How to hollow

drummingamy · #1 03-13-2006, 06:56 PM

Hello,
I am new here, as well as a new "carver". My goal is to carve a drum. After much research I am starting to understand this is a huge undertaking but I am not willing to back away. So with your help and my perseverence I will complete this project!!

I have a 2' long by 18'' wide Catalpa log. I ned this to dry without checking! I think I understand the best way to get this to dry without checking is to leave the bark, hollow it a bit and shield it from the elements. So I went to the hardware store and bought a 16'' long 1'' wood boring bit and a 12'' extension. Well I got home and couldn't wait to try it out. Well, much to my dissapointment, after 5 minutes I only was able to bore about 1inch!!!

My question to you all is: What do you think is the best way for me to bore a hole down the midle of this beast?

In Rhythm,
Amy

Jim-K · #2 03-13-2006, 07:23 PM

If you know A Woodturner close by? That would be the easiest way to do it IMO!
There are many ways to dry the wood. Look on some turning forums and you can do a search and see the many methods for drying bowls.
I use Denatured Alcohol to dry my bowls.
Jim

AlArchie · #3 03-13-2006, 07:27 PM

Sears sells a REALLY aggressive set of wood boring bits that includes a 1" one. It has a woodscrew-like lead, a cutting tip that looks like a bit for a hand brace, and a 3/8" shaft. I'm not sure what they are called but they eat wood so fast that it's scary...ya better hang on to hold the thing beck, rathere than having to push on it. You'll also need a hefty drill.

Al

drummingamy · #4 03-13-2006, 07:53 PM

Thanks for the suggestions!

How heavy can the log be to turn?

and

Are these the bits:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00964089000

I don't think they are due to the sizes don't match. . . Wonder if they come longer????

Thanks for your help!

AlArchie · #5 03-13-2006, 08:37 PM

The closest I found in that on line catalog you linked to was the self feeding spade bits, and those are NOT the same ones.....maybe they quit marketing these things or maybe they were from one of the big box stores, rather than sears...let me check with my brother who got them for me.....be a couple days

Al

wade clark · #6 03-13-2006, 08:44 PM

Amy,
It's very hard to keep a log from checking as it dries. I'd suggest you get a few more logs just in case.
One of the problems is that a log dries faster in the outer wood (sap wood)than the inner wood (heart wood). I'll try to keep this short, but here's why: The inner heart wood used to be sap wood when it was a very young thin tree. As the tree grew, more sapwood grew and as the older wood drew in more water it also drew in more minerals which block the flow of moisture, while the new sapwood hasn't built up any mineral deposits and moisture flows more freely. Also the new sapwood has bigger cells because it's a bigger tree when that sapwood develops. The cells are like sections of a bamboo straw. The new ones hold lots of moisture that flows freely up the tree. When a section is cut out, those cells' moisture flows out freely, while the heartwood can't (it's small cells are blocked), so the outside, which might be 60 or 80% moisture, shrinks and contracts and cracks while the inner wood is still too wet. whew.
Some ways to slow the outer changes to match the inner changes are:
A. Keep the whole thing wet. Hose it down or keep it wrapped between carving sessions in a "wet blanket" of some sort--a towel works pretty good.
B. Seal it in wax between carving times. A good wax product is Anchorseal, it paints on and dries to a wax.
C. Freeze it between carvings.
D. Microwave it or deep-fry it if it'll fit in the appliance necessary. This changes the structure by cooking all the moisture out.
E. Hollow it quickly removing all the denser wood...still use some of the other methods with this until you're sure it's dry!
BORING THE HOLE: Bigger tools work faster and remove more wood from the block and money from the wallet. A Lancelot tool by King Arthur Tools is the best tool I have for such a task. It's a chainsaw chain on a grinder disc--serious wood eater! But even that takes time!
The wood boring bits will work well too, but be careful with ANY power tool. The bits will bind and send the drill spinning hard enough to break your wrist. The Lancelot will eat flesh much easier than wood! Be careful!
Truth is, anyone who's been carving any time at all has been cut, even if they use hand non-powered tools, so be careful!
Keep it wet while you're working on it and afterwards for a while, so it dries evenly.
Have Fun!
Wade

AlArchie · #7 03-13-2006, 09:01 PM

Just went down to the shop and checked those bits...they DO kinda look like a spade bit only about 3 times thicker through the blade. I have a 3 pc set 3/4", 1", and 1 1/2". They look almost like this set from sears, only with slightly longer shanks.

With a 1 1/2" bit you could take out a whole lot of wood in short order by boring multiple holes and them chisling them out with a framers chisle or eve a large carpenter's chisle.

Al

Mitchell · #8 03-13-2006, 11:58 PM

I have tried a product called "Pentacryl" that helps keep wood from checking during drying. It has worked well for me in the past but on smaller carvings. It's a little expensive, but a little goes a long way => at least for me.

I purchased mine from Woodcraft a few years ago and still have a little left in the bottle.

drummingamy · #9 03-15-2006, 10:13 AM

Hey,

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!! Thanks Wade for that great explination of how/why the wood checks, I like to know the cause behind the effect, it helps me plan my strategy!!! And I will deffinately checkout the different tools that you guys suggested!!! However the goal here in addition to making a drum is to keep all my fingers and shed as little blood as possible!

As for know my plan is to try and keep the wood moist, while tryig to hollow out asap and then wax or glue the ends in between working on it. I have also resigned to the fact that there will most likely be some checking and I will work with that as is happens. I have about an extra 6 inches on either end of the "drum" so if it checks at the ends with in those 6 inches then I can just take that wood off. My other plan is to just fill the cracks with either a decorrative type of wood and epoxy or maybe get a little more creative with it.

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks Again~
amy

(I appologize for any miss spelling, you know that spelling is not a sign of intelligence!)

whitecree · #10 03-15-2006, 10:38 AM

Something else to try is wrapping the wood in newspaper, then in plastic in bewtween carving sessions. What this does is, the newspaper absorbs some of the moisture coming out of the wood. Once saturated, it won't absorb more water, and since it is covered in plastic, the newspaper can't radiate the water vapour. So the wood dries out a little, then stops. This gives the wood time for the moisture content to equalize.