Applewood

[ByronBlack]

Is it any good for furniture/cabinet making? A bloke at work has recently cut down his large apple tree and has quite a thick log and I was wondering whether it's worth planking it and using it? Anyone done this?

 

[wizer]

from googling it, it seems like a tool making wood. Very hard

 

[Bean]

I have seen quite large pieces made from apple.
I fell in love with a desk made from it, a west country maker but his name escapes me :roll:

 

[Smudger]

Pointless historical fact - Apple trees always used to be planted next to windmills. The wood is hard and slightly oily, so it was used for the teeth in wooden gear wheels. If a tooth broke, Windy Miller just had to pop outside to cut himself a new one.

 

[kafkaian]

Pointless historical fact - Apple trees always used to be planted next to windmills. The wood is hard and slightly oily, so it was used for the teeth in wooden gear wheels. If a tooth broke, Windy Miller just had to pop outside to cut himself a new one.

Interesting fact you mean! Never knew that, thanks very much 8) Presumably though, the miller had back up stock of seasoned apple, or was it used green?

 

[Smudger]

I don't know. The book I read it in suggested that he just popped out into the orchard and lopped off a likely-looking branch, but that can't be feasible, as apart from anything else the tolerances would be pretty tight, and from what I remember of apple it is very wet when first cut (as a kid I did a bit of apple tree bashing...)

I guess like a lot of medieval practice there would be a time of year when a tree would be trimmed, the wood dried and used in its turn. One of those once-common practices now sadly lost.

 

[GCR]

Yes, I have used both apple and crab apple. Indeed I posted a note regarding a box I made in apple last year. It is quite hard and dense. Has a very fine grain. Takes a while to dry out and is inclined to split at the ends unless you are very careful with end grain sealant. The wood I have used had a fair amount of stress in it so it moved quite a lot when cut to size - cut over size and be prepared to go over it again to rectify movement. Once sorted it seems very stable though. After all that you have a wonderful, quite pale and fine grained timber which, if you are lucky, may have coloured streaks in it. Definitely worth the trouble of planking it up.

Bob

 

[wizer]

Definitely worth the trouble of planking it up.

*cough* and sending some to WiZeR *cough* :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

Hi guy's, thanks for all the info - the windmill thing is quite bizarre but very interesting!

I'll definitly arrange to get hold of the log then as seems it might be worth the effort, any tips on how to plank it, prepare and store it? I know i'm being lazy and should run a search

 

[paulm]

Shame you're not closer Byron, would be happy to lend a hand with the chainsaw and bandsaw. In return for a percentage of the timber of course !

Just seal the ends of the log, then slice through and through on a bandsaw or with a chainsaw depending on how big it is. Would probably keep the slices about 1 1/2" thick to allow for planing and truing once dried out a bit, but might get away with a bit less. Stack with stickers to allow air circulation, somewhere out of the sun and rain and leave for a couple of years !

Cheers, Paul.

 

[ByronBlack]

HI Paul,

thanks for the tips there, in the event of no chainsaw or bandsaw, how else would one plank a log?

 

[paulm]

Visit a mate who has !!!

Cheers, Paul.

 

[DaveL]

in the event of no chainsaw or bandsaw, how else would one plank a log?

You could build a pit saw and plank by hand.

 

[ByronBlack]

Dave sounds like a plan! I'm off to google 'pit saw'

Something like this perhaps?:

 

[PowerTool]

Something like this perhaps?:

If so,wouldn't fancy being the one in the pit

Andrew

 

[ByronBlack]

:lol: According to the article that I got the image from they guy in the pit is usually called the 'Donkey' - no wonder!

So, anyone fancy a trip to essex to be my donkey?

 

[greybeard]

I've come across references more than once - including on the Beeb, so it must be true! - to the two saw-pit workers being referred to as respectively the top dog and the bottom dog, the one on the bottom being the one who gets the sawdust to eat, breathe, etc etc.........

But sadly as is the case with so much of our country heritage, why 'top dog' - as opposed to, say, 'top man' - is not known.
Which - cynical old doubter that I am - leads me to doubt the 'definition'. Pity, cos it does sound kind of plausible, but just to say 'because it does' obviously doesn't make it right!! Although of course it makes for a seemingly 'neat' factoid thing.

Grrrrr - I really let myself get wound by poor research!

Sorry Byron, much as I would of course like to help, I have another less donkeyish role on that very same day that you've planned for the planking.

 

[DaveL]

Dave sounds like a plan! I'm off to google 'pit saw'

Something like this perhaps?:

Thats the sort of thing I had in mind.

On a more practical note, if the log is not huge then a large frame saw would do the job, you still need the extra wheatabix but the donkey is not required. 8)

I have seen apple wood gear teeth at a number of wind/water mills I have visited. Even when metal wheels were used, wooden teeth were fitted. They run quieter and broken ones are quick and easy to replace no need to even take the gear out of the machine. :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

I've come across references more than once - including on the Beeb, so it must be true! - to the two saw-pit workers being referred to as respectively the top dog and the bottom dog, the one on the bottom being the one who gets the sawdust to eat, breathe, etc etc.........

Since my college days I've always understood saw pits to be the origin of the expressions 'top dog' and 'underdog'.

Indeed this was reinforced a couple of years ago in that TV documentary on Thomas Chippendale.

 

[wizer]

Byron i'll come over and be your bottom dog if you like.

However, chainsaw rental can't be prohibitive... can it?