Eastern Redbud

[Kent Reisdorph]

The redbuds are in bloom. I knew I had a few, but they are just about impossible to find after they bloom. They stand out like a store thumb when in bloom. I found some 4" trees. Not very exciting. I found a bigger one on my neighbor's place. Then today I noticed two new bloomers. Big for redbud. I didn't have a tape measure but it looks like one is 12" and the other maybe 14". As it turns out, these are both right on my property line. If I decide to cut one down (one of them had woodpecker holes in it) I'll have to discuss with the neighbors. Anyway, here are the two big ones.


I think I could justify cutting down the one on the left since the main branch above the crotch is mostly dead.

 

[Paul Paukstelis]

Don't look at it wrong or it will start cracking.

 

[R Henrickson]

Don't look at it wrong or it will start cracking.

Amen! I tried turning it a few times. Cracking was a dire problem. Haven't tried again in years.

 

[Don Stephan]

Wood as gorgeous as its spring blooms. Drying slowly in paper bags on concrete floor, pith facing bowls generally dried crack free, bark facing bowls every one had multiple cracks.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

a store thumb

I didn't know that stores had thumbs.
If they are prone to checking then maybe they would do better as a once turned piece that is thin enough that it will distort instead of checking. The smaller diameter pieces would maybe be good for a thin walled goblet turned with the pith in, but you would probably need to have a wall thickness of about 1/32" (.03125 or 0.8mm). I have done hundreds of goblets in most of the woods available in my area and black cherry or chokecherry will distort nicely, however I don't think there is any redbud around my neck of the woods so you would have to experiment yourself.

 

[R Henrickson]

If they are prone to checking then maybe they would do better as a once turned piece that is thin enough that it will distort instead of checking. The smaller diameter pieces would maybe be good for a thin walled goblet turned with the pith in, but you would probably need to have a wall thickness of about 1/32" (.03125 or 0.8mm). I have done hundreds of goblets in most of the woods available in my area and black cherry or chokecherry will distort nicely, however I don't think there is any redbud around my neck of the woods so you would have to experiment yourself.

When I tried turning freshcut redbud, thin-walled goblets were one of the things I tried. They cracked. There are so many other woods to use, it isn't worth my time to try again.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

When I tried turning freshcut redbud, thin-walled goblets were one of the things I tried. They cracked. There are so many other woods to use, it isn't worth my time to try again.

There are many factors involved with successfully turning a thin walled goblet:

1. healthy wood
2. green as green can be
3. no pre drying
4. finish in one session
5. finish the inside first to a nice smooth contour
6. sand the inside with wet or dry paper if necessary
7. do the outside in stages including sanding, it will dry and distort as you work it
8. note the crack in this northern red oak one that I was able to finish.
9. These black cherry goblets show the extent of the possible distortion
10. The challenge is what makes it worth your time.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Thanks for the comments, all. I have not seen redbud yet, let alone turned it. I wasn't aware of the cracking issue. It's one for the bucket list. @Don Wattenhofer, I have seen your goblets in the past. It's definitely something I want to try.

 

[DON FRANK]

Kent, they have a tendency to become hollow when they get bigger and get filled with carpenter ants. I cut a huge one that was all burled up on the outside only to find it was hollow and filled with dirt. That is tough on chainsaw chains but especially bandsaw blades

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Kent, they have a tendency to become hollow when they get bigger and get filled with carpenter ants. I cut a huge one that was all burled up on the outside only to find it was hollow and filled with dirt. That is tough on chainsaw chains but especially bandsaw blades

Thanks for that, Don. We definitely have carpenter ants.

 

[Steve Gray]

I, too, have had cracking issues with redbud. Looking forward to adding pewas to my repertoire as I have a 12" rough turned anchor sealed paper-bagged redbud ready to second turn cracks and all. Granted all redbud I've harvested has been spring or summer storm-downed wood. Anyone had success boiling redbud?

 

[robo hippy]

Only turned it a few times. Not very common out here in Oregon. I did get one once that was almost 12 inch diameter. It was kind of stringy. I do turn to final thickness. Mine did not crack. I did have some American Yellow wood, and it almost turned into toothpicks. I guess that is common for the yellow wood trees.

robo hippy

 

[John K Jordan]

I love redbud and never found it a problem. Of course, I don't turn green - I cut blanks and air dry them properly before turning.
It's everywhere here and some are fairly good sized, but I don't know of any 12" in dia on my property.

I did have some American Yellow wood, and it almost turned into toothpicks. I guess that is common for the yellow wood trees.

What is "yellow wood"? The wood database lists a number of trees with the word "yellow" in the name but I don't see any named "american yellow wood". Is that a local name for some species?

JKJ

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Yellowwood a fairly rare tree with very limited range. Wikipedia calls it one of the rarest trees in North America. The bark looks like beech or the dreaded Tree of Heaven.

Cladrastis kentukea - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Edit: The Kentucky Forestry department does these "tree of the week" videos. They are usually about 5 minutes in length and give a decent overview of the tree. Here's the one on yellowwood:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA-_JL1kdPY

 

[Bill T Tucker]

Kent, thanks for the vid, recognized the flowers.

 

[Paul Paukstelis]

I got some yellowwood from @Jeff Struewing . That stuff cut like butter. Probably the nicest surface finish I've ever gotten off the gouge.

 

[John K Jordan]

Yellowwood a fairly rare tree with very limited range. Wikipedia calls it one of the rarest trees in North America. The bark looks like beech or the dreaded Tree of Heaven.

Cladrastis kentukea - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Edit: The Kentucky Forestry department does these "tree of the week" videos. They are usually about 5 minutes in length and give a decent overview of the tree. Here's the one on yellowwood:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA-_JL1kdPY

Wow, that’s got to be one of the best videos I’ve seen describing a tree species. I’ll pay more attention this year to the flowers, seeds, bark and leaves. Thanks, Now I want to look for more of their videos.

It’s a bit funny when the narrator describes the wood being used for “small specialty carved items” while showing a couple of turned bowls.

As rare as they say it is, I’d hate to cut or use any unless it was down for some good reason.

JKJ

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Wow, that’s got to be one of the best videos I’ve seen describing a tree species. I’ll pay more attention this year to the flowers, seeds, bark and leaves. Thanks, Now I want to look for more of their videos.

It’s a bit funny when the narrator describes the wood being used for “small specialty carved items” while showing a couple of turned bowls.

As rare as they say it is, I’d hate to cut or use any unless it was down for some good reason.

JKJ

I've watched pretty much all of those videos. Agree on the flowers for yellowwood. Should be easy enough to spot come June.

 

[John K Jordan]

Agree on the flowers…Should be easy enough to spot come June.

Getting further off topic about various trees, anyone familiar with the Golden Rain Tree? Classified as an invasive, it is easily controlled by mowing as a yard tree. In June it makes a incredible display of color. Be as a beekeeper, I’m fascinated by how it attracts honey bees. For one month starting in mid June the three is full of many thousands of bees from before sunup until dusk. I once counted 7 species of bees in the tree buy probably missed a bunch more. And when the flower petals drop, it’s a magical “golden rain” under the tree.

The one by our deck presented a perfect opportunity to get some difficult macro shots of the bees - everything was moving, the flowers, the bees, and me! (I shot over 400 photos to get six shots with good framing and focus!)





JKJ

 

[robo hippy]

A local arborist who became a friend, go figure....., got me some, and it all shattered. I did a walk through the U of Oregon Campus with the University arborist and they had a couple of Yellow wood trees. I have heard of the Golden Rain tree, but I have not gotten my hands on any.

robo hippy

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

A local arborist who became a friend, go figure....., got me some, and it all shattered. I did a walk through the U of Oregon Campus with the University arborist and they had a couple of Yellow wood trees. I have heard of the Golden Rain tree, but I have not gotten my hands on any.

robo hippy

The genus for Yellowwood, Cladrastis, translates to "brittle branch."

 

[Jeff Struewing]

I got some yellowwood from @Jeff Struewing . That stuff cut like butter. Probably the nicest surface finish I've ever gotten off the gouge.

That wood came from a neighbor's large tree that was knocked down by a dying white oak, but we have a smaller one grown from a sapling that is a star in the garden