Woodturner's Resource
Woodturner's Resource  
  • Featured Artist    • Websites   Support Wr
Tutorials, Projects & Tips   • Event Calendar   • Tool and Book Store
  Home Page Forum HelpSearch Map TPT Resources LoginRegister
 
Pages: 1 2 3 
Send Topic Print
harvesting wood questions (Read 4,391 times)
 
Tony Gomez 2
Active Member
***
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 187

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
USA

harvesting wood questions
Jan 19th, 2016 at 11:58pm
 
I am preparing turning blanks from logs, we had an ice storm a few months back here in Oklahoma City  - and the collection of the storm damage tree limbs and logs of  trees that were brought down by thick coats of ice - which has been delayed by months by pick up from the city  - my question is do I coat the ends with the moisture retardant of choice or do I have to coat the entire piece - I have taken the time to turn some  into rough cylinders and coated the ends - I have been picky with my choice of tree limbs I have picked up - mostly birch and osage orange , i.e bois d'arc , and I haven't picked up any Bradford pear - it is the primary  tree here in Oklahoma that seems to be susceptible to ice damage( although the state fair wood turner - the one using the spring pole lathe vaunted its virtue  Bradford pear wood as a superb and wonderfully textured wood)   I passed on on especially good looking logs that looked liked they were spalted - but they also had termites  holes - how many of you all collecting wood find termites in your wood - are you concerned that the termites infect your house? In selecting wood I have a propensity to collect pieces that are fairly straight and trim off any branches - and pass on tree crotches - should I be collecting the tree crotches for interesting grain patterns ? A straight piece of limb or log is straight forward - I cut it to a suitable length - how do I harvest a tree crotch or fork for turning ? I have a chainsaw and I am willing to use it
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
Register To Remove Ads
John Cepko
Senior Member
****
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 491

Pasadena, Maryland, USA
Pasadena
Maryland
USA

Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #1 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 1:17am
 
I love tree crotches.
The 'V' usually is an interesting piece, and you get two per crotch.
Anything that a firewood splitter cant/'won't tackle is good for me.
I like trunks better than branch wood, unless the branch is huge.
Bradford Pear is brittle because the bark grows deep into the crotch, creating a weak place for the branch to break off at the slightest stress. For that reason BP crotches are out, they will fly apart on the lathe. Don't ask me how I know... But, it turns like butter, with long curlies, so get all the solid wood from that tree you can get.

Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
Glenn Matthies
Active Member
***
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 168

Lockport, NY, New York, USA
Lockport, NY
New York
USA


Jet 1642 EVS 2 hp
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #2 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 7:44am
 
You only need to coat the end grain.  That's where the moisture leaves the wood.  Think of a tree as a bundle of drinking straws.  Water moves through the straws but not outward.  Coating the ends of the "straws" slows the loss of moisture and, hopefully, eliminates cracks.  Coating the whole log is not necessary and is a waste of sealant.

I usually see out crotches or chunks of wood that are otherwise defective.  If its nice and straight, I'll pass unless its a species I like.  Even straight pieces of Osage Orange can be quite beautiful.  And I'll pass up  Walnut...
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
Dwight Rutherford
Senior Member
****
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 468

Roseville, California, USA
Roseville
California
USA

Gender: male

Jet 1642
Rose Engine
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #3 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 1:06pm
 
Here is an article by John Jordan that gives good info.
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or Register
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
Glenn Jacobs
WR Addict
*****
Offline


JC L&S

Posts: 2,077

North DFW, Texas, Texas, USA
North DFW, Texas
Texas
USA

Gender: male

Powermatic 3520C
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #4 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 1:13pm
 
I'll specifically pick crotch of anything. Bradford pear is a nice wood to learn with and spalts with nice colors/lines.

Glenn J.
Back to top
  

Woodworking all my life. Turning since ~93
Glenn+J  
IP Logged
 
David Hill
Senior Member
****
Offline


Using all Texas woods
but prefer Mesquite

Posts: 492

Cuero, Texas, USA
Cuero
Texas
USA

Gender: male

Nova 1624
Laguna 18/47
Robust American Beauty
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #5 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 6:35pm
 
All good points above.
Since it's  "just me" harvesting trees I cut my logs anywhere from 30 inches to 4 ft long depending on size (diameter--big ones are heavy). I protect my back &  I use a dolly and ramps to get my "harvest" up into the trailer.  This size makes it oh so much easier to move around/stack.  Later on I'll pick a log, slab it with chainsaw then on to the bandsaw & lathe.
I'm not planning to make boards & don't let anyone give a hard time about cutting them like that--after all they're not the ones doing the work.
Back to top
  

Everyday liberating nice things from ordinary chunks of wood---and I like gnarly wood, the outcome is nearly always better than the start.
 
IP Logged
 
Tony Gomez 2
Active Member
***
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 187

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
USA

Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #6 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 11:18pm
 
thank you guys for all the tips -well I plan on making a lot of bowls and carving mallets  from bois d'arc/osage orange  I collected -it is not quite as heavy as lignum vitae or Ironwood but darn it is hard and heavy  - yeah I understand the protect the back thing -I had a piece of log that was over 25 inches in diameter  and a foot tall - it weighed over 100 to 125  lbs and it was all I had to get  it in the back of my little truck -I cut splitting  guides about an inch deep  on the log using  a chain saw , and then used a sledge hammer and wedge and split the log in 4 pieces -  tommorow I am going to cut the 4 pieces into 8 and trim them up some more and coat the ends....but thank you for the responses!
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
Tony Gomez 2
Active Member
***
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 187

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
USA

Re: inquiring minds want to know Pass up Walnut?
Reply #7 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 11:28pm
 
is that because it is the most common wood ? or it is so common the poor people burn it as firewood in your area ? Here in Oklahoma - the Bradford Pear  seems to be the tree of choice to meet the homeowners association  requirement to have a tree in the front yard - but the Bradford pear is not robust enough to stand the vigors of an ice storm that plagues us - a coating of ice less than a 1 inch or so is enough to bring the tree down
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
Register To Remove Ads
John Cepko
Senior Member
****
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 491

Pasadena, Maryland, USA
Pasadena
Maryland
USA

Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #8 - Jan 22nd, 2016 at 12:12am
 
Bradford Pear trees are now frowned upon as a yard tree. At one time they were popular, but folks learned about them.
You get them cheap because of this.
You get about 25 years out of a BP before it breaks apart too much to save. The bark grows deep into the crotch, and that makes the branches weak.
The stuff is a dream to turn, though...long ribbon curlies.
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
steve rost
Senior Member
****
Offline


Jigaholic

Posts: 436

Mansfield, Texas, USA
Mansfield
Texas
USA

Gender: male
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #9 - Jan 31st, 2016 at 2:01pm
 
Every crotch will not yeild a great grain pattern.  Collect and cut enough crotches and you will be able to read the grain before you split it and leave behind the poor ones. 
Back to top
« Last Edit: Jan 31st, 2016 at 2:03pm by steve rost »  

One measure of a great craftsman is how well he can hide his mistakes!
 
IP Logged
 
Mark Putnam
Active Member
***
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 119

Houston, Texas, USA
Houston
Texas
USA

Gender: male

Grizzly H8259 10" x 18" benchtop lathe - 1/2hp motor - Speeds: 826, 1205, 1713, 2422, 3337 RPM
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #10 - May 14th, 2016 at 7:50am
 
Good topic, and lots of good advice. I'm down in Houston and am taking the opportunity following our recent storms and flooding to gather up some fallen timber.

I have split lost of the logs in half and painted the ends.

I have read that some turners actually cut out and then turn rough blanks. This supposedly cuts down on drying time. Of course, you have to wait a couple of months and then reshale/refine the final bowl.

Do you all do this?
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
Glenn Roberts
Senior Member
****
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 413

Walworth, NY, New York, USA
Walworth, NY
New York
USA

Gender: male
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #11 - May 14th, 2016 at 8:13am
 
Glenn:  And I'll pass up  Walnut...

Why is that?
Back to top
  

The older I get, the better I was........
WWW  
IP Logged
 
Tony Rozendaal
WR Addict
*****
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 990

East Troy, WI, Wisconsin, USA
East Troy, WI
Wisconsin
USA

Gender: male

Robust AB
Grizzly 12x20 Midi Lathe
Delta 10x16 Mini Lathe
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #12 - May 14th, 2016 at 8:20am
 
Mark Putnam wrote on May 14th, 2016 at 7:50am:
Good topic, and lots of good advice. I'm down in Houston and am taking the opportunity following our recent storms and flooding to gather up some fallen timber.

I have split lost of the logs in half and painted the ends.

I have read that some turners actually cut out and then turn rough blanks. This supposedly cuts down on drying time. Of course, you have to wait a couple of months and then reshale/refine the final bowl.

Do you all do this?


Yes - I and many others do.  The reason that we turn green and turn twice is not only does it cut down drying time, but it also reduces cracking of the final product.  This is the bigger benefit for me, personally.
Back to top
  

Turnin' and learnin'

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or Register
WWW trozendaal  
IP Logged
 
Mark Putnam
Active Member
***
Offline


WR Rocks!

Posts: 119

Houston, Texas, USA
Houston
Texas
USA

Gender: male

Grizzly H8259 10" x 18" benchtop lathe - 1/2hp motor - Speeds: 826, 1205, 1713, 2422, 3337 RPM
Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #13 - May 14th, 2016 at 8:24am
 
Tony Rozendaal wrote on May 14th, 2016 at 8:20am:
Mark Putnam wrote on May 14th, 2016 at 7:50am:
Good topic, and lots of good advice. I'm down in Houston and am taking the opportunity following our recent storms and flooding to gather up some fallen timber.

I have split lost of the logs in half and painted the ends.

I have read that some turners actually cut out and then turn rough blanks. This supposedly cuts down on drying time. Of course, you have to wait a couple of months and then reshale/refine the final bowl.

Do you all do this?


Yes - I and many others do.  The reason that we turn green and turn twice is not only does it cut down drying time, but it also reduces cracking of the final product.  This is the bigger benefit for me, personally.


Do you then have to paint or seal the rough turned b? Won't it crack as the moisture escapes, just like with logs?
Back to top
  
 
IP Logged
 
robo_hippy
WR Addict
*****
Offline



Posts: 3,638

Eugene, OR, USA
Eugene, OR
USA

Re: harvesting wood questions
Reply #14 - May 14th, 2016 at 11:57am
 
The idea with rough turning is that by removing a lot of the mass, there is less stress as it dries, so most of the time, it will warp, but not crack. Dry too fast, it will crack. Dry too slow, and it will mold/rot. Every piece of wood is different, and drying is an art, not really a science.

For walnut, I don't turn it any more, makes me itch and sneeze...

robo hippy
Back to top
  
WWW  
IP Logged
 
Pages: 1 2 3 
Send Topic Print