This is a article off Magnolia Woodturners website on one method of drying green wood. One of many and I will post more on drying blanks later. Or if you are in a hurry look at our website.

 

Stabilizing Green Wood

Edited May 24, 20196 yr by Gerald

Thanks, Gerald!

 

I, too, have been experimenting with this procedure. My ratio was 6:1 (water:soap) without the alcohol. Same 3 day soak. I did put the blanks into a bag of shavings after the soak for a couple of weeks. My experiences were the same as the article's author. 

 

Right now I have a piece of spalted maple in shavings. This chunk was cut from a piece of maple tree we had removed and it laid on the ground for many years. When I cut into it, I discovered the spalting and made it into a round bowl blank. Unfortunately, the part that touched the ground was so wet/heavy that I couldn't run it on my lathe- too off balance. I tried drying it in a shavings but thought I'd see if the soap/water would speed the process along. I'll wait a couple of weeks and see if there is any progress. 

 

I noticed that the soak really speeds up the drying process on roughed out bowls. What used to take months is reduced to weeks- at least with what I've experienced. 

I don't understand what the degreasing has to do with the treatment of the wood.  Does it leave something that is undesirable, damage the wood or take too long to dry?  See, I'm confused already.  

9 hours ago, FlGatorwood said:

I don't understand what the degreasing has to do with the treatment of the wood.  Does it leave something that is undesirable, damage the wood or take too long to dry?  See, I'm confused already.  

Can't find the article that explains the "scientific" reason for this but apparently the liquid soap chemical makeup helps releases some of the wood stresses. It also speeds up the release of internal moisture. Together, these factors make the process attractive for turning. Ron Kent helped make this process popular https://www.ronkent.com/techniques.php.