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Woodturning (rec.crafts.woodturning) To discuss tools, techniques, styles, materials, shows and competitions, education and educational materials related to woodturning. All skill levels are welcome, from art turners to production turners, beginners to masters. |
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#1
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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 |
#2
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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 |
#4
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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. |
#5
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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. |
#6
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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 |
#7
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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. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
#8
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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. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
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