Texas Mesquite.......

[Odie]

Never turned any Mesquite before, so am looking for information on what to expect.

This piece is kiln dried 6 1/2 x 1 7/8, with some worm activity at the edges.

Fairly plain grin, as was all those being offered, but this one seemed to have the best figure to it.

ooc

 

[David Hill]

Try it.......You'll like it.
I turn it all the time. Sometimes when very dry it'll make dust with chips. It sands very well and takes finishes without problems. As for the live-ins--ya never know what your going to get once you get into the blank.
If you decide you like it, I may be persuaded to get some going your direction. I've seen what WC and other stores have sometimes & they look kind of "plain Jane".

 

[Charlie Knighton]

you may want to make a road trip....suggest a pickup load

 

[Bill Boehme]

The majority of what I turn is mesquite. I prefer turning green mesquite not only for the usual reasons, but also because it is very stable and can be turned to completion without the usual drying that other woods require. The exception would be precision things like boxes. Dry mesquite produces a lot of dust when turned and if I don't use my Airstream, I get a severe headache and sinusitis. The color and figure can vary tremendously. The ugliest piece of mesquite often produces the most beautiful wood. Often, I find that the borers are great collaborators in the design of a piece. Ring shake is fairly common at crotches so listen for sound changes and be prepared to do some filling with epoxy.

 

[allen jay]

mesquite

Try it.......You'll like it.
I turn it all the time. Sometimes when very dry it'll make dust with chips. It sands very well and takes finishes without problems. As for the live-ins--ya never know what your going to get once you get into the blank.
If you decide you like it, I may be persuaded to get some going your direction. I've seen what WC and other stores have sometimes & they look kind of "plain Jane".

mesquite turns very well
green or dry.

if you are putting together a care package heading north wanna drop some off in denver on yrou way??

 

[Mark Mandell]

Hmmmm

Have a 4'x12" mesquite log that Steve Worcester traded me for a section of glow-in-the-dark Jersey Walnut about 5 years ago. It's been sitting at the back of the garage getting nice and bone dry since then. I really should haul it out and spin some . . . Maybe next week . . . 😀

 

[Odie]

Try it.......You'll like it.
I turn it all the time. Sometimes when very dry it'll make dust with chips. It sands very well and takes finishes without problems. As for the live-ins--ya never know what your going to get once you get into the blank.
If you decide you like it, I may be persuaded to get some going your direction. I've seen what WC and other stores have sometimes & they look kind of "plain Jane".

OK, thanks to all who responded.......

I purchased the piece and should have it within a week. David and Bill both mentioned dust when turning dry mesquite wood, and this piece is kiln dried......so will be using the Airstrem.

Of course, David......I'm always interested in wood and I certainly thank you for the thought, but to tell the truth, I don't bother much with plain wood, only the most figured wood is what I am looking to purchase. (I've got lots of "plain Jane" wood already) This piece I bought is bordering on the edge of "plain" but was the best I saw in the lot. The worm holes are a plus. I've been purchasing bowl turning blanks for over twenty years now, and won't have a need for a lot of extra stock. I probably have 500+ bowl blocks in storage right now......all part of my "retirement plan"! (nine months and counting!)😀

ooc

 

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

even the most plain piece of mesquite makes for a beautiful bowl.

 

[Steve Worcester]

I am always suspect of anything thick and kiln dried. Usually it is forced through the kiln and that results in very odd stress and drying. But, Mesquite is the only sod that I know of that dries in a 1:1 ratio. So even wet, lacking sapwood, worms, inclusions and branchlets, bowls tend to stay very round as the dry.

Dry Mesquite is hell on tools. High silica content and usually a lot of sand in it because of the soil it grows in. Grows very slow unless it is in a river bank.

 

[Mark Mandell]

I am always suspect of anything thick and kiln dried. Usually it is forced through the kiln and that results in very odd stress and drying. But, Mesquite is the only sod that I know of that dries in a 1:1 ratio. So even wet, lacking sapwood, worms, inclusions and branchlets, bowls tend to stay very round as the dry.

Dry Mesquite is hell on tools. High silica content and usually a lot of sand in it because of the soil it grows in. Grows very slow unless it is in a river bank.

I'll save the shavings for the BBQ.

How that walnut work out for you?

 

[Steve Worcester]

I'll save the shavings for the BBQ.

How that walnut work out for you?

Long gone, long forgotten. My memory is bad, until you mentioned it previously, I had forgotten.

 

[John Tisdale]

Two types of mesquite

I turn lots of large mesquite. In N. Texas it's not too hard to find 20"-dia trees - the best is where it starts branching - a facegrain turning that contains sapwood can be attractive.
I also turn mistletoe burl mesquite that I get in S. Texas - if you take a close look at my avatar, it's the piece with the sharp shoulder. Be careful turning this stuff - I've only had one blow but I understand a well known turner had some facial damage. Maybe the advantage of large diameter is you rarely get to 400-rpm - this stuff is never balanced.
With the exception of some small ironwoods, mesquite is the hardest wood in N. America. But it's also the most stable with a radial and tangential in the 3%.
Final cuts should be with a pristine edge - sharp is not good enough. Go slow and take fine cuts. Sanding on the lathe is a no-no if you have sapwood - a shallow spot is guaranteed.
It's a great wood to turn but you be talking to yourself before you're done.
I'd love to send some pics but I never been able to attach a pic to my replys.
John

 

[Odie]

I turn lots of large mesquite. In N. Texas it's not too hard to find 20"-dia trees - the best is where it starts branching - a facegrain turning that contains sapwood can be attractive.
I also turn mistletoe burl mesquite that I get in S. Texas - if you take a close look at my avatar, it's the piece with the sharp shoulder. Be careful turning this stuff - I've only had one blow but I understand a well known turner had some facial damage. Maybe the advantage of large diameter is you rarely get to 400-rpm - this stuff is never balanced.
With the exception of some small ironwoods, mesquite is the hardest wood in N. America. But it's also the most stable with a radial and tangential in the 3%.
Final cuts should be with a pristine edge - sharp is not good enough. Go slow and take fine cuts. Sanding on the lathe is a no-no if you have sapwood - a shallow spot is guaranteed.
It's a great wood to turn but you be talking to yourself before you're done.
I'd love to send some pics but I never been able to attach a pic to my replys.
John

Thanks, John....... would love to see those pics!

My piece of mesquite, was a disappointment, so far. Even though it showed a MC of only 14%, it developed some end checking in a few days that I didn't monitor it. The seller didn't wax the blank, but I've never had any problems with any wood with this low an MC before this, so I was caught off guard with this one. It would have been better If I had waxed the ends myself.....but, you know about hind sight! I've since roughed it and am monitoring the weight, but it's now been considerably reduced in size......darn it! 🙁

ooc

 

[egsiegel]

Thanks, John....... would love to see those pics!

My piece of mesquite, was a disappointment, so far. Even though it showed a MC of only 14%, it developed some end checking in a few days that I didn't monitor it. The seller didn't wax the blank, but I've never had any problems with any wood with this low an MC before this, so I was caught off guard with this one. It would have been better If I had waxed the ends myself.....but, you know about hind sight! I've since roughed it and am monitoring the weight, but it's now been considerably reduced in size......darn it! 🙁

ooc

Strange...
My experience with mesquite is that it is very stable even when freshly cut. No warping, movement, or checking.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

My experience with mesquite is that it is very stable even when freshly cut. No warping, movement, or checking.

my experience also, BUT, Odie's one piece was bought off ebay and shipped. if it stayed in a hot trailer for some time before delivery anything can happen. when I brought mesquite back from texas I left the windows open in the truck canopy the whole time, rain or shine.

 

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

Thanks, John....... would love to see those pics!

My piece of mesquite, was a disappointment, so far. Even though it showed a MC of only 14%, it developed some end checking in a few days that I didn't monitor it. The seller didn't wax the blank, but I've never had any problems with any wood with this low an MC before this, so I was caught off guard with this one. It would have been better If I had waxed the ends myself.....but, you know about hind sight! I've since roughed it and am monitoring the weight, but it's now been considerably reduced in size......darn it! 🙁

ooc

I think you should complain to the seller - kiln dried wood should be lower in MC than 14% - that's near our equilibrium moisture content for most of south Texas.

Maybe they took green wood and dried it to 14% thinking that was good enough.

or maybe you got rooked.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I seriously doubt that the mesquite was kiln dried -- I live in Texas and on the rare occasions that a dealer gets mesquite lumber it is always air dried. For the most part, people cut their own mesquite here or knows somebody who has access to some. Furthermore, I would strongly advise against getting kiln dried mesquite. The reason is simple -- kiln drying is OK for construction lumber, but trying to force dry a dense wood like mesquite just means the outside will be over dried while the interior will still be wet. While mesquite is among the most stable of woods when it comes to warping, it still can get ring shake which resembles checking. I have become sensitized to dust from dry mesquite so I avoid it as much as possible. Turning green mesquite is like turning butter. If you don't mind a slight bit of warp, you can turn green mesquite to completion in one session. Alternatively, you can rough turn it to slightly more than final size and let it dry for a couple weeks before finish turning. Wear HEPA dust protection. I made the mistake of sometimes not wearing adequate dust protection because I was going to do "just a little bit of detail work" that would only take a few minutes. Really dumb mistake and I knew better.

 

[egsiegel]

For the most part, people cut their own mesquite here or knows somebody who has access to some.

My source for Mesquite, huisahie, and pecan from Texas dried up when the guy's wife kicked him out and burned his stash of lumber. 🙁
he used to fill a USPS "fixed rate" box with one large piece and then fill it in with pen blank size pieces.

If anyone has any interest is selling some with a similar deal, I'd be interested in buying some blocks.

 

[John Tisdale]

Reply to Okie's and Bill's post

I think you are correct - kiln drying mesquite, unless the kiln schedule is set for months instead or hours/days, has to create problems. Mesquite is the hardest, and one of the most dense, in N. America - air drying or long term in a dehumidified room is the best.

Regarding Odie's problems with 14% - to make that statement I assume you have a moisture meter. I use a Lignomat "pin-type" but I stopped using the pins. As all I turn is large-dia hollow-form, I boil every piece after rough turning (except mesquite) - I put it in the dehumidified room in a sealed cardboard box with a computer fan to equalize the inside of the turning with the outside - here it stays for a couple of months minimum.

At this time I'll pull it out, drill two tiny holes spaced exactly like the pins on the meter, and drive two 18-guage 7/8 brads to about 3/4". I built a cable for my Lignomat - two 22-awg wires with the little gold-plated banana-connectors on one end (mates with the receptacles on the meter) and small alligator clips on the other. I clip on to the 1/8" exposed brad-head and take a reading - very different from a reading you will get with the pins - always shows higher MC.

Two little lessons learned:
1) use a drill only a thousandth or two under the brad dia - it still gives a good reading and as the wood continues to dry from, maybe 20% to 6%, it will shrink around the brad - too small a hole and you can break the brad when pulling. Explaining that little shiny spot to gallery goers can be fun.
2) Install the brad after the two months of initial drying in the box - my goal is to get 20%MC or a bit less before pulling the piece out of the box and into the room for more aggressive drying. If you install the brad when the piece is wet (50%+ MC), it only corrodes more and gets tighter.

The above is for all the woods I turn. A great resource is Gene Wengert's white paper on the Lignomat site.

Regarding mesquite, the heartwood is not the most interesting - to my thinking, it's the bark-inclusions, sapwood inclusions, negative space, and maybe a worm hole or two that can give a piece character. Mesquite will typically have a wind-shake or two and some little cracks/check. I know you bowl-boys strive for perfection whereas us vessel-guys have to make do. It is dealing with mesquite attributes/flaws that has made me get familiar with epoxy, epoxy fillers and epoxy dyes. A finished-out bark inclusion becomes the focal point of the piece.

Bowls can be functional - hollow-forms are totally non-functional. To quote Andy Warhol, "I'm a deeply superficial person"
John

 

[John Tisdale]

Oops - Odie, not Okie

I would never call a guy an Okie unless he is from Oklahoma (which means he deserves it).
Regards,
Redneck John

 

[Odie]

I would never call a guy an Okie unless he is from Oklahoma (which means he deserves it).
Regards,
Redneck John

Thanks for your post, John......that would explain things a bit!

I wasn't born in Oklahoma, but my mother is the genuine article.....born and raised in Temple. If it weren't for WW2, she may have always been there in Oklahoma! I did attend OSU out of Stillwater before transferring.......so, the term Okie is highly complimentary to me, and my Mom!

Unless I stumble on some free Mesquite, I probably won't have more of it......just too many really great figured woods out there!

Thanks......

ooc