# HELP



## Mark. (May 13, 2020)

I think this is my first time on this site, so if Y'all get the idea that I am crazy, you may be on to something. While being one who has worked on, & worked with my Best Friend, WOOD for close to 40 years. One thing I have found to hold true, I do not know all there is to know, & it's not shameful to as someone for HELP. What I want Ya'll's thoughts & advice on is a stabilizer capable of stabilizing up to 15" bowl blanks. Is it possible? If I rough turn the blanks & leave about 2" thick. Again, is it possible? It may be 2 or 3 days before I can check back in & respond to Ya'll's advice. Now I hear the Tallapoosa River calling my name, social distancing ant to hard when you live in Frog Eye. Thank You all for the rewards I gain by being able to reach out to a Group Of Fellows, & Lady's Wood Workers. "WOOD BARTER"

Reactions: Like 2


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## Sprung (May 13, 2020)

Yes, it is certainly entirely possible to stabilize blanks of that size. A few considerations/logistical challenges:


Chamber size - it's going to take a large chamber.
Amount of resin used - it's going to take a lot of resin to fill a large chamber. And stabilizing resin isn't cheap. For example, if you have a round vacuum chamber with a 16" inner diameter and need to fill it 6" deep with resin, you're looking at more than 5 gallons of resin to fill that chamber up.
Amount of resin used - the more wood that is left on the rough out, the more resin that will be used and eventually wasted. What I have done for stabilizing a few larger objects is rough turned the item, let it dry, turn it some more so it's closer to final size, then stabilize. You'll use less resin that way - and end up with less money wasted as stabilized shavings in the garbage.
Curing - realistically you're going to need the use of a kitchen sized oven, or other oven of similar size, for curing items of that size. And you certainly won't want to (and shouldn't) use that oven for cooking in after using it to cure blanks.

If you're looking for someone who is capable of stabilizing that size, I'm not sure who might be. At one point I could have done something up to 8" diameter, but I don't have that vacuum chamber anymore. The only chamber I have left (I used to have 4) allows up to 6" diameter. Wood Dynamics does a lot of stabilizing at a professional level. He may have the capability, or know of who might have the capability, to stabilize something of that size.

Reactions: Informative 2


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## Don Van Dyne (May 13, 2020)

That is as good a run down on what your facing as your going to get. A 16” chamber is huge and VERY expensive to fill. I can do up to 10 inches in diameter.


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