Advice for using peach wood

[Lou Jacobs]

My wife is a volunteer at a local community garden. They asked me to cut down three peach trees that have been poor performers over the last several years. I took them down today and brought home several pieces of the trunks that range in size from about 4” up to 7.5” in diameter. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do with this, but won’t be able to get to it for some time. I’m figuring natural edged bowls, weed pots, goblets, small twice turned bowls, etc. I’ll coat the ends with Anchorseal in a few minutes, but wonder if anyone has experience keeping and also turning peach, if you’ve got any wisdom to impart? Will I be OK keeping the sealed logs whole, or should I remove the pith first on the ones I want to ultimately turn dry? From what I can see, it looks like it’s got great color and I don’t want to lose too much of it. Thanks!

 

[Dean Center]

I got a peach log from an orchard about 10 years ago for a special project. Commercial orchards cut down a certain portion of their trees that have aged out every year, so short 8-10" trunks, 18-24" long, are available regularly. I found it reasonably hard, very nice to work, able to produce a nice finish, and possessed of a pleasant aroma. In my limited experience, peach wood retains a very attractive color, but not quite so bright orange as what appears in your picture. My log, and it looks like yours too, had wide growth rings, which will have an impact on eventual appearance and possibly ability to take sharp detail. It's prone to cracking, though hard to say more or less than any other fruit wood, as I've only done the one log. I would love to have more to turn, but peaches don't grow here, and the orchard was about 700 miles away.

My recommendation would be to definitely seal the branch pieces, but anything large enough for bowls and boxes should probably be split down the pith. You're in a much moister climate than I, especially this week, so the cracking potential may not be as serious for you.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

Dean, thanks for your experience! Yes, wide growth rings and, like yours, relatively short logs, but I do have several interesting crotch pieces that may provide neat opportunities. It’s already sealed, and I’ll do as you suggest and split some of it on the bandsaw to remove the pith.

 

[Dean Center]

On something this size, I don't think you need to remove the pith, as you might on a more full sized tree, but cutting down the pith will give it some room to move. And more side grain surface through which to lose moisture.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

Thanks again Dean. I’ll get to cutting the larger pieces asap.

 

[hockenbery]

looking forward to seeing what I can do with this, but won’t be able to get to it for some time. I’m figuring natural edged bowls

One thing I do when I get an unfamiliar wood or one I haven’t seen in a while is turn a shallow NE bowl
Something 8x6 or 10x7 makes a quick shallow oval bowl.
This is 10-15 minutes turning. No sanding. In 3 days it will be dry
That teaches me a lot about the quality of the wood. How it turns, how it scraps(shear scrape with gouge) and in 2-3 days how much it warps.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

One thing I do when I get an unfamiliar wood or one I haven’t seen in a while is turn a shallow NE bowl
Something 8x6 or 10x7 makes a quick shallow oval bowl.
This is 10-15 minutes turning. No sanding. In 3 days it will be dry
That teaches me a lot about the quality of the wood. How it turns, how it scraps(shear scrape with gouge) and in 2-3 days how much it warps.

This is a terrific idea Al. Thanks! I’ll try to get to this in the next day or so and have a test piece to consider.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

By the way, I should have mentioned that I took my Echo battery powered saw with me as well as my Husqvarna 455. I was able to cut all three trees with just one battery on the Echo saw, with a bit of charge to spare. Granted, not huge trees, but it tore through them easily.