Apple box

Isaac Litster · Monday at 3:36 AM

What are the dimensions? How big was the tree? In Alaska we have crabapple but it is small and knarled. I have one log 24" diameter and am wondering if you have any tips for milling box blanks?

John Leinemann · Monday at 12:39 PM

Isaac Litster said:
What are the dimensions? How big was the tree? In Alaska we have crabapple but it is small and knarled. I have one log 24" diameter and am wondering if you have any tips for milling box blanks?

Hello Issac, the box is 2 1/4" in dia. and about 3" tall, so kind of small. That is the approximate size I make most of my boxes. The apple wood I get here is around 16" diameter.
I get most of it from orchards, so they are kept pretty small. Crab apple is one of my favorite woods to work with, but yes it can be small. The logs I get I cut into 3" slabs the best I can and remove the pith in a 3" square. I use that piece for jam chucks. Apple does check a fair bit even when I seal the ends and store it outside. I probably end up with a 50% yield though, I could increase that if I had a drying kiln of some type.

Isaac Litster · Monday at 4:00 PM

John Leinemann said:
Hello Issac, the box is 2 1/4" in dia. and about 3" tall, so kind of small. That is the approximate size I make most of my boxes. The apple wood I get here is around 16" diameter.
I get most of it from orchards, so they are kept pretty small. Crab apple is one of my favorite woods to work with, but yes it can be small. The logs I get I cut into 3" slabs the best I can and remove the pith in a 3" square. I use that piece for jam chucks. Apple does check a fair bit even when I seal the ends and store it outside. I probably end up with a 50% yield though, I could increase that if I had a drying kiln of some type.

Thanks! That is bigger than most boxes I make, though our crabapple is never round, always has wings and voids, and rarely gets bigger than 4-5". That is why I asked about the one large one that I have, which is not local Pacific crabapple, and is from down south in Oregon. It is so rare for my dad and I to get anything that size, which is why I am trying to research the best way to get a good yield for boxes.

Apple box

Isaac Litster

John Leinemann

Isaac Litster

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