Punky Wood
 

I have almost run out of my current stock of Maple. However a neighbor
bequeathed to me a rather large chunk of the same wood. The size is about
24" diam. & 40" high. I did notice that it had a goodly amount of various
mushrooms and fungi growing on it. Now I understand that this may well
indicate a really winderful level of spalting on the inside. OTOH, it may
indicate I have a large chunk of punky wood; the type that is subject to
horrendous tearout and soft as heck. If the latter, what would you folks do
with it, other than build a nice sized fire and cook sweet potatoes in the
coals? Is there any means of saving or using it?

Thanks

Punky Wood
 

Having turned some "Punky wood", I would not Throw it out. You may have
to use sanding sealer or something else while turning it, but the end
result is usually worth the effort.

The Other Bruce
================================================== ===========


Kevin wrote:
I have almost run out of my current stock of Maple. However a neighbor
bequeathed to me a rather large chunk of the same wood. The size is about
24" diam. & 40" high. I did notice that it had a goodly amount of various
mushrooms and fungi growing on it. Now I understand that this may well
indicate a really winderful level of spalting on the inside. OTOH, it may
indicate I have a large chunk of punky wood; the type that is subject to
horrendous tearout and soft as heck. If the latter, what would you folks do
with it, other than build a nice sized fire and cook sweet potatoes in the
coals? Is there any means of saving or using it?

Thanks

Punky Wood
 

In article .com,
wrote:

Having turned some "Punky wood", I would not Throw it out. You may have
to use sanding sealer or something else while turning it, but the end
result is usually worth the effort.

The Other Bruce
================================================== ===========


Kevin wrote:
I have almost run out of my current stock of Maple. However a neighbor
bequeathed to me a rather large chunk of the same wood. The size is about
24" diam. & 40" high. I did notice that it had a goodly amount of various
mushrooms and fungi growing on it. Now I understand that this may well
indicate a really winderful level of spalting on the inside. OTOH, it may
indicate I have a large chunk of punky wood; the type that is subject to
horrendous tearout and soft as heck. If the latter, what would you folks do
with it, other than build a nice sized fire and cook sweet potatoes in the
coals? Is there any means of saving or using it?

Thanks

Over on the WOW there is a lot of discussion going on about end grain
tear out and WD40. Yes that's right WD40. Use the bulk stuff not the
spray bombs. How good it would work on punk wood who knows? Personally I
have tried LDD, diluted white glue, Polyall 2000 and some other latex
rotten wood restorers but I really can't tell you that any one was
better than nothing at all. Most of my successful punky turning has come
about by speed selection and an extremely sharp skew for the outside of
a bowl. Inside it is again speed selection and a small sharp spindle
gouge. About a 60% success rate and the disasters sometimes could be
re-worked after glue up and filling. It is certainly worth attempting as
the results can be spectacular.

--
Remove no & spam to email

meet me at:
http://peterhyde.bravehost.com/

Punky Wood
 

In article ,
"Kevin" wrote:

Is there any means of saving or using it?

There's a company here in Woodburn, Oregon, called Woodsure that is a
side-line business to an industrial plastic resin manufacturing outfit.
Woodsure can take an unusable chunk of wood and impregnate it 100% with
an acrylic resin. I had a couple pieces done as a test and it really
worked to make the wood usable. They can use a clear resin or any number
of colors - and with 100% impregnation, the color goes to the very
center. Pretty cool process and it works very well.

Look them up on the web for further info.

--
Owen Lowe

Northwest Woodturners,
Cascade Woodturners,
Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild
___
Tips fer Turnin': Pour your end-grain sealer into a clean, wide-mouth
clothes detergent bottle. The lid makes a handy dipping container for
your brush and the leftovers will drain back into the bottle when you
recap the jug.

Punky Wood
 

"Kevin" wrote in message
...
I have almost run out of my current stock of Maple. However a neighbor
bequeathed to me a rather large chunk of the same wood. The size is about
24" diam. & 40" high. I did notice that it had a goodly amount of various
mushrooms and fungi growing on it. Now I understand that this may well
indicate a really winderful level of spalting on the inside. OTOH, it may
indicate I have a large chunk of punky wood; the type that is subject to
horrendous tearout and soft as heck. If the latter, what would you folks
do
with it, other than build a nice sized fire and cook sweet potatoes in the
coals? Is there any means of saving or using it?


Fortunately, when it's so punky that it crumbles where you try to hold or
cut it, it's also incredibly ugly. Those soft spots will never pick up a
good finish, won't look like much even if you deliberately try to out-soak
'em. I no longer feel a sense of loss when I stick a digit into the
surface of a punky area. I save the sound parts or pitch the whole thing.

What will drive you to distraction and possibly hurt you are the radial
checks which may have formed and closed. These show outlines like hairpins
on the end grain, seem to pull apart at random regardless of gluing effort,
and pose a disintegration danger to the turner.

If you can get a cut on a _wet_ surface which has only some peck-out, you'll
be able to do a good dry cut. If you get crumble, or those radial checks
open up after gluing, give it to the stove and move on. There's lots of
other wood to turn.

Punky Wood
 

Kevin wrote:
I have almost run out of my current stock of Maple. However a neighbor
bequeathed to me a rather large chunk of the same wood. The size is about
24" diam. & 40" high. I did notice that it had a goodly amount of various
mushrooms and fungi growing on it. Now I understand that this may well
indicate a really winderful level of spalting on the inside. OTOH, it may
indicate I have a large chunk of punky wood;

The best way to find out is to go at it with a chainsaw. Or you could
try sticking something pointed into the end of the log and seeing how
bad that is, but the middle of the log is likely to be the soundest.

I have had good luck treating moderately punky wood with acrylic floor
polish. Rough out the piece first to reduce volume, then soak the piece
in a jar of the stuff or whatever is large enough. Leave it long enough
to dry / harden before turning. Finished ok with danish oil. I tend to
reserve this type of material for weedpots which don't need to be
terribly strong.

--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com - a blog for my customers
http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com/TheToolrest/ - a blog for woodturners

Punky Wood
 

Be careful if a tree has a hole - I had an oak that was 45' tall and 4' or so in
size at 4'. It had been in a fire or two and was doing ok but not a glory tree.
Cutting ivy off the back going through that part of the forest I owned I spotted
a hole. I was about to take the tree down myself so it wouldn't fall oddly.

A storm took it - in the wrong direction. It cracked half the way up where
the 220 line came across my property. The top went over the line but that was
just part of it. Half the tree was hollow. Not much good for anything but a
fire.

A small amount went to turning. Limbs.
Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Derek Andrews wrote:
Kevin wrote:

I have almost run out of my current stock of Maple. However a neighbor
bequeathed to me a rather large chunk of the same wood. The size is
about
24" diam. & 40" high. I did notice that it had a goodly amount of
various
mushrooms and fungi growing on it. Now I understand that this may well
indicate a really winderful level of spalting on the inside. OTOH, it
may
indicate I have a large chunk of punky wood;


The best way to find out is to go at it with a chainsaw. Or you could
try sticking something pointed into the end of the log and seeing how
bad that is, but the middle of the log is likely to be the soundest.

I have had good luck treating moderately punky wood with acrylic floor
polish. Rough out the piece first to reduce volume, then soak the piece
in a jar of the stuff or whatever is large enough. Leave it long enough
to dry / harden before turning. Finished ok with danish oil. I tend to
reserve this type of material for weedpots which don't need to be
terribly strong.


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Punky Wood
 

Martin,

One of the guys at Carolina Mountain Woodturners took that kind of tree and
turned the outside with the cavity retained and a "see-thru" kind of "bowl".
Wild look. Hear he took it to the Kansas City symposium. Saw another one
this past weekend and he said it's the last of the wood.

TomNie

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...
Be careful if a tree has a hole - I had an oak that was 45' tall and 4' or
so in
size at 4'. It had been in a fire or two and was doing ok but not a
glory tree.
Cutting ivy off the back going through that part of the forest I owned I
spotted
a hole. I was about to take the tree down myself so it wouldn't fall
oddly.

A storm took it - in the wrong direction. It cracked half the way up
where
the 220 line came across my property. The top went over the line but that
was
just part of it. Half the tree was hollow. Not much good for anything
but a
fire.

A small amount went to turning. Limbs.
Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Derek Andrews wrote:
Kevin wrote:

I have almost run out of my current stock of Maple. However a neighbor
bequeathed to me a rather large chunk of the same wood. The size is
about
24" diam. & 40" high. I did notice that it had a goodly amount of
various
mushrooms and fungi growing on it. Now I understand that this may well
indicate a really winderful level of spalting on the inside. OTOH, it
may
indicate I have a large chunk of punky wood;


The best way to find out is to go at it with a chainsaw. Or you could try
sticking something pointed into the end of the log and seeing how bad
that is, but the middle of the log is likely to be the soundest.

I have had good luck treating moderately punky wood with acrylic floor
polish. Rough out the piece first to reduce volume, then soak the piece
in a jar of the stuff or whatever is large enough. Leave it long enough
to dry / harden before turning. Finished ok with danish oil. I tend to
reserve this type of material for weedpots which don't need to be
terribly strong.


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