the splitin of a joined limb area in a tree!!!!

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
ok yu spinny folk, i got guy wanting a couple of walnut crotches??? no problem got a few handy,, but how do you cut them for you spinny guys.. i have got two chunks made for this guy outa walnut crotch and tried to get all the pith off.. but if yu cut it one way you get a nice feather look but if you cut 90 degrees differnt you get a big slingshot looking thing., which is the pic showed on bill grumbines 2 cd...:) so any pics i am kinda dense sometimes:)
 
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crotch cutun???

I'd say, Larry, a basic cut like Chas Jones did on the piece he posted should work. As for the Pith, I don't think I'd worry about that. Let them do that part.

Aloha, Tony

P.S., Thanks again for the Box Elder. I am going to core it out to make more than one item from it.
 
Larry, for the crotches I've cut up, I just split the slingshot into two matched slingshots. Something like this...

Start:

Woodward Elm - 03 800.jpg

Finish:

Woodward Elm - 08 800.jpg

These two pics are not of the same chunk of wood, but I think they'll give enough of an idea what I'm doing.
 
thats what i thought vaughn but the purty grain goes away fast, and what about the inclusions that are usually there in the crotch? woops for you this doesnt apply you turn porus stuff all the time:)
 
Yep, the feathering sometimes isn't very deep. That's why you probably see a more feathered crotchwood platters than bowls or hollow forms. The inclusions are sort of a gamble. Sometimes they are a problem, and other times they aren't. In the attached example, I should be able to get a nice piece with no inclusions if I center the piece like this:

Woodward Elm - 09 Annotated 800.JPG

Although this PDF doesn't show how to cut up a crotch, there's some good info here about different ways to get a bowl or hollow form blank out of a log:

http://www.woodturnersresource.com/extras/projects/Log_to_turn_Object.pdf

To give due credit, this was apparently a handout by Todd Hoyer from years ago, but my buddies over at Woodturner's Resource have it in their reference library now.
 
Thanks Vaughn. I have come across some pieces at the local recycling and compost dump and that will help me decide how to turn them.:thumb: I really need more time to be able to broaden my internet research. ;)
 
Crothch Cuttun???

Vaughn,

Do you make your crotch cuts with a chain saw or do you bring it to a band saw?

Chuck, if the crotch is small enough you could cut it on the bandsaw, but most of the time it too large. That makes the chainsaw the only tool for the job. Not the easiest cut to make but it will at least remove the worst of the pith if you are a good aim. The cut face then becomes the bottom of the piece that is to be turned. That way you keep the bulk of the figure instead of putting it all on the floor. Wish I hadn't had to learn that lesson the hard way a couple of times.

I made this comment the other day but I think I must have forgotten to hit the post button. Seems I do that once in a while.
 
Vaughn,

Do you make your crotch cuts with a chain saw or do you bring it to a band saw?

Doug nailed it. I don't think I could lift a lot of the crotch pieces I've found onto the bandsaw, but even if I could, I'd need a 24" or bigger capacity. The pieces in the pics I posted were cut with a 24" bar on my chainsaw.
 
Bernie,

Boy that sounds like it would hurt... I am going to the farm store tomorrow and buy a pair of 9 layer chaps... :rofl:
 
Doug, Vaughn and Bernie,

Thanks for the info. I’m brand new at this and am still trying to get some knowledges. I gave my chain saw to a friend when I sold my cabin a few years back. He since has moved and now has a gas fireplace, so I think I’ll ask him if he uses it, and if not, maybe ask for it back.
 
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