When Is the Best Time to Cut Wood for Turning?

In our corner of the country, the season has turned; the weather is cooler and leaves are falling, and woodturners might be thinking about laying in a supply of wood for upcoming projects to complete during the winter months.

Some woodturners claim that fall is the best time to cut wood for turning projects, but it’s possible to harvest wood in all seasons—it just depends on the tree species and what you want from the wood. The timing of the harvesting can affect moisture content, ease of turning, drying behavior, and risk of cracking.

Knowing when to harvest wood can help you make better use of fresh timber and cut down on waste. Read on for tips for harvesting wood in every season, the kinds of wood that are best to harvest in the fall, and how to prepare your fresh wood for turning.

What Is the Best Season to Cut Wood for Turning?

While fall is a popular time for harvesting, wood can be cut and prepared no matter the season. Here are some reasons why you might consider harvesting wood throughout the year.

Fall: A Practical Harvesting Window

If you are considering cutting wood right now, that is a good impulse. The cooler weather can make it more pleasant to be outside, especially in the regions where summer is hot and humid. If that is the case for you, you might already have plans to do some outdoor clean-up, including tree removal and pruning. Fall storms also provide reasons to prepare your yard and trees for winter, which might yield opportunities to collect suitable logs.

Trees are also preparing to go dormant for the winter, so their sap is slowing as they drop their leaves, making it easier to remove limbs or fell whole trees.

However, keep in mind that the local climate and species of tree matter more than the calendar; just because the calendar says October doesn’t mean that everyone should rush out and start chopping.

Winter: A Popular Time for Harvesting

Depending on where you live, winter can be the perfect time for harvesting wood. Deciduous trees are dormant during the winter, which means the sap moves much slower through the tree. The lack of sap means the wood has less moisture and will dry more evenly with less possibility of warping or cracking. Less sap also allows for cleaner cuts, as chainsaws and tools are less likely to gum up with sap and resin.

Cold temperatures also mean less fungal growth and fewer insects that can rot wood. If you are looking for clean wood without spalting, this is the perfect time to harvest. However, if you are someone who likes the challenge of turning spalted wood, you might want to harvest in a different season.

Lastly, winter harvesting can be easier because the ground is frozen, which can provide access to wooded areas without the worry of underbrush and long grass, and there will be less soil disturbance.

The ease of access is, of course, dependent also on a lack of snow, which is not always guaranteed in Minnesota. The wood itself might also be frozen, making it difficult to cut, and days that are too cold can make it problematic to stay outside for any length of time.

Spring: Fresh Growth and Changing Moisture Conditions

Spring can also be a good time to harvest certain types of wood. As the temperature rises, the sap begins flowing in the trees, making for moist wood that is easy to turn. Bark removal can also be easier with spring wood, which is perfect for making natural edge bowls.

For many regions, just like in the fall, spring storms and seasonal tree work can provide an ideal opportunity to harvest wood. However, the warmer, wetter conditions mean that you will need to process your wood quickly and store it carefully away from the sun and from moisture.

Summer: Convenient, but Watch the Drying Process

Summer is the most common time for people to harvest wood. The longer days and warm weather can make it easier to work outside. However, the freshly cut wood may dry quickly in hot, dry, or windy conditions, which means there are many times that summer weather is more convenient for the wood cutter than for the wood itself. Often, these conditions can cause the wood to lose moisture quickly, which results in checking and cracking, especially in exposed end grain.

Overall, while summer might be an easy time to harvest wood, fall and winter might be easier on the wood itself. However, various kinds of wood can be harvested throughout the year as long as the harvester takes proper precautions.

Does the Type of Tree Affect the Best Time to Cut?

Fall and winter are good bets for cutting most types of wood, but there are certain kinds of wood that are better to cut in certain seasons.

Fall: Transition Season

During the fall, the sap starts slowing in deciduous trees as they prepare to go dormant, so there are many varieties that are good to cut in the fall.

• Fruit wood, like cherry, plum, and apple, are best to cut in the fall. Harvesting in the fall reduces the likelihood of splitting and locks the bark to the wood.
• Maples are also good to cut in the fall, but it’s best to wait until after they drop their leaves so that you can tell they have slowed their sap production.
• Walnut, hawthorn, and other kinds of hardwood are also good to cut in the fall to reduce the likelihood of warm-weather fungal stains.

Winter: Late Fall to Early Spring

Winter is another ideal time to cut wood from many kinds of deciduous trees.

• Hardwoods, like walnut, hard or soft maple, birch, and beech trees, are also good to cut in the wintertime. Winter harvesting reduces sudden moisture shock and helps preserve natural bark edges if you are doing natural-edge bowls.
• Winter is a good time to cut oak trees because insect activity is low. Some beetles spread oak wilt when open wounds are left on the tree in the spring and summer, but this can be avoided in the winter.
• Aromatic softwoods, like Eastern Red Cedar, are also good to cut in the winter. When the sap slows down in these kinds of trees, the essential oils and resins are locked in the wood, resulting in maximum fragrance.

Spring and Summer: The Growing Season

While spring and summer harvesting can be difficult because trees are actively pulling up water and sap to support leaf and branch growth, there are some trees that yield better wood when cut in the spring and summer because they are good for greenwood turning. (If you’re not familiar with turning greenwood, see our post from last year called Turning Greenwood in the Fall.)

• Soft and Silver Maples are good for cutting green as they produce extremely clean cuts when turned fresh. Late spring to early summer is the best time to harvest maple wood.
• Southern Magnolia wood is also good to harvest in the spring and summer for turning green as it stays extremely stable while drying without tearing apart.
• Fruit trees like cherry, apple, pear, and plum, cut smoothly when wet. Just make sure to seal the end grain immediately.
• Willow or Poplar are also suitable for cutting in the spring and summer for greenwood. They produce very lightweight wood when dry.

Remember that while these are general guidelines for harvesting, there is considerable variation by climate, tree condition, and local growing conditions.

How to Prepare Freshly Cut Wood for Turning

Once you have your fresh-cut wood, you’ll need to prepare it so that it can be stored until you are ready to use it.

Process the Wood Promptly

The first thing to do when preparing your wood for turning is to cut the logs into manageable lengths as soon as you can. Consider what kinds of projects you’ll be turning and the dimensions that you can easily store in your woodshop. As you cut each blank, make sure to remove damaged or decaying sections.

Remove the Pith (Core)

This is an optional step, but it can be very helpful for creating blanks that dry without warping or cracking. The soft center of the tree dries more quickly than the rest of the log, which can cause the blank to split as it dries.

Seal the End Grain

Next, you’ll want to seal the ends of your blanks. Moisture escapes more quickly from the ends of logs, so you’ll want to apply a sealant to the end grain. There are both commercial end-grain sealers as well as natural wax-based products that can work well to seal the end grain. You can skip this step if you plan to rough-turn the blank immediately.

Note that sealing the end grain will reduce checking and cracking, but it is not guaranteed to eliminate it entirely.

Store Wood Correctly

Once you have prepared your wood, be sure that your wood blanks are stored correctly. Keep your blanks out of direct sunlight and strong wind or rain in a place that has good airflow. Make sure there is no moisture where you are storing your wood blanks, as that will encourage mold and decay.

If you plan to turn your wood green, you can use a couple of different methods for storage and drying, such as the paper bag method or in the kiln or microwave. You can read more about each method in our blog post on Turning Greenwood.

When you store your wood blanks, it is a good idea to have an organizational method to help you keep track of what wood you have. When you put it away, record the species, the harvest date, and any specific storage conditions that are pertinent. This can help you learn how different woods behave over time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Harvesting Wood for Turning

There are some common mistakes you’ll want to avoid no matter when you choose to harvest wood for your turning projects.

Preventing Cracking

• First, waiting too long to process fresh logs can result in checking and cracking. Leaving fresh cut logs in warm conditions (especially if you’re harvesting in the summer) can speed up the deterioration process.
• In the same way, leaving logs in direct sunlight can cause rapid drying, which can result in logs that dry unevenly, which leads to cracking.
• Ignoring the pith is another way to increase your chances of cracks in wood blanks, as is skipping end-grain protection. Unsealed ends lose moisture too quickly and can cause cracking.

Adjusting Your Mindset

• While fall and winter turning can be better for most kinds of wood, don’t assume that fall or winter wood is automatically better. Consider the conditions in your region and the individual nature of the tree in question.
• It can be tempting to harvest any wood you come across, especially if it is presented to you free of charge. However, harvesting unsuitable wood can result in blanks that are unsatisfactory when it is time to actually turn a project. Rot, insect damage, embedded metal, and internal defects can compromise a blank.
• Lastly, ignoring safe harvesting practices can be dangerous to you and to the environment you are harvesting from. Felling trees requires appropriate training and equipment, so unless you have proper knowledge and equipment, you may want to avoid the DIY route. Instead, sourcing logs from arborists or tree services can be a safer option.

Choose the Right Time for Your Project

Fall can be a suitable time for harvesting wood and laying in a supply of blanks for the winter turning season. However, it is important to remember that you can cut wood for turning all year long depending on the tree species, local conditions, and your own turning goals.

When choosing the time to harvest wood, consider what projects you want to make and the kind of wood that might be best. Experiment with cutting and turning different wood types at varying times of the year to see what works best for your projects. Just remember to process and store your wood carefully and you’ll be ready for another whole year of turning!

Key Takeaways

• Fall and winter are popular times to harvest wood for turning, but the best season depends on the tree species, local climate, and intended project.
• Different wood species benefit from different harvest times. Many hardwoods and fruit woods are suitable for fall or winter harvesting, while soft maple, magnolia, and other green-turning woods can be good choices in spring and summer.
• Harvest timing affects moisture content and drying behavior. Warm, dry, or windy conditions can cause freshly cut wood to lose moisture too quickly, increasing the risk of checking and cracking.
• Woodturners should process freshly cut wood promptly and store it carefully to reduce checking and cracking.
• Choose wood carefully and harvest safely. Avoid wood with rot, insect damage, embedded metal, or other defects, and leave tree felling to people with the appropriate training and equipment if you don’t have the correct tools and experience.