Storm went through----- (rubbing hands greedily)

[Sam Fleisher]

Cruised the neighborhood and so far picked up some persimmon wood. Read the database and it doesn't sound too encouraging. Should I set it aside and look for better first? There are plenty of other options it was just getting dark. Even the bark looks like a challenge. And it is definitely heavy. Imagine a natural edge with this. Suggestions of what to do with this? NE or rough turn and dry? It's not very big in diameter 8-10 inches.

 

[hockenbery]

Turn a few natural edge bowls. I usually cut the blank 2-4” longer than the width to exaggerate the oval look

The rest I would cut into spindle blanks as large as I could get 3x3, 2x2, 1x1 coat the ends, sticker the and dry for a year plus.
These can be boxes, spheres, gavels, pens. Ornaments, napkin rings.

You can do napkin rings from green wood successfully. With a 1.5” hole they will warp but rarely crack. The ovalness is a feature.
3 sided rings are fun with lots of design options.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

I did Friendship Bowls and used the Kiln to dry with no problems. The areas with pealed bark turned black on shop floor. I did a NE and bagged it but it turned black . After drying I tried to sand off the black and most did come off except one place where I sanded thru. Dry it is very hard and takes a while to sand. By the way Persimmon is/was used in heads of golf clubs. I think turn it now may be best. left pith in all these I have done with no deleterious effects except a small bulges

 

[Michael Anderson]

That’s a pretty nice wood to come across in storm fall. Don’t get rid of it—make something cool. If you can incorporate the bark in some pieces, even better. Fun fact: Persimmon is in the Ebony family.

 

[Sam Fleisher]

I remember when I was a kid dad had a walnut nut bowl that now I know was turned end grain and the bark was left on all the way around the sides. Think ultimate dog dish shape. Wonder how bad this would check if I did something like that? How would I go about turning the end grain? Scraper or carbide? It's supposed to be fairly hard and I've never turned into end grain like that.

 

[john lucas]

Persimmon is great. It's hard but with sharp tools no problem.

 

[Ron Solfest]

I remember when I was a kid dad had a nut bowl that now I know was turned end grain and the bark was left on all the way around the sides. Think ultimate dog dish. Wonder how bad this would check if I did something like that? How would I go about turning the end grain? Scraper or carbide? It's supposed to be fairly hard and I've never turned into end grain like that.

Mike Hunter's Badger tool is great for hollowing end grain regardless of the density of the wood. Sounds like a pretty nice dog dish, if that will be the ultimate use I think I'd finish it with epoxy. Have fun and show us a pic of the final result

 

[hockenbery]

I know was turned end grain and the bark was left on all the way around the sides. Think ultimate dog dish. Wonder how bad this would check if I did something like that? How would I go about turning the end grain?

Endgrain forms with curves and fairly thin walls rarely crack.
A flat bottomed endgrain bowl is prone to cracking


Consider turning something like this holly vase my wife did. Bark edge and elegant

Try something small first like this unsanded oak goblet

Jimmy Clewes does an excellent demo on the vase.

Rudy Lopez does a great demo on the goblet.

Basic steps

select a blank with the pith off center just enough to be outside the stem. (Stem will break easily if the pith is in it)
Mount the limb between centers, establish the rim leaving it a little thick, hollow and sand the opening,
Turn the outside of the goblet or vase to thickness ( a light helps here should work with your darker wood)
Sand the outside of the cup
For a thin stem Use tailstock support. I have rubber chuckies that fit goblets. You can use a small rubber ball or wadded paper towel inside the goblet and bring the tailstock up you don’t want any pressure just want to keep the cup on center and not whipping around
Turn the stem turn the top of the base. Sanding as you go down the stem
Part of the base. I use a parting tool sharpened at an angle with the point toward the stem. This undercuts and keep the base an even thickness.
Let it dry 2-3 days then finish.

Hollowing can be done with a variety of tools, termite, Hunter carbides Monroe hollower, hook tool, gouges,
Choice depend on what you have and what you know how to use well.
The Hunter tools are probably the easiest to learn.

@Don Wattenhofer does a lot of similar pieces
See his thread https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/green-goblet-turning.17583/

 

[Sam Fleisher]

Jackpot today wood wise.

Supposedly this tree was unidentifiable from some kind of tree biologist. I didn't say anything but you have to question those credentials. Anyway I put my faith in you guys and said I'll see if anyone knows what it is. Other than a huge tree laying on the guys neighbors house. Can't cut into it until the insurance company looks at it. My other grabs were sycamore, red oak of some kind and honey locust until it started to rain again. so back tomorrow for the honey locust.
The trunk is at least 5-6 foot in diameter.

 

[Michael Anderson]

That’s a very large Hackberry

 

[Ron Solfest]

You’re going to have LOTS of green wood to process! My experience is best to first-turn as quickly as possible and the paint with Anchor seal (twice on end grain). Lacking that ability, next best is to split logs down the middle to eliminate as much pith related cracking as possible and Anchor seal ends. At the very least, cut into logs about 6” longer than diameter (to account for cracks which will happen) and Anchor seal ends.

Just thinking about you in all of those shavings brings pictures of a pig in mud to my mind

Enjoy!

 

[Dean Center]

The Headline for this thread reminded me of something with which most of us can identify--

 

[Randy Anderson]

There are a few apps that are great at identification with leaves. I use one call PictureThis. It keeps asking to subscribe but can use it for free if you don't need a library of what you've done or other gardening info, etc. There's also one call PlantNet. I use them all the time when I need to know a tree, bush, weed, grass, vine, etc. Does them all.

I downloaded one of your pics of the leaves and Michael is right, the app says it's common hackberry (american hackberry, nettle tree, beaverwood, false elm, and other names)

We had a severe storm come through over the weekend so there are trees, powerlines, etc down all over. I've gotten a few things and plan to get a bit more but most were large oak or elm, which I get access to on a regular basis. Plenty of bradford pear trees split apart all over town.

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Yes Hackberry or Celtis australis, and called many other things

 

[Sam Fleisher]

Added some smallish silver maple to the hoard. Looks like a marathon night of green turning.

 

[Hugh]

Persimmon is an ebony.
Old golfers use wood clubs made from persimmon wood.

 

[robo hippy]

Hmm, the hackberry I grew up around, in Missouri, had much more 3D bark, almost resembling the cork oak bark. Don't remember the leaves....

robo hippy

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hmm, the hackberry I grew up around, in Missouri, had much more 3D bark, almost resembling the cork oak bark. Don't remember the leaves....

robo hippy

Yes Reed, they often or even usually have the ridged bark, however there are several Celtis species, and some have smooth bark, also so-called Sugar Berry has apparently often smooth areas.

I was not familiar with Hackberry, when a friend asked me about some trees he had on some property he had bought, as I saw the ridged bark it was easy to ID it, my brother (RIP) had one tree on the bottom of his property that I ID for him, and showed him the leaves that are so much like Elm leaves, a close relative of the Hackberry trees.



My brother's tree bark, sorry for the bad picture.



This one has the smooth bark, native to China, Japan and close countries, planted in areas of the USA.



And this is the southern Hackberry, also called Sugarberry.




There is a lot to learn about all the different trees and their differences , I've been at it for a long time and only scratched the surface of it.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

How would I go about turning the end grain? Scraper or carbide?

The best way to turn an end grain bowl is to start by drilling a hole into the center then with a hook tool or ring tool starting in the center ( the hole) make shearing cuts toward the outside and like Hockenberry said do not try for a flat bottom.

The first pic is getting started on an end grain bowl or goblet form and the second pic is the proposition for making shearing cuts with a ring tool note that the cut is at about the 10:00 o'clock position on the ring.
The third pic is another example of a form that could be done with the pith included note the pith is removed from the top and the base is turned down to a small diameter to minimize the chance of radial checking and the wall thickness must be uniform down to the base.

 

[robo hippy]

Leo, that southern hackberry is the one I am familiar with. Grew up in Missouri. Side note, I was looking into sassafras trees because I found a couple of pieces in my stash that I thought were myrtle until I took my hand planes to them. The smell was the give away. I found out they can grow up into your area of North America. Didn't think they ranged that far.

robo hippy

 

[Michael Anderson]

In Tennessee (among some other places) the geographic ranges of C. laevigata (Sugarberry) and C. occidentalis (Hackberry) overlap. They are both referred to by each other’s common names, of course. In Chattanooga, Sugarberry seams to be far more common than Hackberry, and you can usually distinguish the two by their leaves (hackberry leaf margins are quite a bit more serrated in comparison). The bark on smaller young trees is pretty similar, but in older trees Sugarberry is usually less nobby than Hackberry, especially down low. That said, I suspect there is some degree of hybridization as well as environmental uniqueness. Like Red vs White Oak specifics, without being sure it’s probably not worth trying to distinguish the two; usually both are called Hackberry.

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo, that southern hackberry is the one I am familiar with. Grew up in Missouri. Side note, I was looking into sassafras trees because I found a couple of pieces in my stash that I thought were myrtle until I took my hand planes to them. The smell was the give away. I found out they can grow up into your area of North America. Didn't think they ranged that far.

robo hippy

Growing in Ontario, a No for Myrtle, but yes for Sassafras, I had transplanted one to the lower part of my property, plus several other species, here in this picture, it shows several tree species , Sassafras with the yellow leaves, Tulip tree aka yellow Poplar, Tamarack, Easter Burning bush, Juniper aka Easter Red Cedar, Crack Willow, bad choice as it is a messy tree that drops twigs and small limbs for no reason, an Apple tree and a Horse Chestnut, there are more species but not shown in this picture
.

 

[Sam Fleisher]

Leo, that southern hackberry is the one I am familiar with. Grew up in Missouri. Side note, I was looking into sassafras trees because I found a couple of pieces in my stash that I thought were myrtle until I took my hand planes to them. The smell was the give away. I found out they can grow up into your area of North America. Didn't think they ranged that far.

robo hippy

I have a sassafras planted in my yard. The leaves smell like juicy fruit gum to me when you crush them. They are growing naturally outside a little town called Ellisville down the road a ways. Mines maybe 3 foot tall. I probably won't be able to make a bowl out of it in my lifetime!

 

[Sam Fleisher]

I am getting tired of the storm wood already! But I do like the color of this oak. Ron, I did feel like a pig rooting around in those chips trying to turn the sycamore ne on the lathe.

 

[robo hippy]

The myrtle, which is actually a California Bay Laurel doesn't seem to grow outside the west coast very well. I guess we call it myrtle because that makes it easier to sell to the California tourists when they head north. My guess is that they like the damp weather. They do go through some freezes, but don't think they would last through your cold winters.

robo hippy

 

[Dean Center]

I am getting tired of the storm wood already!

This is the perfect time to get over the urge to turn everything, and become selective. Only turn the best blanks you get, toss the dicey, holey, punky stuff in the firewood pile. And from each half log, select the best portion of wood, and don't try to turn the very biggest thing you can. Wish I had your over-abundance of good wood.

 

[hockenbery]

I am getting tired of the storm wood already! But I do like the color of this oak. Ron, I did feel like a pig rooting around in those chips trying to turn the sycamore ne on the lathe.

If you belong to a club,
Consider sharing the wealth. Many club members may not have chainsaws or the abilities to harvest wood.

 

[Sam Fleisher]

There's two turning clubs each 70 miles away from me in different directions. So not a member but have been thinking about it because one of them every other month meets only 40 miles away from me.
The next option is like a wood workers co-op kind of deal where members can use the shop and tools. It's only a little over 20 miles away and It's $400 a year but I have my own shop to turn myself so I can spend the $400 on more tools. Around here any tree I am accessing anybody could. Most I am getting by stalking the giant wood pile in the little town down the road. Everyone is dumping their storm clean-up and then they will burn the pile. Knowing london mills it will probably be some kind of ritualistic ceremony or something!

 

[Hugh]

The myrtle, which is actually a California Bay Laurel doesn't seem to grow outside the west coast very well. I guess we call it myrtle because that makes it easier to sell to the California tourists when they head north. My guess is that they like the damp weather. They do go through some freezes, but don't think they would last through your cold winters.

robo hippy

Robo,
I am a bit south of you.....but close enough to the coast to have California Bay trees in the area.
I used to go pick up a sandwich when I was working and drive up to a spot nearby that has a grove of Bay trees. The biggest is 51' in circumference. I measured it. It is on private property.
Great place to go eat lunch in the summer time.

 

[robo hippy]

Years ago, used to go to Sonoma St. U for hacky sack tournaments. Nice area. I have seen Bay trees here up to 4 foot diameter. They line north California and southern Oregon. Guess they range all the way up to BC. A nice tree. My favorite is the madrone though.... Nothing warps like it does.

robo hippy

 

[hughie]

That’s a very large Hackberry

Celtis Australis is deemed a noxious weed down here across most of the Eastern states , but in particular

https://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/weeds_european-nettle-tree#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCeltis%20is%20an%20invasive%20environmental,agriculture%E2%80%9D%20(Agnote%202009).

 

[Michael Anderson]

oh wow, highly invasive in your parts. Makes sense, as it’s pretty fast-growing, hearty seeds, and can get really large.

 

[Sam Fleisher]

This is the perfect time to get over the urge to turn everything, and become selective. Only turn the best blanks you get, toss the dicey, holey, punky stuff in the firewood pile. And from each half log, select the best portion of wood, and don't try to turn the very biggest thing you can. Wish I had your over-abundance of good wood.

I'm taking your advice to heart. This morning I held myself back when I checked the pile and only picked up some pieces of elm. Also added the criteria of not too heavy. I don't want to be down for two week like I was when I got greedy a while back with the white oak.

 

[Dave Landers]

Also added the criteria of not too heavy

No kidding. When we moved (Feb) I tried to get some logs into the truck - they were much heavier than they were just a couple months before when I got them (I'm sure it was the logs)! Had to cut them up just to move them.
Logs are heavier, hiking trails are steeper... maybe something's up with gravity.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

It has to be something with the whole planet's gravitational field, because the same thing is happening where I live. And worse yet, my wife and I are getting shorter, too! It's definitely gotta be gravity.

 

[Tom McDonnell]

I am a bit south of you.....but close enough to the coast to have California Bay trees in the area.
I used to go pick up a sandwich when I was working and drive up to a spot nearby that has a grove of Bay trees. The biggest is 51' in circumference. I measured it. It is on private property.
Great place to go eat lunch in the summer time.

Years ago, used to go to Sonoma St. U for hacky sack tournaments. Nice area. I have seen Bay trees here up to 4 foot diameter. They line north California and southern Oregon. Guess they range all the way up to BC. A nice tree. My favorite is the madrone though.... Nothing warps like it does.

robo hippy

Largest Bay trees I've seen are in Loeb Park up the Chetco River in so. Oregon. Also the Largest Tan Oaks. Old timers in my area call Myrtle " Pepperwood".