dead box elder tree

[Alan Carter]

A neighbor has a dead box elder tree in their back yard and said I could have it if I want it. It's been dead for several years and all the bark is gone. The trunk and some of the limbs have a spiral twist to them, and there are a few cracks along its length. The trunk is about 24" diameter. I think.

My questions are: Does the fact that it's been dead for some time and is still standing have a major impact on the quality and integrity of the wood for turning purposes? In other words, is it possible that it's dried out so much that it'll just fall apart when you turn it, or that the cracks and checks will create major problems? Is the spiraling common to box elder or do I have something really amazing here?

The neighbors don't want to cut down the entire tree as they are letting the woodpeckers bang their heads against it instead of boring through other trees or the siding on the neighboring houses. (which they've tried to do on our house) They would allow the cutting off of several large limbs and part of the trunk.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[MichaelMouse]

If it's standing it will be in better shape than if it were lying down. Boxelder isn't very durable. It's certainly not dried out so bad that it will fall apart, but you will have to be selective in your slabbing to avoid radial checks which have formed since the loss of the bark.

Limb wood can have some nice figure in it, but it will be less predictable in its movement than the main stem, where the load has been mostly down. The term "reaction wood" is worth looking at.

Sounds like your neighbor is willing to let you do the limbing his insurance company would require. Though it's more likely they would deny a claim for a known dead "pet" falling, he should at least protect himself, his family and guests from the hazards of falling branches, regardless the woodpeckers. Put some suet out and get that hazard down to size. It won't be the nicest wood, but the best wood will be nice.