Got a Little Wood - Easter Egg Time

Vaughn McMillan

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LOML told me today she'd seen some fresh-cut turning wood stacked on the curb about a half mile from our house. (I love that girl...she bird-dogs for turning wood now.) I went by the house this afternoon, and the girl who answered the door said it was there for the taking, so I did. I didn't take all of it, since I could only fit three pieces in my Ranger.

Woodward Elm - 01 800.jpg

It's Siberian Elm, and it looks like the tree was dying, since there are a few punky-looking places. All three pieces are crotches. The big one is about 27" in diameter at the small end.

Woodward Elm - 02 800.jpg

Here's the other end of that one...

Woodward Elm - 04 800.jpg

Here's the big end of the mid-sized crotch. I didn't put the tape on it to see the size, but it'll be plenty big.

Woodward Elm - 03 800.jpg

The smallest one is also pretty big, but small enough that I was able to load it without the lift gate.

Woodward Elm - 05 800.jpg

I wouldn't have been able to roll the big one onto the lift gate had it not been for a couple young guys who drove by just as I was starting to load up. They wanted to also get some of the wood (for camping firewood), and were real happy when I said I didn't want it all. They helped me load my truck, I helped them load theirs, and we had the whole pile gone from the curb in minutes.

Dunno how good elm is to turn, but it was free, and I suspect I can at least get my money's worth out of it. ;)
 
Congrats on the wood. That is a great haul. I turn quite a bit of it here as it turns out to be some really pretty wood especially when finished with like AO or other oil. Kinda smells when turning so don't be surprised. You'll guess the smell when you turn it but is worth turning anyway.
 
1/2 mile away...and only one trip??? :dunno:
Between me and the two other guys, we cleaned 'em out in a single run. Looks like most of the tree had already been hauled away...the smaller, easier to handle pieces were already gone. There were about 7 or 8 big pieces left when we got there, and none when we left. :D
 
Hey Vaughn, if that Siberian Elm is anything line most Elm I have seen, it is pretty stable, dries out very hard and due to cross grain is very strong, (doesn't check or split). Soooo... IF it is like that, you might save some small chunks to make "Plane Knobs" and/or Totes with, and maybe even some Turning Tool or Chisel Handles.:dunno:
 
Vaughn,
If you take that tool box out you'll have more room for wood...:D:D

I don't know anything about Siberian Elm, but I had a 50 ft American elm(or whatever the local elms are called) taken down last year or year before (I'm loosing track of time) that was dead and dropping limbs on my shop... what I've turned so far was pretty nice. It's been laying unprotected in the yard since it was cut and I think some of it has been attached by ants... so I need to get busy or I'm going to lose a lot of it.
 
nice hall:thumb:

Dunno about that Chuck, but that is sure one nice haul of wood Vaughn!
:D

That wood is the stuff I'm making my back bench out of, they call it "Aki Tamo" here which translates as "Red Ash" but it is actually "Siberian Elm" :dunno:

It is a close cousin to the Japanese/Chinese Elm that I love to hate, called "Keyaki"

A tip on turning Elm, don't let it get super dry to finish turn, about 12% MC is where you want to finish turn it, if you let it get completely dry, you will have a bear of a time finishing turning it, it WILL dull your #80 grit gouge in a hurry..... :eek:

Yep, Nice Haul! :clap:
 
Congrats Vaughn! I've turned quite a bit of elm. As others said, it smells when turned. Can't wait to see what yours ends up like!
 
Thanks for the info about elm, guys. :thumb: It's gonna have to work pretty hard to out-smell me. :p

...Hey, that lift gate is cool, did you install it specifically for collecting wood?
The truck used to be my dad's and he had the lift gate installed to handle my mom's electric wheelchair/scooter. When Mom passed away, Dad decided I needed the truck more than he did. (I had mentioned to him that I was thinking about getting a used pickup for a lumber hauler, and he said he knew of one that had just become available.) So when he offered it to me, I jumped at the chance. The lift gate has been a great help to me and my worn-out back. I don't use the truck a lot, but when I do, it sure is handy. I send my dad pics every time I get a good load like this...he gets a feeling of accomplishment out of it. ;)

I hope to get this stuff cut up today...I'll post pics when it happens.
 
I started cutting up the elm today, and I figured I'd show off what was hiding inside.

Here's the mid-sized piece. That's a 24" bar on my saw.

Woodward Elm - 06 800.jpg

And a bit closer look...

Woodward Elm - 07 800.jpg

Here's the little one...

Woodward Elm - 08 800.jpg

And another detail shot...

Woodward Elm - 09 800.jpg

And here's one half of the big one. The other half looks the same. ;) It's about the same width as the mid-sized pieces, but deeper...

Woodward Elm - 10 800.jpg

And the collection...

Woodward Elm - 11 800.jpg

As you can see, it's all pretty worthless. I guess it'll make OK firewood, though. :rofl:

There was no smell that I noticed so far. (Must be all these years of living with myself.) The biggest pieces will max out at about 19" to 20" in diameter. Looks like I might get to use the dropped extension bed on the PM. (Dang, I just moved it to the upper position a couple months ago. :doh:Makes it handy to just slide the tailstock out of the way instead of removing it.) I'm pretty sure the McNaughton rig is going to get a workout, too. ;)
 
As you can see, it's all pretty worthless. I guess it'll make OK firewood, though. :rofl:

Yep, pretty much looks like heck. The way I figure it, you'd be better off just packing it up and shipping it all off to the wrong coast! ;)

Seriously, that looks like a lot of fun to me. Can't wait to see what you decide to make... :thumb:

Thanks,

Bill
 
Yep, pretty much looks like heck. The way I figure it, you'd be better off just packing it up and shipping it all off to the wrong coast! ;) ...

Based on an estimated 150 to 200 pounds, I could ship one of the big ones to you for a mere $350 via UPS. :p
 
Based on an estimated 150 to 200 pounds, I could ship one of the big ones to you for a mere $350 via UPS. :p

I will be happy to answer on Bill's behalf. Yes please ship it to him (at his expense) and I will drive around the beltway and pick it up from him.

It is a win-win-win situation. You get rid of that nasty firewood, Bill lowers his income and therefore tax position, and I get some beautiful wood to turn. See Win - Win - Win. :rofl:
 
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