Anyone ever tried turning Schinus molle (California pepper tree)?
A big one is coming down in my yard this week. A trial branch I cut off
yesterday (4 inch d.) is releasing a milky substance just below the
bark. Time for sealing?

On 7 Sep 2006 00:34:18 -0700, "Max63" wrote:

Anyone ever tried turning Schinus molle (California pepper tree)?
A big one is coming down in my yard this week. A trial branch I cut off
yesterday (4 inch d.) is releasing a milky substance just below the
bark. Time for sealing?


I turned a bunch of what we call "Fresno Pepper" last summer... might be the
same?

Shaggy bark, non bearing, whitish brown wood??

I turned it very wet and was glad that I did... it got very hard and brittle
later when I turned some dry..

Slight smell of pepper and a bit of nostril burn that I thought was my
imagination until my wife walked into the shop and felt the same thing...

I went for thin and finished because the wood was letting me sand it to 600.. a
big surprise for wet wood!

They warped wonderfully and sold very well..

BTW: the tree was taken down by the local power company and the homeowner wanted
the wood out of her yard... I was expecting dry, cracked wood as it had been
down for a month or so and cut into 2' sections...

I was really surprised when the chain saw found very wet wood with little or no
cracking, especially in the Central Valley heat!
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Max63 wrote:

Anyone ever tried turning Schinus molle (California pepper tree)?
A big one is coming down in my yard this week. A trial branch I cut off
yesterday (4 inch d.) is releasing a milky substance just below the
bark. Time for sealing?

If you're talking about the one that usually develops a lumpy bumpy
trunk, drops little pale yellow flowerettes and later pinkish red
seed
cases and has milky white sap - it starts out with a LOT of moisture
and is somewhat elastic - the wood will squeeze under any pressure
from the tool and bounces back immediately after. SHARP edges are
a must. Dries very fast even in small diameter pieces since it all
seems to be more porous sapwood - almost no discernable grain or
color when "green" and not much different when dry -other than
a crack or two.

Hell it's wood - it's free - turn it!

charlie b