Ya gotta love Pecan-crete!!!
Hello Peter,
I turn large amounts of Pecan-crete every year... It's one of my favorite local timbers. It turns very well, with little to no problems when turned green. As others have mentioned, it gets *really* hard when it's dry. That's why I was one of the first to coin the phrase "Pecan-crete" many years ago. It reminds me of turning Pecan colored concrete when it's dry.
Having said that, it's a magnificent timber to work with... It spalts beautifully and the larger specimens (like yours) have very beautiful colors in the heartwood. They range from a light caramel color to a deep brown dark chocolate color, running through the heartwood in ribbon swirls.
I use Pecan as one of my primary production timbers for making salad bowls. The full heartwood bowls sell best, but the mixed heartwood/sapwood bowls sell very good as well. I like to work Pecan in the 3' - 6' diameter whenever possible, as the color is better than the younger specimens.
You have a sweet haul there Pete, congrats! Save some of your Pecan-crete and spalt it, you'll love the look... The zone line definition in Pecan is amazing, with very well defined, jet-black lines that frequently feature contrasting sub-colored areas within the zoning. Sweet!
Good luck with your Pecan-crete. You've got a job ahead of you to get both of those logs bucked and roughed out, but that's part of the fun of being a woodturner. BTW, the shavings and off-cuts make good fodder for your B-B-Q, so keep a stash around to satisfy your grill's appetite for a good smoking wood. Pecan creates a sweet smoke in meat, with much less intensity than Oak or Mesquite. It's close to Apple in intensity, but stronger. Take care and all the best to you and yours!
