Found wood?

[Dudley]

We cut a red maple down at my parents about two years ago. I went up into their back yard yesterday and found about five or six 2-4 foot logs left. The ends have some nasty cracks and it has been stored on the ground. What are my chances of getting any useable turning stock out of this stuff?

 

[mkart]

good wood?

Start with the longest and cut off a few inches at a time until the checks are gone. The 4 foot logs should still be good if they have not rotted yet. I have purchased 9 foot logs that sat for almost 5 years after being cut and still got usable lumber out of them. Good luck and keep looking for free wood, its everywhere!
Matt

 

[MichaelMouse]

Depends on what you call useful. End checks are a self-limiting phenomenon, which is why Matt says you can trim them off. Radial checks are yet another matter. They're the ones that run from the barkless outside to the heart, or nearly so. If you have radial checks, entire log may be worthless.

After time outdoors, even with the bark intact which fosters spalting, you can be fooled into thinking you have no cracks right up to the point where a bowl blows through a previously unnoticed check in the end grain. Often you have a hint, because the now closed crack is outlined in fungus poop, often you don't. I think unnoticed radial checks are the source of the old "make the bottom as thin as the sides" wives tale. What would normally be under compression while drying if the wood were sound contracts between two preexisting checks.

Oh yes, if you can remove chunks of the lignin-less white spalted areas, pitch it altogether. There are a number of workarounds constantly discussed, none of them particularly high percentage, and you're interested in developing your confidence, not struggling with the unpredictable.

Couple of pictures. First is what you see, second is what gets you. Examine your wood closely.

 

[Griesbach]

Brad,

Consider the information you've already been given, but then give it a go. We had one of the top turners in our chapter take a piece of wood left over from a raffle at a meeting in his shop make a very stunning dish. His point? You can't always tell a book from it's cover.

 

[hockenbery]

Your major issue may be that the wood is too punky(soft from decay)
You never know until you try. On the plus side punky wood often has wonderful spalt lines.
Maple doesn't last very long on ground contact compared to many other woods. However there are so many variables, log diameter, rainfall, ground moisture, sunlight etc .....

Splitting is not likely to be the major issue. You will most likely find pieces large enough to turn.

After cutting off 4-6" from the log end I use the "screwdriver" test.
if I can push a big flat screw driver into the wood a 1/4" with a small effort the wood is too punky to turn well. Probe around to find solid blanks. Most crotocal is finding wood solid enough to hold a lathe mount.

It is quite likely that you will find the ground side of the log too punky but still get usable blanks for the other side. Also the wood under the bark is more likley to be real punky.

You can alway put a small piece between centers and just cut chips. This gives instant feedback on the wood quality and potential as it relates to your current skill level..

Working with punky wood can be a struggle with tearout.
The spalt line or sentimental value may make it worthwhile to try.

Happy turning,
Al

 

[-e-]

after roughing out and you find the wood is punky, you can soak it in a 50/50 solution of white/yellow glue & water. then let it thoroughly dry ... then finish turn it.

some other places to find wood is to follow your local tree harborist around ...

 

[dkulze]

I'd even go so far as to recommend cutting one of the logs in half, lengthwise and along one of the crack lines. This is relatively quick and easy to do with a chainsaw. Don't cut from the end, though, as this is the toughest on the saw. Cut flat into the side of the log. You should see long shavings flying and your saw will likely clog and require multiple cleanings (power off, of course), but this is the easiest on the saw as you're ripping with the grain.

Once you've halved it, you can tell what kind of character the log will have. If it's punky or plain all the way through, go to the next log. If it has some nice spalt or figure, mill it the rest of the way. If it's nice and the cracks go too deep to get good bowl stock, just mill it into spindle stock for handles, bottle stoppers, pens, etc.

And, most of all, have fun! Found wood is the best!

Dietrich

 

[Dudley]

Thanks folks, I'll have to look at it a little closer. I did come across a couple of nice crotch sections of oak today! 😛

They were sitting along a back road in the middle of nowhere. Looks like a tree fell and the power company cut it up. Now I just have to learn how to prepare a crotch section 😕 for turning. Any suggestions?

 

[mkart]

The proper way to cut a crotch will undoubtedly start a long thread. I say with a sharp object. Seriously, I will typically remove the center square from the crotch yielding good figure on all sides. Many guys feel this is a waste since you can cut it lengthwise across the Y and get some good looking feathered blanks of greater size. Don't worry about it. Just keep in mind the best figure is where the two limbs meet and you don't know whats in there until you make the cut.
Matt

 

[Frank Kobilsek]

Just cut until happy

Dudley

Regarding your maple. Just keep cutting until you find piece you like. When I find a log like this I will trim the ends as has been suggested. Then cut into firewood lengths, fortunately my lathe and my fireplace are about the same size. Then saw in half as has been suggested. If I am still hopeful it goes to the band saw until I have pieces for turning. If loose hope of turning the piece it goes on the Firewood pile.

On your crotch section. I have been fooled a couple of times when I found what I thought was crotch but it was actually two trees that grew very close together and then formed the appearence of a crotch. There will be a layer of bark that will seperate as the piece cures.

Frank

 

[Griesbach]

Dudley

There will be a layer of bark that will seperate as the piece cures.

Frank

Or it will fly apart on the lathe. Caution is advised.