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Walnut

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Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 24 May 2019, 10:12

One of SWIMBO's old work pals has had a walnut tree (see also the 'Chainsaw' thread) in her garden which was too close the garage, so it had to come down...which is did, yesterday. From a rough guestimation of the ring count, it was about 80yo, being planted as a 'youf' in the garden of a pre-war house in Queen Alexandria Rd (clue there :D ) and had been much mangled over the decades.

By the time I cycled round to the house on my velocipede, the tree surgeon had removed all the upper limb wood; I was at the other end of that rope pulling it down;

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Once is was down, it was clear that the butt was superb quality; no rot, shakes, nuffink...

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...with the heart being around 500mm diameter.

It was then merrily chopped up into suitable chunks, bearing in mind that there were a lot of large branches in the tree:

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I had a couple of chunks as I've been 'requested' :eusa-whistle: by SWIMBO to make her pal something from it (couple of bowls and a box). The tree surgeon kindly sliced them in half down the diameter...apparently the chain saw doesn't like cutting along the grain as it produces the wrong sort of shavings. They're now awaiting the attention of my yet to be delivered froe but some bits have small branches etc in them so a call to Workshop Heaven is probably going to be in order. The next job is to mill the whole tree into planks next month and I've earmarked a prime board out the butt - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby Andyp » 24 May 2019, 10:16

Yep chain saws are typically cross cut. You can get, and I bought, a rip chain for mine which works much better.
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Re: Walnut

Postby will1983 » 24 May 2019, 10:24

Rip cutting with a chainsaw produces long stringy shavings that have a habit of bunging up the gubbins of the saw, that's why tree surgeons don't like ripping with their saws.

It's a lovely hunk of timber that, whereabouts is it?

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Re: Walnut

Postby Andyp » 24 May 2019, 10:26

You will have plenty of time to think about what to make while it dries. Lucky devil.
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodster » 24 May 2019, 11:13

Andyp wrote:Yep chain saws are typically cross cut. You can get, and I bought, a rip chain for mine which works much better.


Ah, I didn’t know that. Learn something every day. ;)
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 24 May 2019, 11:21

Andyp wrote:You will have plenty of time to think about what to make while it dries. Lucky devil.

Indeed Andy. Fortunately I've got quite a lot of walnut in the 'shop at the moment already but I do tend to treat it with more reverence than Croesus's gold :lol:
The board I'll get hold of will be completely green so will go into my air drying stack at the bottom of the garden for a couple of years.

Having spoken on the dog n'bone just now to Matt at Workshop Heaven, he suggested a fearsome 300mm Gyokucho pruning saw and a Japanese hatchet for removing much of the sap etc from my chunks of timber - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby Andyp » 24 May 2019, 12:07

Does that mean you will part turn the bowl now?
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 24 May 2019, 13:21

Andyp wrote:Does that mean you will part turn the bowl now?

Possibly, maybe Andy. The chunks I've got aren't very big so the bowl(s) will be quite small...say 200mmish diameter if I'm lucky.

So if I do part-turn them green, what's the best way to ensure quick and safe (ie; without cracking) drying?

Three of the six bits of...

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...green Walnut and there are three more just the same. The ends have been painted with Everbuild D4 and they're under that white tarp (on the right) out the sun - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby selectortone » 24 May 2019, 14:35

Woodbloke wrote: They're now awaiting the attention of my yet to be delivered froe


I'll be interested to hear how you get on with that froe. I tried to split some large sections of a newly felled beech trunk in halves for bowl blanks, using a large axe-head and a lump hammer, and couldn't get them to split all the way across in a straight line. I ended up getting a mate to chainsaw them.

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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 24 May 2019, 15:23

selectortone wrote:
Woodbloke wrote: They're now awaiting the attention of my yet to be delivered froe


I'll be interested to hear how you get on with that froe. I tried to split some large sections of a newly felled beech trunk in halves for bowl blanks, using a large axe-head and a lump hammer, and couldn't get them to split all the way across in a straight line. I ended up getting a mate to chainsaw them.

Thread here


I'm no expert in any way as I've never used a froe, but my guess is that an axe head is probably the wrong tool for the job. If you look at several UToob clips as I did, it would appear to be a fairly straightforward process. I also don't know if beech can be split or cleaved easily?

That said, it there anything straightforward when we're woodmangling?

When it does eventually arrive (and I had to severeially chivy up the girlie at Ray Isles who appeared to have sat on my order for three days :evil: ) I'll let you know how I get on...fingers crossed - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby Andyp » 24 May 2019, 16:44

Suggest you drop a thread in the turning section so Dalboy, Derek, spots it. He has done more wet turning than I.

My only experience so far led me to believe that it is best done outside. It was unseasoned ash, or maybe beech IIRC and the wet shavings were a PITA to clear up.

Obviously turn very oversized.
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 24 May 2019, 17:32

Andyp wrote:Suggest you drop a thread in the turning section so Dalboy, Derek, spots it. He has done more wet turning than I.


Good idea Andy, will do - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby will1983 » 28 May 2019, 09:05

And wear a rain coat!!!

I turned a little bowl from freshly cut birch last year, I was soaked by the end! :lol:
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodster » 28 May 2019, 10:18

I suspect the humble Froe has been around for centuries. Although less common now there still seem to be people that use them. How well they work must surely depend on the timber in question?
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 29 May 2019, 17:26

Woodster wrote:I suspect the humble Froe has been around for centuries. Although less common now there still seem to be people that use them. How well they work must surely depend on the timber in question?


Yep, had great fun with it yesterday. It's a mean machine but a relatively safe way of converting logs. It easily split my walnut chunks, provided there wasn't a branch of any sort in the log. The only downside is that the green beech mallet (or 'beetle') I turned last week split down the middle after it had really thumped the froe no more than four times. I now need to make a new one! - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 03 Jun 2019, 18:51

The tree was slabbed up today, courtesy of 'Rob the Miller' and Paul Goulden. I took on the roles of general 'clearer upperer', apprentice and chief dogsbody for the day, but it was a very interesting experience to see how it's done.
There was some stunning timber, but as can be expected, a lot with shakes and defects. This was possibly the best piece...

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...today and was simply gorgeous, but note the star shakes below in the centre of the log. Because I told Paul about the tree, he let me have a 1.5" board of pristine, clear timber, shown leaning...

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...against the fence. It's now had it's ends painted with PVA and is drying under my tarp at the bottom of the garden. That board is shown being...

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...milled, but as Rob went lower, he encountered a lot of nails and assorted ironmongery, which made a real mess of the chain saw blade, so eventually he had to abandon it. None the less, there were some fantastic boards that came out of the main butt.

A really interesting and enjoyable day - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby TrimTheKing » 03 Jun 2019, 20:27

Very nice mate, top looking board that is! I'm sure you can fashion a magnificent live edge coffee table from that by bolting a couple of legs on it! :eusa-whistle:
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 03 Jun 2019, 20:43

TrimTheKing wrote:... I'm sure you can fashion a magnificent live edge coffee table from that by bolting a couple of legs on it! :eusa-whistle:

Wash your mouth out with carbolic n'water Mark :lol: - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 12 Jun 2019, 08:51

Herewith a little UToobing clip made on the day - Rob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxuzN7B ... Pb1RiUuBDI
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Re: Walnut

Postby Andyp » 12 Jun 2019, 09:35

Great Video.
There are plenty of trees around these parts still riddled with shrapnel and spent ordnance which makes them difficult to cut even for heating wood.
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Re: Walnut

Postby Jimmy Mack » 13 Jul 2019, 09:44

Very nice Rob. Some gorgeous looking timber. I'm assuming that slices of metal are in the slabs, were you able to see them glinting in the light? Dig them out?

A job for the metal detector when you're ready to work the stock in the shop.

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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 13 Jul 2019, 12:04

Jimmy Mack wrote:Very nice Rob. Some gorgeous looking timber. I'm assuming that slices of metal are in the slabs, were you able to see them glinting in the light? Dig them out?

A job for the metal detector when you're ready to work the stock in the shop.

Jim


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Towards the bottom of the main butt when it was lying close to the ground, I counted nine lumps :o of bright steel where the saw had sliced through them. I had a beautiful, prime 30mm board out of the centre of the log (probably the second or third one cut, see above pics in this thread) which was clear of any metalwork and it's now seasoning in the wood stack under a large tarp at the bottom of the garden - Rob
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Re: Walnut

Postby 9fingers » 13 Jul 2019, 12:33

Rob, Out of interest is "Rob the miller" the alaskan mill chap who lives/ works on the southern edge of the new forest, Silver Street in the address comes to mind.

I bought a board of Holm Oak from him years back for a job and still got a hunk left waiting for the right job to show it off nicely. I made a shelf for my niece from it but I think she ended up painting it - Heathen :shock:

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Re: Walnut

Postby Woodbloke » 13 Jul 2019, 16:19

9fingers wrote:Rob, Out of interest is "Rob the miller" the alaskan mill chap who lives/ works on the southern edge of the new forest, Silver Street in the address comes to mind.

I bought a board of Holm Oak from him years back for a job and still got a hunk left waiting for the right job to show it off nicely. I made a shelf for my niece from it but I think she ended up painting it - Heathen :shock:

Bob

The very same I believe Bob; he makes rudimentary stuff for sale (garden seats, bird tables etc) in the New Forest - Rob
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