I pulled the last of an Apple Tree out of the ground today, and have been
looking at turning it. I have not cleaned it off yet, so I don't know if
the root ball is intact or has rotted out like most of the rest of the
tree. It's about 10" in diameter.

The soil was a mix of top soil and heavy clay. Would it be worth putting
it in a bath (not the bath tub, just a small pool) for a while to loosen
and wash off the clay? I've seen a pressure washer suggested a few times,
but do not have one.

This will be my first time working with a root ball, what should I be
looking for? Do I need to dry it?

If I try to turn a large piece, will 600 RPM (the slowest my lathe goes) be
slow enough?

Puckdropper

On 9/1/2016 10:29 AM, Puckdropper wrote:
I pulled the last of an Apple Tree out of the ground today, and have been
looking at turning it. I have not cleaned it off yet, so I don't know if
the root ball is intact or has rotted out like most of the rest of the
tree. It's about 10" in diameter.

The soil was a mix of top soil and heavy clay. Would it be worth putting
it in a bath (not the bath tub, just a small pool) for a while to loosen
and wash off the clay? I've seen a pressure washer suggested a few times,
but do not have one.

This will be my first time working with a root ball, what should I be
looking for? Do I need to dry it?

If I try to turn a large piece, will 600 RPM (the slowest my lathe goes) be
slow enough?

Puckdropper

If it's anything like trunk wood, drying after turning green will be
unpredictable, as my firewood pile will attest.
Graham

On Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 11:30:18 AM UTC-5, wrote:
I pulled the last of an Apple Tree out of the ground today, and have been
looking at turning it. I have not cleaned it off yet, so I don't know if
the root ball is intact or has rotted out like most of the rest of the
tree. It's about 10" in diameter.

The soil was a mix of top soil and heavy clay. Would it be worth putting
it in a bath (not the bath tub, just a small pool) for a while to loosen
and wash off the clay? I've seen a pressure washer suggested a few times,
but do not have one.

This will be my first time working with a root ball, what should I be
looking for? Do I need to dry it?

If I try to turn a large piece, will 600 RPM (the slowest my lathe goes) be
slow enough?

Puckdropper

Root stock does not turn any differently than wood higher up the tree. It does have more chance for a wonderfully convoluted grain, voids, inclusions, etc. All of which make for an interesting piece.

If it were me, I would wash it off with a garden hose, getting most of the dirt gone. Then cut a manageable blank and see what unfolds. The ones I have turned have been very rewarding. Just do not get in a hurry and keep reading the wood.

On 09/16/2016 10:08 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
On Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 11:30:18 AM UTC-5, wrote:
I pulled the last of an Apple Tree out of the ground today, and have been
looking at turning it. I have not cleaned it off yet, so I don't know if
the root ball is intact or has rotted out like most of the rest of the
tree. It's about 10" in diameter.

The soil was a mix of top soil and heavy clay. Would it be worth putting
it in a bath (not the bath tub, just a small pool) for a while to loosen
and wash off the clay? I've seen a pressure washer suggested a few times,
but do not have one.

This will be my first time working with a root ball, what should I be
looking for? Do I need to dry it?

If I try to turn a large piece, will 600 RPM (the slowest my lathe goes) be
slow enough?

Puckdropper

Root stock does not turn any differently than wood higher up the tree. It does have more chance for a wonderfully convoluted grain, voids, inclusions, etc. All of which make for an interesting piece.

If it were me, I would wash it off with a garden hose, getting most of the dirt gone. Then cut a manageable blank and see what unfolds. The ones I have turned have been very rewarding. Just do not get in a hurry and keep reading the wood.


Trim the root ball to manageable size and take it to a car wash and
pressure-spray it without the soap.

Whirled Peas wrote in
:

On 09/16/2016 10:08 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:
On Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 11:30:18 AM UTC-5,
wrote:
I pulled the last of an Apple Tree out of the ground today, and have
been looking at turning it. I have not cleaned it off yet, so I
don't know if the root ball is intact or has rotted out like most of
the rest of the tree. It's about 10" in diameter.

The soil was a mix of top soil and heavy clay. Would it be worth
putting it in a bath (not the bath tub, just a small pool) for a
while to loosen and wash off the clay? I've seen a pressure washer
suggested a few times, but do not have one.

This will be my first time working with a root ball, what should I
be looking for? Do I need to dry it?

If I try to turn a large piece, will 600 RPM (the slowest my lathe
goes) be slow enough?

Puckdropper

Root stock does not turn any differently than wood higher up the
tree. It does have more chance for a wonderfully convoluted grain,
voids, inclusions, etc. All of which make for an interesting piece.

If it were me, I would wash it off with a garden hose, getting most
of the dirt gone. Then cut a manageable blank and see what unfolds.
The ones I have turned have been very rewarding. Just do not get in
a hurry and keep reading the wood.


Trim the root ball to manageable size and take it to a car wash and
pressure-spray it without the soap.


What I wound up doing was trimming the root ball to manageable size,
discarding the excessively hollow sections and putting it in a child's
swimming pool full of water with a pump running. This is serving to
clean the clay from the root ball and hopefully prevent cracking. I
guess when I take it out I'll have to cover it with a cloth or piece of
plastic to try to keep it from drying too quickly.

It sure does not take to splitting--at all! I tried a wedge and sledge
and it only worked after I had cut most the way through. (My saw would
not go the whole way.)

Puckdropper

On 2016-09-17 01:56:59 +0000, Puckdropper said:



What I wound up doing was trimming the root ball to manageable size,
discarding the excessively hollow sections and putting it in a child's
swimming pool full of water with a pump running. This is serving to
clean the clay from the root ball and hopefully prevent cracking. I
guess when I take it out I'll have to cover it with a cloth or piece of
plastic to try to keep it from drying too quickly.

It sure does not take to splitting--at all! I tried a wedge and sledge
and it only worked after I had cut most the way through. (My saw would
not go the whole way.)

Puckdropper

Or just leave it in the water until you are ready to deal with it. As
long as the water goes "stagnate" the things that eat the wood will die
and you can actually store it long term that way