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Cherry Laurel

Joined
Jun 13, 2022
Messages
18
Likes
15
Location
Prattville, AL
Recently I removed a Carolina cherry laurel from a Habitat for Humanity project I was working on. I went and removed it with my bobcat. One of my friends was cutting it and was annoyed at what it was doing to his newly sharpened Steel. We finally made it through and my bobcat grappler picked it up and I was amazed by the weight. I said have to have it. I loaded 6 or 7 very large pieces (about 2-3 feet in diameter.
I brought them back and put them in my pole barn. I noticed that sap/juice was running from the cut. Then a couple weeks later they turned bright red. I took about a six foot section and cut about five to six pieces. I was amazed with the density and hardness. I cut one of them down the center with the grain (no more end cut turning for me) and prepped it for a ten inch bowl. I am going to turn it wet and then let it rest a few months.
If any of you have any experience with laurel please let me know. I just finished turning an end grain black walnut so I feel I’m a combat veteran
 
Would love to see photos of the rough turning when you get around to it. 2-3 feet diameter is huge! I have a lengthy branch piece of cherry Laurel I’ve been saving, though only around 4” diameter. Feels every bit as solid as some hophornbeam (aka southern ironwood) I’ve messed around with. I’m curious how it turns. @Gary Beasley might be able to comment more on how it turns.
 
Only turnable laurel out here is the California Bay Laurel, aka myrtle wood and it is not a myrtle at all, and not sure if it is an actual laurel or not. It does tend to have some silica in it and is fairly hard, but not like locust. Would love to see some when done... Not some thing I have in my collection, yet....

robo hippy
 
I got the name three times from my plant/tree software. Used the leaves, bark, and berries. They were black berries just like what it said in the “picture this” software. I know it turned red after the initial cut and it’s extremely hard to cut. A6DCF298-6A9E-49C4-90B3-88822CAEF23A.jpegEC8C6615-6C58-43D2-8A93-462E0D310F16.jpeg89E50A33-9CA4-41F3-95D2-67346BB454AE.jpegE751F1F2-F5EC-48A2-B7E0-613D10AC40CA.jpeg
 
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