Turning roots?

[John K Jordan]

(Actual roots, not the the beginnings of a woodturning obsession.)

It was suggested I post this here in addition to the Off Topic section where it was kind of hidden in the "Playing in the dirt" thread where I described digging up a big tulip poplar stump.
The biggest challenge of working with roots is getting them out of the ground!

In case anyone is interested, here are photos of a few things I've turned from roots.
Caution: roots will have a lot of dirt and sometimes rocks. I pressure wash to remove the dirt but just have to watch out for the rocks.

This one is from a Manzanita root burl. I bought some from a guy who had a bunch. Fantastic wood. The bigger ones do often have embedded rocks.



Box Elder roots can have a LOT of color, but like box elder in general the color doesn't last. I think this was from a piece of stump the late Lissi Oland gave me. It's maybe 2-3" tall.



Rhododendron roots (the bottom two pics here). Those I've turned had incredibly intricate figure I've never seen anywhere.
Hard to find big enough pieces.



And something to keep in mind: if you find a big oak tree with a widened tapered cone-shaped "buttress" around the bottom, above and extending down into the ground, try to get that wood if the tree is downed. From two I had, the whole thing is mostly burl. I made this piece about 20 years ago. White oak.




No photos, but I've had good experiences with roods and wood from a huge cherry stump and dogwood roots.

Some cherry wood I've had from below ground was amazing. It sat in the sun for weeks while I cut turning blocks from it. Compared to normal cherry wood those blocks were extra dense, figured, and simply wouldn't crack!

I once I dug up an old Dogwood stump which had been cut off level with the ground years before. I did it to help a neighbor but the wood was a surprise! Some was beautifully spalted, other pieces had more color than I've ever seen in Dogwood. All dry now, wonderful to turn. I often send wood home with visitors but no one even gets to see the what's left of that Dogwood.

Anyone turn roots or stumps?

JKJ

 

[Mark Hepburn]

No, but I'm willing to learn. Please send roots to:

 

[John K Jordan]

This is and example of what I called a "butress" at the base of an oak tree. We have several like this on our property. Maybe it's caused by microbes or something in the dirt.



One of these kids had NEVER walked in the woods before, even on a trail. Never walked on anything but floors and sidewalks. Never whacked a tree with t stick. Had a great time!

JKJ

 

[Richard Coers]

There is a difference between roots and root balls. Roots very rarely have heartwood color in them. I stopped working root balls when I hit a paving brick slicing one open with my chainsaw.

 

[Randy Anderson]

John, nice pieces. I have a very large walnut root ball out back waiting for me to get to it. When I first got it I trimmed off some of the root pieces that were sticking out around it to make a few hollow forms. They were big enough for some nice size pieces. Great looking grain and figure so I had high expectations. I had a real challenge getting any of them to dry without twisting and warping beyond anything I could use. I boiled them like I always do with hollow forms but I think only one ended up being something I could complete. Any feedback on drying root stock? I've heard it can be a challenge to keep stable.

 

[John K Jordan]

Any feedback on drying root stock? I've heard it can be a challenge to keep stable.

Sorry, I don't have enough experience.

From my limited observations, different roots from different trees of the same species might be considerably different. (Soil, site, drainage, shade/sun?) Some of the roots I lucked upon were already dry by the time I got them so they were stable.

The dogwood was sopping wet but I processed and dried as I usually do with all green wood before I put it on the lathe - cut into useful blanks, seal where needed, air dry until the weight quits changing.

Fortunately, I enjoy turning smaller things which are more likely to survive. These days, even when I turn green I prefer small - one reason is I don't turn to sell but to give away and some people don't have room for big things.

JKJ

 

[robo hippy]

I think the buttress part of the tree is mechanical. It flares out to provide a wider base for more support when the wind blows. I have a friend who was a spoon carver, and he loved the buttress part of the tree. He did his carvings the old fashioned way, he would rive the blanks, and with the buttress part of the tree, he could angle the handles better.

robo hippy

 

[Aaron Harris]

This is and example of what I called a "butress" at the base of an oak tree. We have several like this on our property. Maybe it's caused by microbes or something in the dirt.

View attachment 79876

One of these kids had NEVER walked in the woods before, even on a trail. Never walked on anything but floors and sidewalks. Never whacked a tree with t stick. Had a great time!

JKJ

Nice work as always, John-It is hard to believe how sheltered, over-parented, online/indoors, or whatever else is keeping kids nowadays from going outside to play and socialize with other kids. I live in a safe neighborhood with a lot of kids, most of whom I never see outside. It's just sad.

 

[John K Jordan]

Nice work as always, John-It is hard to believe how sheltered, over-parented, online/indoors, or whatever else is keeping kids nowadays from going outside to play and socialize with other kids. I live in a safe neighborhood with a lot of kids, most of whom I never see outside. It's just sad.

The mother brought her two kids over for the day while they were packing to moving. At first she panicked when she saw two others walking down the top of a fallen tree trunk, maybe 24" in diameter - nearly a superhighway and only 2-3' off the ground. I told her not worry, there were limbs to hold onto and if they did fall it would only be a couple of feet. No one died or even got a scratch.

The outdoors were totally new to them. In the woods, the youngest stepped up on a very low mound of dirt, maybe 8" high, then screamed at me to get him down! I told him he got up there by himself, he could get down, or he could stay up there all day, I didn't care. We walked off and, gasp, he figured out how to get back down by himself!!

I taught kindergartners for 27 years and had pretty much learned all the ways kids used to get their way! The great thing is these kids eventually came regularly, got to ride bareback on mini donkeys, slept OUTDOORS in a tent, took llamas for a walk, collected eggs from the henhouse, plant beans, ate a carrot from the garden - anything to get them away from the TV and the video games!

Every year I'd have a Farm Day where the kindergarten class and siblings and parents could come for a hay ride, farm and animal fun. When we had hens get too old to lay eggs some families would bring their kids to learn where their food comes from and go home with chicken for the freezer. (Kids have asked me where the "nuggets" are in a chicken!)

I am well blessed with the farm here and lots of things to do. Many, many kids have come. Start them young. Some have become lifelong friends. Some took woodturning lessons, operated big equipment. Life is good.




JKJ