Jonathan - 8-14-2006 at 07:42 AM
How important is the age of the wood for the bowl? Remember, I am a novice at this. I picked up some wood (ebay), I have cut and sanded it to the
size of the blanks for the ribs, but now I am having second thoughts because I don't know how old the wood is. How important is this?
Is there a way to know if the wood is too young?
Hosam - 8-14-2006 at 03:37 PM
If you do not know the moisture content of the wood from the seller you should measure it using a moisture content meter before using the wood. It is
a good idea to leave the wood for sometime to acclimate in your workshop before use. Unless the age of the wood is really old it should not make a
difference as long as it is dry.
Jonathan - 8-15-2006 at 12:40 PM
Thanks, Hosam. I don't have a moisture content meter, but I guess I should probably think about getting one.
It seems that, once I am done bending the wood, it ought to be dry. I don't wet it down at all during the bending process, and it is only about 1/8
of an inch thick. Still, there is probably more to it than that.
Thanks
Jameel - 8-15-2006 at 03:56 PM
Older wood is obviously better since it's had time to relax and dry. But if you get wood from a reputable dealer that is selling dry wood (kiln or
air), I've read that it should be okay. If it were true that only old wood must be used, then that pretty much rules out those of us who don't have
access to it. Hosam is right though. Even if the wood is dry, you need to keep it in your building environment for a couple weeks or more so it can
stabilize to the humidity level in your shop. This is a huge reason that we who make ouds should buy wood for future ouds now, and let it hibernate in
our shop for as long as possible.