If you've ever used button lac, decanted the shellac and
didn't know what to do with that cloudy mocha looking
stuff left behind - I found a use. It's great for sealing
the ends of green wood to slow down moisture loss and
thus minimize cracks and splits.

I gave up on trying to live with the apricot tree behind
the shop - up against the roof (not good for comp shingles
unless you continually prune branches away from them
AND continually clean off the residue that the tree and
its passing occupants leave behind, Naturally, being
at the back property line, the tree is under (and around)
the phone lines and cable lines - though well below the
power lines. Most of it is coming down in small, semi-
easily managed, chunks. Out of respect for this tree,
that was part of the orchard this development was built
in back in the early 50s, I'm trying to save as much
of the wood as possible. Having a bandsaw and a lathe,
anything 10 inches or longer, semi-straight and
at least two inches in diameter will find a use (spindle
turning doesn't take a lot of wood and can produce
some small pleasing objects. Boards from the larger
chunks may someday be a jewelry box or the face
of a drawer.or two.

So there's a growing stack of roughed to round cylinders
end capped with kusmi button lac residue and shortly
there will be a small stickered stach of apricot wood
end sealed with the stuff. Sometimes it pays to not
throw away "useless" stuff and you can never have
too much wood, especially fruit wood.

charlie b

charlie b wrote in
:

If you've ever used button lac, decanted the shellac and
didn't know what to do with that cloudy mocha looking
stuff left behind - I found a use. It's great for sealing
the ends of green wood to slow down moisture loss and
thus minimize cracks and splits.

I gave up on trying to live with the apricot tree behind
the shop - up against the roof (not good for comp shingles
unless you continually prune branches away from them
AND continually clean off the residue that the tree and
its passing occupants leave behind, Naturally, being
at the back property line, the tree is under (and around)
the phone lines and cable lines - though well below the
power lines. Most of it is coming down in small, semi-
easily managed, chunks. Out of respect for this tree,
that was part of the orchard this development was built
in back in the early 50s, I'm trying to save as much
of the wood as possible. Having a bandsaw and a lathe,
anything 10 inches or longer, semi-straight and
at least two inches in diameter will find a use (spindle
turning doesn't take a lot of wood and can produce
some small pleasing objects. Boards from the larger
chunks may someday be a jewelry box or the face
of a drawer.or two.

So there's a growing stack of roughed to round cylinders
end capped with kusmi button lac residue and shortly
there will be a small stickered stach of apricot wood
end sealed with the stuff. Sometimes it pays to not
throw away "useless" stuff and you can never have
too much wood, especially fruit wood.

charlie b


Full schedule drying precautions are advised. Apricot, although
beautiful, has a reputation for unpredictable movement.

But at least you'll not be cleaning up after it any more. After you get
the shavings done, that is.

Patriarch