I have the option of taking an elderberry tree trunk, which is at least a
foot in diameter, which I think is rare for this species. Does anyone have
pictures of the wood, or experience turning it? Google searches just bring
up mentions of indian rattles and flutes but no pictures. Many say the wood
is white or yellow, but they could be mostly referring to bushes, not large
trees.

Mark Fitzsimmons wrote:

I have the option of taking an elderberry tree trunk, which is at least a
foot in diameter, which I think is rare for this species. Does anyone have
pictures of the wood, or experience turning it? Google searches just bring
up mentions of indian rattles and flutes but no pictures. Many say the wood
is white or yellow, but they could be mostly referring to bushes, not large
trees.


Never saw one more than a few inches. AFAIK the ones we have are always
hollow. We used to cut one about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and make a
piston to fit the hollow and use it to shoot chinaberries. It made a
pleasant "pop" and would shoot it a good distance. The local name was
popgun elder. Today I got some Eucalyptus about 15 inches diameter. The
heartwood is very nice.

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Gerald Ross, Cochran, GA
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Elderberry has a fairly soft outer bark surrounding very soft pith. It
issn't really a tree - more a large shrub. People use it for making
whistles, flutes etc, because the pith seems to die away in older wood,
leaving a hollow stem. I don't think it would be much use for turning.

The berries make good wine though! hic

Cheers

Frank



"Mark Fitzsimmons" wrote in message
...
I have the option of taking an elderberry tree trunk, which is at least a
foot in diameter, which I think is rare for this species. Does anyone have
pictures of the wood, or experience turning it? Google searches just bring
up mentions of indian rattles and flutes but no pictures. Many say the
wood
is white or yellow, but they could be mostly referring to bushes, not
large
trees.




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Hi Mark

We had a Elderberry that was big, to the best of my recollection he was
8 to 10" thick and approx. 20 feet tall, grew on the property line where
it was a litter lower and wetter and he got most of the washing water
from our neighbors, also in the shade of a tall Spanish Cherry tree, it
was taken down when we build a new shop and storage, funny thing is I
don't recall the wood, I had broken branches off and they where brittle
snapped like say silver maple and there was a very large pith in them,
the branch wood was like a dirty white i think, anyway if you can have
the wood for free, try it, let us know what it looks like and how it
turns, I certainly would like to know, yes I had a chance but this was
40 years ago and and even so I was then as I am now interested in trees
and things alive I cannot recall the wood.

You can always still burn it if its no good for anything.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Mark Fitzsimmons wrote:
I have the option of taking an elderberry tree trunk, which is at least a
foot in diameter, which I think is rare for this species. Does anyone have
pictures of the wood, or experience turning it? Google searches just bring
up mentions of indian rattles and flutes but no pictures. Many say the wood
is white or yellow, but they could be mostly referring to bushes, not large
trees.