green or dried

[aulddiy]

Again I'd like advice.

A friend has offered to turn a few plates for me from some limewood (basswood)

She is turning it green.
Now do I want to chip carve it green or ask her to dry them first?

The climate here is usually high on humidty.

These plates are round and I'm wary of them distorting and or cracking. The thought that green they'll be easier to chip carve is also attractive.
Can someone share there experiences on this quanondrum ?

If you can keep it simple please I'm new to carving and anything technical is a blankwall to me.
ThanksThank You

[Eddy-Smiles]

Green wood can generally be expected to check, warp, cup or otherwise crack. If I was you I'd have her dry them first. I should think that if you plan to chip carve that you'd want the wood a little harder because green wood chips easily and does not like to take and hold detail.

[sjbrian]

i like how some wood gets distorted. i've carved and turned green oak crotch wood and only been disappointed a few times. a good product to purchase is anchor seal, emuslified wax. you paint it on the end grain to prevent cut green wood from checking and spliting.

[aulddiy]

Thanks Gents I've asked my friend to kiln dry the wood.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I would think if you are in a high humidity area, you may not have much of a problem? the cracking etc comes from the lost of moisture in the wood, with high humidity, you wouldn't have that.......I would try a couple of ways I think and see what works? Here, its dry as a bone....and dries too fast!

[Eddy-Smiles]

Hi Ho has a point but the danger is that if you ever send or take that wood somewhere else there may be a problem. Ever notice the large Buddha's or Dragons in a Chinese restuarant? Almost all of them have large splits which I imagine come about when the object is imported to a drier climate or environment.

[aulddiy]

I know that sending carved chests from W. Africa to Scotland was a hit or miss. Some split some did n't. The difference in temp ature -in this case had more to with it than humidity. Plenty of that here where its raining ,been raining or about to start raining.