Green wood

looksee

I am making - for want of a better description - an item of rustic equipment from green wood (in the round).

It is sycamore, about 3 inches in diameter and was only cut a couple of weeks ago. It is extremely satisfying stripping the bark and shaping it with a draw knife, but I am wondering if I need to do anything special having prepared it, to keep it in shape. It will be in sheltered but not heated conditions (ie a shed). It is very straight at the moment, is it likely to dry straight if I leave it lying flat and supported?

Prenderb

I would be surprised if it kept its shape, or survived without developing splits and shakes. Would this enhance the rustic nature of your equipment?

Will you be processing the piece further once it's dried?

looksee

I will oil it. It doesn't matter if it splits or cracks a bit but it needs to remain straight :-)

kadman

You could restrain it in a straight position while it is drying, but the drying time for 3" diameter wet sycamore is fairly substantial.

Draw knife, is it a new make or old tool. Do you have the old grey mare as well, old or made one. Something I have to make as well in the next couple of weeks.

looksee

Ok thanks, I had been reading up green wood stuff and the suggestion, so far as I could find anything, seemed to be that sycamore was better to work green as it was too hard once dried. I could leave it restrained as it will not be attached to anything most of the time.

I have a modern draw knife a Morakniv, straight one, made in Sweden. It is great, lovely to use and can be used with surprising accuracy in places where a chisel doesn't really work. I don't have metalworking skills so there was no way I was going to make one! Love this one though. The shave horse would be good, but I don't really have room for one, and its a bit down the list of priorities :-)