Bread bowl, issues with tear out and chatter. First large bowl.

[Mark Hepburn]

Mark,

Timing is everything! When you get back from your trip you should be ready for a challenge. I can fix you up with fifty pounds or so of pear root section. There were ten major roots coming off of it in an almost perfect star. The roots are elliptical, three or four times taller than they are wide. Spent half a day digging around the roots so I could put a junk chain on the saw and cut the roots out. I cut one with an ax, one was enough! I need a junk bar to go with the junk chain; I made pretty good progress in that direction today too. Bars hate dirt almost as much as chains do.

Anywho, when you make it back up here there will be that big piece of pear to take home. Can't turn it on my lathe and with a little luck it has too much figure to butcher it to get it small and light enough to go on my lathe. About twenty, maybe twenty-four inches, the VB36 should be just the ticket for the wood. Slapped anchorseal on it when it came out the ground, gonna put a second coat on in the morning just for luck.

Hu

Hey Hu.

I'll take it! And I'll bring you a couple of blanks of some stuff I have if you want? Is that that tree you had you were talking about up by the barn across that field?

I don't know how you do all you do with your back like it is, but you're a better man than I am.

 

[Hu Lowery]

front yard

Hey Hu.

I'll take it! And I'll bring you a couple of blanks of some stuff I have if you want? Is that that tree you had you were talking about up by the barn across that field?

I don't know how you do all you do with your back like it is, but you're a better man than I am.

Mark,

This was the pear that got hit by lightning in the front yard. The chinaberry is next after I rest up a bit. The pear tree looked like a half day job but when I went to start working it out the ground with the tractor it didn't even twitch! Best root system I have ever seen on a tree I had to take up. Usually three or four major roots and you are done. This one really had ten major roots supporting it. Ten or twelve hour day yesterday and I still have to scavenge some dirt from somewhere to finish filling in the hole.

Thanks for the offer on blanks but as it happens I have a bunch of dried on the stem pear to turn! I wanted to make sure it was dead before cutting down a fruit tree so it has been dead since last year about this time. Still going to turn the popcorn tree wood I have left on hand too, being more careful to use the tailstock after reversing the wood. I have broken two tenons now and I'd say that is about enough! Other tenon kinda ripped a section out of it. Little strength in that wood and a lot of weight. Bad about splitting too, and need some ventilation to avoid nausea. All in all there seems to be good reasons most people don't mess with it! I am done after this batch. Fortunately I gave a bunch of it away! After it dries it does make OK bonfire wood.

Hu