Need Some Help On Harvesting Logs

[jpscroller]

I am very new to turning and right now am just trying to find some wood to turn. After putting a few feelers out, I have a couple of questions:

1. I have the chance to get a sycamore tree that hat been dead for about a year. Is it still good? Same thing with an elm tree, will either of these be worth harvesting and are there special instructions to follow?

2. A friend of mine is ready to cut down his walnut tree, and being new to turning, I have been reading some articles on how to prepare those blanks. My question is about the bigger limbs. Do they need to be split to avoid the pith or is there a pith in limbs?

Any other advice on preparing the walnut would be appreciated as well.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Griesbach]

Jeff,
The dead trees should be fine if they are only dead a year, however, they may also be hollow in some areas of the main trunk.

Cut bowl blanks from a log section cut a bit longer than the swing on your lathe to allow for some trimming if the log sections develop splits. Lay that log on it's side and saw the pith out by cutting down through the bark side. Cutting this way, length wise, is easier on you and the saw and chain than cutting down through the end grain. Cut down on both sides of the pith but don't cut all the way through. If you desire to cut a flat on the out side of the log do this now and cut all the way through, then cut the rest of the pith cuts through. Trim the corners with the chain saw now or cut the blanks round on a band saw.

Pith exists in all parts of the tree from the trunk to the smallest twigs. The walnut should be sent to me 😉 .

If you can find a copy of Bill Grumbine's video, I think it's called "Turning bowls the easy way" he demonstrates the blank prep quite well, among other processes. His web site also shows the process.

If you haven't yet, join your nearest AAW chapter where you will find lots of friendly and helpful turners and this will accelerate your learning and pleasure in this wonderful craft.

 

[Richard Baker]

No, no! The nasty ole walnut should be sent to ME. You need a trained and certified walnut disposal technician.

 

[dkulze]

If you guys don't mind, quit poaching on my territory. If you look back, you'll see that I'm the guy who started the whole "send it to me cause it's dangerous" thing, so back off. :mad:

And, Jeff, send it to me cause it's dangerous (the walnut).

As to the rest, as long as it's not rotten to the point that you can easilly jamb a screwdriver 1/4-1/2 inch in or so, it's fine to turn.


Dietrich

 

[Hugh]

My biggest rule now with harvesting wood is: Don't cut chunks of wood that can not be moved easly. Too large of chunks of wood can hurt the back. I found this out a number of years ago when I was getting gready with the size of the wood I was cutting. A hand truck for moving large chunks is a great help.
Hugh

 

[Jeff Jilg]

Dietrich - what if he's too far away....he could always just send it to me, I've never turned any free walnut. Actually I've never turned any walnut for that matter.

Jeff - if the wood is soft, be careful when you are turning it. It could come off the lathe or chunks could come off depending on how soft it is. Always wear a faceshield when turning.

The pith is basically the smallest growth rings near the center of a branch or in the trunk.

 

[pencheff]

Dietrich - what if he's too far away....he could always just send it to me, I've never turned any free walnut. Actually I've never turned any walnut for that matter

<gasp!> What do you po' Texans turn then Jeff? When I wanna turn some walnut or cherry or nice red oak I just step out back and yank a piece out of the firewood pile. I lucked out the other day and found a piece of incredibly spalted maple. Made a nice lidded box.

And unlike the weird-o splintery oak you guys seem to have "down that way" our Pennsylvania oak turns like a dream.

 

[Steve Worcester]

And unlike the weird-o splintery oak you guys seem to have "down that way" our Pennsylvania oak turns like a dream.

Nah, the only thing Oak is good for is whiskey barrels (and Tequila barrels).

 

[Bill Boehme]

<gasp!> What do you po' Texans turn then Jeff?

We turn Mesquite!! Walnut is what the poor unfortunates have to resort to when they don't have mesquite.

I feel so much sympathy for you have-nots that I would be willing to swap some prize mesquite for some of that trash walnut.😀

Bill

 

[underdog]

Just wondering where JP Scroller is from?

You can always peruse the AAW club page and find a chapter club nearby. Usually contacting the club is good for a few helping hands in exchange for some wood.

I had three trees in my yard that needed to come down and got the president of our club to cut them down for me in exchange for some of the wood. I moved all the branches and did the cleanup of course, but I now have some Cherry, Pear, and Plum for turning...

Of course it's not as easy as it used to be. I was pretty sore for several days. I gotta get out from behind this desk more often... 🙄

 

[Mark Mandell]

We turn Mesquite!! Walnut is what the poor unfortunates have to resort to when they don't have mesquite.

I feel so much sympathy for you have-nots that I would be willing to swap some prize mesquite for some of that trash walnut.😀

Bill

So, ah, Bill.

Seems you're either out of good mesquite ("prize" be a euphamism for odious 😛 junk?), or slumming, or both.

Which is it? 😀

PS: Got a fair passel of walnut sittin' around, with more on the way. If you got some of that truly prize mesquite I hear Texicans thumping their chests about, without them dinner-for-two critters living in it, that is, just stack'er up and high-tail it up here. I'll be more'n happy to load you up with more than your suspension can take for trade. 😉

 

[Jeff Jilg]

Like Bill said, we're stuck with a bunch of old cruddy mesquite trees. [sigh....]

Unfortunately mesquite isn't easy pickin's like the local tree trimmings. There is some other stuff I've turned locally (free) though:

• American Elm
• Box Elder - rare, but I did get some and gloated about it extensively
• Cedar Elm - my very favorite
• Chinaberry
• Cottonwood - it gets huge here
• Cypress - pretty soft
• Fruit trees - I turned a rockhard plum tree
• Hackberry - which spalts about 2 days after you cut it
• Hickory
• Juniper (locally called "Cedar", but it's nothing like the big NW Cedars)
• Maple - not the best maple here
• Oak - liveoak, redoak, etc
• Osage Orange (aka beau d'arc)
• Pecan - a creamy colored, very hard wood, sometimes called "pecancrete" (concrete) when dry
• Sycamore

Actually there is an English Walnut growing on my small suburban lot, but it is a pretty tree and I'll probably never turn it.

 

[pencheff]

Actually there is an English Walnut growing on my small suburban lot, but it is a pretty tree and I'll probably never turn it.

Your list of available woods sounds great Jeff. I thought mesquite was only used by Kingsford to add flavor to charcoal briquettes?

I have a Black Walnut growing at the corner of my suburban property and I can't wait for one good windstorm to give me an unarguable excuse to have that thing taken down so's I can turn it into something attractive. Every fall it takes me about four or five sessions to rake up all the nuts and twigs this thing drops.

 

[Jeff Jilg]

JP - do you have any more questions along the original topic? We kinda hijacked this thread talking about woods.

Pencheff - I'm not much of a barbeque connoisseur. At least 3 guys have told me locally that they prefer hickory chips over mesquite chips. I couldn't tell you the difference. So when meat gets barbequed at my house it gets either hickory or oak chips (leftovers from turning).

While turning mesquite I noticed it is a very dirty wood. Also it has a lot of tannin. Lemon juice will take that off your hands.

 

[Kenneth Hertzog]

this is to Jeff and Bill
Late last summer a fellow down the road called and said if I did not come and get these walnut logs he was going to FINISH cutting it up for firewood. they had been down most of the summer of 05. needless to say they are in my backyard now. Now for the story. My son lives in Texas and when I was visiting over new years I tried to get some Misquite for turning. Could NOT find one piece of anything. SO if either of you would like some walnut in trade for some misquite I would be willing to ship you some and will make it to the size you want. the logs start out at 12 inch Dia and go to 18 inch.
Ken
Slippery Rock, pa

 

[Bill Boehme]

I suppose that I ought to be flying the Jolly Roger ....

....since it was probably I who hijacked the thread.

Ken, I am afraid that the size of most mesquite can't compare in size to walnut. Also, since bug holes are a natural part of mesquite along with shake, knots, and voids, they are normally featured rather than being avoided. On the positive side, it is one of the most stable domestic woods that can be found and is frequently turned green with little fear of warping or splitting. It also can take a very high polish using nothing more than micromesh due to its hardness.

My brother, also named Ken, who lives in Austin near Jollyville, brought me some green mesquite last week, but forgot to unload it and so it is back in Austin with him. He got it from his pecan farm/ranch/plantation (whatever it is called) outside of Austin along the Colorado River near San Saba. That is a part of Texas where some fairly large mesquite trees can be found. I am looking forward to helping him prune his pecans and getting some nice turning pieces.

Anyway, Ken, if you are interested, I have some fairly dry mesquite and I could box up a piece or two and send them to you. They have been coated with Anchorseal for around two years. Like any other dry wood (and probably even more so) they require sharp tools and a very good dust mask. Just email your address to me at boehme6(at)comcast.net (of course you know to change (at) to @).

Like a dang fool, I have turned way too much mesquite without using a dust mask and now I have become somewhat sensitized to breathing it and most other dry wood dust. Until I get a PAPR, I don't plan to turn any more dry wood of any type. It can be deceptive because sometimes it is so fine that it can't be easily seen.

Bill

 

[jpscroller]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the help. I am from Arkansas. The closest club is probably in Hot Springs which I plan to attend soon. The information on the wood is helpful. I ordered Bill Grumbine's video, and the book Turning Green Wood, so maybe those will get me going.

One other question, what about hickory? Is that good for turning?

Thanks again,

Jeff

 

[Jeff Jilg]

JP - Hickory is great for turning. I have some roughouts that I need to finish. It is a very hard and durable wood. Some of it has some nice figure in it. Pretty much when you get down to it, most woods are good for turning unless they are soft like pine or northern cedar. But those woods get turned too.

Ken - sounds like a great deal from Bill !!

Bill - I also happen to live off of Jollyville! Oh yeah, I forgot to add pecan to the list of stuff I've turned. Updating that post now...