Hello all,

I got a little tired of turning glued-up blanks, so I'm getting myself
ready to grab a swede saw and head into the big forest near my place
to look for interesting deadfall. Though I'm all right at identifying
sawn lumber, I've got a few gaps in my ability to identify types of
trees in the wild (generally, I can only tell by the shape of the
leaves) Does anyone have a link to a quick primer on identifying
deadfall by bark or other characteristics, and/or a primer on handling
green wood for turning (I think I understand most of it, I just want
to brush up a bit) I'm also wondering if any of you folks use
firewood for turning- or is it usually too dry and end-checked to be
of value?

Looking forward to getting some projects on the lathe again- I've been
doing all flatwork since I moved into my new home, and the poor little
guy is looking lonely.

Thanks in advance!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Prometheus wrote:
snip
Does anyone have a link to a quick primer on identifying
deadfall by bark or other characteristics, and/or a primer on handling
green wood for turning (I think I understand most of it, I just want
to brush up a bit) I'm also wondering if any of you folks use
firewood for turning- or is it usually too dry and end-checked to be
of value?
snip

I haven't found a bark ID reference yet that's both portable and
useful. Most I've seen aren't either. Bill Gumbine has a video
out onhis website, http://www.wonderfulwood.com/ that will take
you from log-on-the-ground to bowl-in-your-hand. Standard
disclaimer, yada yada yada. I stock up on fallen wood so that I
don't have to do glue-ups. Makes my wife a bit testy at times,
but she calms down when I make presents on demand.

Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/
PATINA
http://www.Patinatools.org/

Prometheus wrote:
Hello all,

I got a little tired of turning glued-up blanks, so I'm getting myself
ready to grab a swede saw and head into the big forest near my place
to look for interesting deadfall. Though I'm all right at identifying
sawn lumber, I've got a few gaps in my ability to identify types of
trees in the wild (generally, I can only tell by the shape of the
leaves) Does anyone have a link to a quick primer on identifying
deadfall by bark

That's how my dad used to do it. He always shook his head when I
couldn't -- but I did not walk the woods every day..

We have a number of books on trees here. Last time I got one I looked
through it to make sure it had bark characteristics -- it was so-so as I
recall.

Try Lone Pine Publishing -- Trees of Ontario is I believe re-cycled
under another name for US audiences.
http://www.lonepinepublishing.com/

I has a tree for leaves and twigs -- but no tree for bark. No pun intended.

They call a "tree" a "key" - for obvious reasons of avoiding confusion I
guess.



or other characteristics, and/or a primer on handling
green wood for turning (I think I understand most of it, I just want
to brush up a bit) I'm also wondering if any of you folks use
firewood for turning- or is it usually too dry and end-checked to be
of value?

Looking forward to getting some projects on the lathe again- I've been
doing all flatwork since I moved into my new home, and the poor little
guy is looking lonely.

Thanks in advance!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam


--
Will
Occasional Techno-geek

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
I'm also wondering if any of you folks use
firewood for turning- or is it usually too dry and end-checked to be
of value?

Looking forward to getting some projects on the lathe again- I've been
doing all flatwork since I moved into my new home, and the poor little
guy is looking lonely.

Strange you should mention it. Just came in to brew up another cup before
doing just that. In my case, from a neighbor's heap. He got veneer trims,
some of which were 24" or so in length. As the bark was still firm, the end
checks run in about 2-3 inches at most. Makes about 18" available to me,
which is 2" more than the 3000 can handle. I'm cutting circles with the
chainsaw where the depth will exceed the 6 1/4 " available at the bandsaw,
trimming the endgrain to the approximate slope of the remaining long-grain
contour to reduce weight and promote balance.

Aside from that, any split firewood is a potential treasure. Once split, it
loses its tendency toward radial checks as long as the surface is sheltered.
Not uncommon to set aside pieces rather than using them to feed the furnace
at my house.

Check with your county extension service for lists of trees native to your
area, so you can limit your search through whatever book you choose. Field
Guide series are pretty good.

In answer to your last question about turning firewood, I would at least
make sure it's out first since there are already heat issues during
sanding. Just kidding...

I wouldn't be afraid to tackle anything at least once. I've personally
turned some cherry and walnut I grabbed before it got thrown into the
fireplace as well as even getting my hands on some mahogany and some
Spalted and Tiger Maple that was from skids at work.

They turned rather well and the pens I made from them never split from
drying out further.

On one occasion, I brought home a skid that came in under some tools we
imported from Japan. The wood was a tropical hardwood that I couldn't
really identify but it had some great color!









Prometheus wrote in
:

Hello all,

I got a little tired of turning glued-up blanks, so I'm getting myself
ready to grab a swede saw and head into the big forest near my place
to look for interesting deadfall. Though I'm all right at identifying
sawn lumber, I've got a few gaps in my ability to identify types of
trees in the wild (generally, I can only tell by the shape of the
leaves) Does anyone have a link to a quick primer on identifying
deadfall by bark or other characteristics, and/or a primer on handling
green wood for turning (I think I understand most of it, I just want
to brush up a bit) I'm also wondering if any of you folks use
firewood for turning- or is it usually too dry and end-checked to be
of value?

Looking forward to getting some projects on the lathe again- I've been
doing all flatwork since I moved into my new home, and the poor little
guy is looking lonely.

Thanks in advance!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

kcskypilot wrote in message ...
In answer to your last question about turning firewood, I would at least
make sure it's out first since there are already heat issues during
sanding. Just kidding...

I wouldn't be afraid to tackle anything at least once. I've personally
turned some cherry and walnut I grabbed before it got thrown into the
fireplace as well as even getting my hands on some mahogany and some
Spalted and Tiger Maple that was from skids at work.

They turned rather well and the pens I made from them never split from
drying out further.

On one occasion, I brought home a skid that came in under some tools we
imported from Japan. The wood was a tropical hardwood that I couldn't
really identify but it had some great color!
========================
Pallets are a good source of free hardwood. I hear recently (I don't know
the accurracy) that over 70% of the US hardwood went to build pallets. That
sound like an enormous amount, but every thing you buy comes from the
factory on a pallet or in a box. When I worked for a German company, I was
able to get lots of good Black Forest hardwoods from the shipping boxes.
They build great boxes to transport big medical equipment across the
Atlantic. Fire wood can have some great pieces if you learn what to look
for. In the spring in Texas you can follow behind tornadoes and get some
fantastic pieces, and they may even pay you to take it away. They say every
cloud has a silver lining, even those nasty funnel shaped ones. Been lucky
so far this season, just a few tornado watches, but the next 2-3 weeks is
usually the worst for big storms here. Then maybe I can restock my mesquite
pile. :-)

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX.

some trees are easy to id from bark alone (paper birch would be a good
example). most are not. for most species i have not found pictures of bark in
a book to be very helpful. one book that i have found to be verry helpful is
Taunton's "Identifying Wood" by R. Bruce Hoadley. HTH

On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 0:50:19 -0700, neill wrote:

some trees are easy to id from bark alone (paper birch would be a good
example). most are not. for most species i have not found pictures of bark in
a book to be very helpful. one book that i have found to be verry helpful is
Taunton's "Identifying Wood" by R. Bruce Hoadley. HTH

That's not the first time I've heard of that one- I'm going to have to
pick it up, I think. Thanks for all the good replies- now hopefully
work stays slow for another couple of weeks so I can get out there and
hunt for wood!


Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Hello (Find a way)(to find some wood ?)

I do turn wood that was destined to be burned, chipped up or just left
to rot.
I also (pat myself on the back here G ) do know a lot of trees by just
looking at them, bark, shape, twigs and flower and leaf all help to get
the probable answer, still scratch my head often enough though.
Then I use a couple of books I have to get answers and also extend the
number of trees I will recognize.
Two of my favorite books are, The Audubon Society field guide to north
american trees (Comes in a eastern and western region volumes) and my
most favorite one, Trees in Canada, it covers native and introduced
trees in Canada and the northern US, this one is sold by Lee Valley.
It shows growing region, size, shape of trees, flowers,
seeds/berrys/fruit, mature bark and young bark in large pictures, it
also describes the wood in a lot of cases, like weight strength and
color of the wood.
It is a HAVE TO HAVE ONE, and not just for people that work with wood in
the raw, imo.
I get more wood than I can turn, and take some to the monthly turners
club meeting to be raffled of, the city here has a lot where logs are
dumped, and you can find all kinds of wood there, just for the taking,
there is probably some place where the local park or road crews dump
their wood, and that would also be a good place to visit, beside the woods.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Prometheus wrote:
Hello all,

I got a little tired of turning glued-up blanks, so I'm getting myself
ready to grab a swede saw and head into the big forest near my place
to look for interesting deadfall. Though I'm all right at identifying
sawn lumber, I've got a few gaps in my ability to identify types of
trees in the wild (generally, I can only tell by the shape of the
leaves) Does anyone have a link to a quick primer on identifying
deadfall by bark or other characteristics, and/or a primer on handling
green wood for turning (I think I understand most of it, I just want
to brush up a bit) I'm also wondering if any of you folks use
firewood for turning- or is it usually too dry and end-checked to be
of value?

Looking forward to getting some projects on the lathe again- I've been
doing all flatwork since I moved into my new home, and the poor little
guy is looking lonely.

Thanks in advance!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam