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Steamed Swiss Pear

Woodbloke

Woodbloke

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Some time ago I made the bi-annual pilgrimage to Yandles and picked up a couple of prime boards of 75mm thick, Steamed Swiss Pear which was salted away in the wood store in the ‘shop. On Friday there was another 15% off day on all timber stock so I had another trundle down the A303 with a view to collecting a bit more. I came back with four 25mm thick boards, not perfect by any means but with some judicial cutting, there ought to be some very useful timber for a few more projects.

So why Steamed Swiss Pear? Many years ago, one of the makers in the particular firm I was working for at that time had a large box to make and had to use pear. I asked him what it was like to work and bearing in mind that he’d had a lifetime as a pro’ cabinet maker, he remarked that it was without doubt the best cabinet wood that he’d ever used as it’s so benign you can do anything with it.

I planed up a small oddment this morning in the ‘shop and he wasn’t wrong. I like English Walnut (I have a lot in the ‘shop) but this stuff is certainly it’s equal and possibly much better.

No wonder that Jim Krenov liked to use it - Rob
 
Was there myself on Friday, and picked up a length of Padauk, 8" wide, but 4" of which was quarter sawn! (I think). Hopefully, I can convert that into some musical instrument parts.

I also found a length of slab sawn Maple, about 1 1/4" thick, but when ripped thin with the 1 1/4" as the wide side, there's a few quarter sawn, or thereabouts, lengths that could make some nice bindings or purflings.
 
Maybe 4 or 5 years ago I got a piece of swiss pear from Custard (hah! see what I did there? :lol: )
It was indeed a very smooth wood that cut easily and left nice edges.
Sadly there wasnt enough to make anything noteworthy from. I have no chance whatsoever of finding any here. :eusa-violin:
 
It’s one of my favourite woods, I much prefer it to Walnut. Not had the opportunity to use it much though as it’s normally a bit expensive and not always in the size I needed.
 
Sounds interesting stuff. Not something I've come across before. I'll look out for some at my suppliers.
 
It was the wood of choice for setsquares and for French curves. Even when sawn and planed to less than a mm thick, it stays flat and true.
 
Mike G":3i0lcu5o said:
Sounds interesting stuff. Not something I've come across before. I'll look out for some at my suppliers.
Click to expand...

If you see some Mike, grab it. You won’t be disappointed - Rob
 
Anyone got a photo? What does it look like?
 
The images on that website look very much like some workshop dried apple that I have. The images of apple on that website do not look like my apple at all. The provenance is indisputable as I helped cut down the tree myself.
 
Sapient Pearwood is an absolute bugger to work with. Every time your chisel digs in or you plane it to size it moves like greased weasel dodo off a shovel and takes ages to get to grips with. I had an old reclaimed bit once and the knots left by the chopped off limbs were as hard as a dragon's toe nails. And if you aren't careful when using a plane it can turn round and bite you
 
droogs":2w0opvvm said:
........as hard as a dragon's toe nails.....
Click to expand...
:lol: :eusa-clap: That's one I've not heard before.
 
Wonderful to see Mr. Pratchet has affected so many peoples hobbies :eusa-dance: :eusa-dance: 8-)
 
Here's my little French curve, which I am pretty certain is pearwood. Probably well over a century old, only a millimetre thick, but as flat and smooth as the day it was made.

IMG_20210719_171000307.jpg

IMG_20210719_171025248.jpg

IMG_20210719_171038171.jpg
 
Can someone please elaborate.

I understand pear wood : wood from the fruit tree that carries pears.
What is special about Swiss pear fruit trees.
How is it steamed and why?
Do other steamed woods exist?
 
Lurker":q013prmh said:
Do other steamed woods exist?
Click to expand...

Yes, most commercially available Beech is steamed to get an even colour to the timber which is that pinkish colour that's associated with it, when Beech is not steamed it tends to be a mixture of pink and cream and the grain flecks aren't as visible.

Holly is another timber that is commonly steamed as soon as it is felled, to keep its pure-white colour, if not steamed it tends to go a dull grey colour with hues of green.

There are probably others but those are the two I know of.
 
Often I find iroko in a putrid steaming skip, does that count?
 
I have some unsteamed pear and it's really nice wood to work with, I am thinking about making an electric guitar out of it.
 
AndyT":2pv9mad1 said:
Here's my little French curve, which I am pretty certain is pearwood. Probably well over a century old, only a millimetre thick, but as flat and smooth as the day it was made.
Click to expand...

Definitely Pear; it was used for all sorts of applications like that French curve, inc ‘T’ squares and other drawing instruments. I planed a bit the other evening, from both directions, with and against the grain. Not a bit of difference - Rob
 
Rob
I've made a couple of marking gauges from Pear in the last month or so. It is nice stuff to work, fairly soft like Walnut. Only thing to watch out for is it chipping on edges, so take care on the fine corners of dovetails, etc.
Once you get some finish you often find some gentle figuring appear, my piece had a lovely subtle flame figure.
Hope this helps,
Philly:D

pear1.jpg
 
You can find quite heavily figured Steamed Pear, over the years I've bought a fair bit from Timberline, boards like this,

Swiss-Pear-Figured.jpg

Incidentally, I believe the plain stuff is often used for model making, apparently because the grain on Swiss Pear is so compact that it's barely visible, consequently the scale of the model isn't given away by intrusive grain.
 
A little off topic. I have a 'trunk' of apple, it's about 5 foot long, 5-6"ish diameter maybe on average. bit of twist maybe/probably. It's apple. Looks ok. Came out the neighbours garden and ends painted within an hour. Stored a bout a year, will need a couple more.
FTAGH: EN10 Broxbourne
I was hoping to keep it for tool handles one day. Still.
Rather it went to a good home.
 
Chop it into foot long logs and burn it on an open fire at xmas time. Wonderful seasonal smell. 8-)
 
Chris101":383q4z3w said:
A little off topic. I have a 'trunk' of apple, it's about 5 foot long, 5-6"ish diameter maybe on average. bit of twist maybe/probably. It's apple. Looks ok. Came out the neighbours garden and ends painted within an hour. Stored a bout a year, will need a couple more.
FTAGH: EN10 Broxbourne
I was hoping to keep it for tool handles one day. Still.
Rather it went to a good home.
Click to expand...

It’s actually nice stuff and worth keeping. Weighs about 50lbs/cu’ so pretty hard and dense; ideal for tool handles and turned projects. I’ve recently used a bit for making some small drawer sides and Bob9f recently let me have a small slab from a tree he took down a while back - Rob
 
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