Drying turning blanks in microwave

I know it can be done but it may stink up the microwave for a while. If you’ll be doing it a lot buy a cheap microwave…

I’ve done it. No problem with lasting smell, but maybe that’s more commentary on the current state of my microwave. I did it with small rough bowl turnings, not the full blank, so there’s that. I did it at 50% power for 2 minutes at a time letting it cool off in between. I would even go so far as you put a fan on it while cooling to speed it up some. You’re supposed to keep track of the weight and do it til it stops losing weight… That seems like a lot of work. You’ll notice it starts getting hotter as the water content lowers, so you may need to drop to 90 seconds. (less water heats up faster) You don’t want to cook the wood. Just encourage evaporation. I probably didn’t do it long enough, because I still got some warping, but you can tell when it stops getting lighter and starts heating up much faster. Or use a moisture meter after it dries/cools between shots.

Ben, doing it is the only way to learn. Glad it worked out..

I’ve turned pens from wood that I only dry for a month or so. I just cut it into oversized blanks and let it sit. I have used green wood that’s only dried for a week or so but the wood tends to split more often, not all the time but certainly more often than the dried wood. If it makes it through to the finishing process it’ll be okay. I guess the thinness of the walls, the spinning on the lathe and the heat of the finish and waxing dries it out completely.