Given some wood, now what?

Bill Satko

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Methow Valley
Earlier this week I was informed by my wife that someone she works with had a few trees dropped on their property and wanted us to come over there today and pick out what we wanted.

I am in the midst of a kitchen cabinet project, but we went over there and retrieved these two chunks of Cherry.
Cherry 01.jpg

Cherry 02.jpg
I could get more if I want, but I am busy now and really don't have the room to store them or more importantly the time to mess with them. They also had alder with some great big trunk/limb intersections that looked like they would have some great grain. I might make another trip on another day and retrieve them. I have not really prepared my own bowl blanks at home and really do not have the tools to do it (chainsaw or big enough bandsaw). We recently joined a local turning club, so I am thinking of calling one of the mentors they have for advice. These chunks came from the trunk. Any advice as to what I should be trying to retrieve in terms of raw wood? Please keep in mind I only have a 12" swing.

Well, I need to get to the shop and back working on the kitchen cabinets. I don't want to be sleeping on the couch like Bill Lantry.:(
 
I'm no expert on green prep, but get some sealer on the ends ASAP. Later, when you get off the couch and outta the kitchen :D you can choose how to cut it for whatever you choose but it will be well sealed and dry properly.
 
Bill, I hate to see you have to go to all that work for a few bowls. I'd suggest since you already have it in the pickup truck, just go ahead and drive down I-5 a ways and drop them off at my place. I'll even help you unload them. :D

I'll second Jim's recommendation to seal the ends. If you don't have any wax emulsion sealer like Anchor Seal, slap a couple thick coats of old latex paint on the exposes ends. That'll at least slow down the checking until you decide what to do and how to do it.

And if I was in your shoes, my truck would already be emptied and headed back for some of those crotch pieces you mentioned. That's the gold in the tree, in my opinion.
 
Bill,

First, jump back in that truck and get all you can! ;)

Second, do something to slow the cracking. One time, I didn't have any paint lying around, but I did have some darkened wax I bought by mistake, and used that. Worked like a charm. :wave:

Third, you don't need a chain saw to prepare blanks. I do mine on my 14" bandsaw. It'll work fine, especially if you only have a 12" swing... :thumb:

Thanks,

Bill
 
Bill, I hate to see you have to go to all that work for a few bowls. I'd suggest since you already have it in the pickup truck, just go ahead and drive down I-5 a ways and drop them off at my place. I'll even help you unload them. :D

You would definitely have to help me unload. It took two of us to put them into the truck. They are still in the truck until I decide what to do with them.

I am going to take everyone's advice and treat the ends. I need to fly out of town for the next two weeks and won't have time to do anything else. Thanks to all you for the advice

And if I was in your shoes, my truck would already be emptied and headed back for some of those crotch pieces you mentioned. That's the gold in the tree, in my opinion.

First, jump back in that truck and get all you can! ;)

Ok, now I am feeling like a I threw away the winning lotto ticket. :eek: I think I will have my wife call her friend and put a hold on the crotch pieces until I get back. They plan on splitting them for firewood.:eek:

Give me your address & about 50-60 minutes & I'll help you with that wood Bill.

Thanks for the offer Bart, but like I said, I need to finish my current "honey do" first (the kitchen cabinets). But when I return from my business trip, I may take you up on your offer to help.

Jim, I see you just joined up in August. Welcome to the Family and thanks for you response.:thumb:
 
Between the snow storms and then the rain storms and flooding, I managed to go back and retrieve the crotch pieces. I had thought they were alder, but now I am thinking that they might be Cherry. Any opinions as to what I have here?

They have been bouncing around the back of my truck for a week now and tomorrow I will pull them out and treat the ends.

Wood  01.jpg

Wood  02.jpg
 
Whatever kind of wood it is, those look like some nice pieces. See if one of your turning club mentors might be willing to help you saw some of that up in exchange for a little bit for himself. The big one in the foreground of the second pic looks VERY promising.

Even with a 12" swing, you can benefit from big pieces like that. You can get four smaller blanks out of one big blank. ;)
 
Don't think it is Cherry but looks like birch to me. If you don't have any anchorseal or Green wood sealer go to Wal-Mart and buy some cheap latex paint. I did that when I first started. Paint on two coats. I have some wood that has been stack in my shed now for a couple of years with the paint on it and no cracking.
 
Alder and Birch are pretty closely related, I think. I'd bet it is alder. From the few pics I found on the web, red alder bark looks rather similar to the east coast's white or paper birch.
 
On further reflection, I think Nathan is right. Our red alder can look like that. The only birches that we have in this area are the water birch and paper birch. I will be using the service of our woodturning club (whose monthly meeting I just missed) to help me in cutting this up, as Vaughn suggested. Woodturners really know wood, so the the local mentor will know what it is. I will pass on their verdict when I meet with them.

There are some trees that I can identify as definitely red alder, but there is something else around here that has a couple of differences that make me confused. I am going to be looking out for nature walk they have around here and use it to confirm a few trees that are really bugging me in being able to identify.
 
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