D

[solidwoods]

Don't forget Pickle chip.

Kiln is where it needs to go (at best). 

This type of cut will always crack no matter how many times people ask how to not make it crack.

A method is to cut the chip in half, cut it on the natural crack (no natural crack?,, just wait 20min).  Kiln dry it (notice I keep saying kiln dry). Then straighten the 2 edges and glue them back together.

You can also band the edge with tension, or fully seal the chip, or try to slow dry the chip, or cut it on a new moon after sacrificing a chicken, those are good methods to work  the slice and watch it crack anyway.

Hope you got a laugh (good one Snowman).
jim

[jim king]

Sorry for the delay .  Here is what we do with the cracked slices.  We used a contrasting wood to make it easier to see but I like it.  The small cracks were filled with super glue and charcoal.  On the big cracks we use fiberglass resin with whatever for coloring.

[ohsoloco]

Jim, I was hoping you could share a little info. about the fiberglass resin you use.  I've never filled in really big gaps, so I've always used epoxy, usually colored with graphite.  I'd like to get more at once, rather than the little tubes of resin and hardener I get at the hardware store. 

Just wondering what the stuff you use it labeled or marketed for (boats, bartops, adhesive, etc...)  ???

brdmkr, I've seen Norm use those templates on the New Yankee Workshop.  There was a bushing with a collar that fit around it....buzz out the hole with the bushing in, then remove it and cut out an insert in another piece of wood.  He was making dutchment with it, which is used to cover up "defects" rather than add a structural piece.  It was a pretty tiny router bit on that set, I don't know how it would work making thick butterflies.  I've tried to do the same thing with the router bit & bushing assortment I have, but couldn't get it right....

[jim king]

ohsoloco

The fiberglass resin we use is for boat repair.  It is good for a lot of things and can be colored with sawdust , charcoal or what ever.  Here is a photo of a termite nest which is like paper soaked in resin and turned.  It looks like granite.

[ohsoloco]

Thanks, Jim    I've been meaning to pick up a larger batch of epoxy, but I'll go for a long time without needing any, and then I'll need a bunch.  Does anyone know the shelf life on these two part resins  ???  UNmixed, of course  :D

Cool turning Jim

[Sprucegum]

I used "West System Epoxy" when I built a canoe 5 years ago and I still have some on the shelf that I use on various projects. Keep the two parts sealed to keep out humidity. If the resin gets too cool it may crystalize; warm it up til they disappear and its good to use again.

[TexasTimbers]

Call me lucky but I have had a very small percentage of cookies ever split/check/warp. My wife slops on the wax sealer and dead stacks them after it dries.

The ones in the stack below are 1" thick, as yet sealed.  The plate is a 2" cookie turningfool graciously sent back as a beautiful plate. There is not a hint of a crack anywhere on it and it's somewhere around 1.25 years old(?).

last year I had a customer request 1/2" cookies for some special project, against my advice, and I asked her to let know if they cracked. I never heard from her so I don't know for sure but I take that as a no they didn't. But the funny thing is I have more problems keeping entire logs from checking than I do from 1" - 4" cookies.

[woodbowl]

Gregg, now that some time has gone by, how have red oak cookies turned out? Did they split? What steps did you take to keep them from cracking?

Since this topic has started, I now have a lady that wants a table top from her red oak log that measures about 48" in dia. I've done this before and had success with other species, but not with red oak. I may try to talk to her about an oval table top.