Life's a Beech

[MikeW]

Just bought this piece of European Beech and gotta share...and why? Because this stuff is one of the hardest to get woods here in the US, at least on this side of the US.

It's 2 1/8" thick, 22 1/2" to 24 1/4" wide and 98" long. Quarter sawn, of course.

Take care, Mike

 

[Philly]

Nice spalt, Mike!
I have a 4 inch plank sat in the garage. The kinda plank you need a helper when moving :lol:
CHeers
Philly

 

[GEPPETTO]

Hi Mike,
I bought (I think) the same wood, few weeks ago, for some shelves. I didn't ever buy it until now. I bought two slabs 240x(25-30)x4 cm and I did remain astonished how much it weights :shock: therefore I think you have to do a lot of fatigue to move it :lol: .
Yes, by my experience (little) it's very hard, but I think Black Locust I have for the future top workbench is hardest :roll: I'll have to go to the gym a lot to work with hand tolls on it :lol: :shock: .

...quartersawed ?yes I know what it means :lol: ...mmhhh Do you find thet way so easy there? Sincerely here, when I go to the local supplier i did't see anything sawed in that way. Perhaps they have quarter sawn slabs hidden for best customers? :? would it be more expensive?

however.. very nice slab.. and what do you think to use for?

Cheers
Gabriele

 

[bugbear]

Just bought this piece of European Beech and gotta share...and why? Because this stuff is one of the hardest to get woods here in the US, at least on this side of the US.

Heh. Grass is greener syndrome. We import Black Walnut, you import Beech!

Some American have been known to import enough euro beech for a (large) workbench.

Some Europeans have been known to import enough maple for a (large) workbench.

Crazy!

Although I would like some handle-grade hickory lumber. No European equivalent :wink:

BugBear

 

[MikeW]

Hi Gabriele,

however.. very nice slab.. and what do you think to use for?

It's for saw handles.

My wife turns Black Locust--you're right. Hard stuff. Might make for a hard bench top!

Quartersawn is often more expensive because sawing the log that way produces more waste.

Take care, Mike

 

[MikeW]

Just bought this piece of European Beech and gotta share...and why? Because this stuff is one of the hardest to get woods here in the US, at least on this side of the US.

Heh. Grass is greener syndrome. We import Black Walnut, you import Beech!

Some American have been known to import enough euro beech for a (large) workbench.

Some Europeans have been known to import enough maple for a (large) workbench.

Crazy!

Although I would like some handle-grade hickory lumber. No European equivalent :wink:

BugBear

Does seem silly! This is for saw handles. Reproductions that the originals were Beech. I do like working with it. Resilient, hard wood. Might make some tool handles from the waste.

Some 4-in-1 screwdrivers with a split nut driver, some file handles, etc.

Take care, Mike

hickory, dickory dock...check your PM... :lol:

 

[Mittlefehldt]

Mike I am curious, is the European variety of Beech less prone to checking and such when drying? How does it compare weight wise with our native stuff, which I know is heavy enough, but I am told that they lose a lot of it to twisting and checking in kilns?

 

[MikeW]

Hi James,

European Beech if not steemed is a milder color and a more even color. Technically, ours has a slightly higher specific gravity. European Beech is closer grained, less coarse.

This board was cut from the log here and air dried for a few years and has been in a warehouse for a couple years. Though Philly mentioned spalt, it's not spalted. There is a heavy layer of dust and they tried to use some mineral spirits to show the grain in some close ups.

It's a fairly nice plank.

Take care, Mike

 

[Alf]

It's a crazy world all right. The timber fella I discovered practically on my doorstep last month said he couldn't shift the beech he'd planked last year - chopped it up for firewood. #-o This year he's leaving it lying to spalt for the turners, but reckons that's become a bit old hat and he might have trouble shifting that too. Oi vey. :roll:

Makes great tool handles, Mike, good idea. Going through my chisels for my sale list it was noticable that the proprtion of knackered boxwood handles was about 6 to 1 compared to the 'umble beech. Lovely stuff, IMO. And this time of year, while the leaves are still young and pale, they look so beautiful too. Too bad I tend to only look at trees in terms of planks these days... 8-[ :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[bugbear]

Going through my chisels for my sale list it was noticable that the proprtion of knackered boxwood handles was about 6 to 1 compared to the 'umble beech.

Box is hard but brittle. Dreadful choice for any chisel handle that will ever be struck, even with a mallet.

BugBear

 

[mudman]

Box is hard but brittle. Dreadful choice for any chisel handle that will ever be struck, even with a mallet.

BugBear

Really? I didn't know that. I always thought that box was the best for tool handles.
So better to use beech or ash for handles I'm thinking.

 

[MarcW]

Hi all,

Beech is very common here. It's the wood they throw after you, if you don't close the door when leaving. :lol: Seriously I made beech firewood out of whole trees in the eighties. Yes, I know, but I needed 28 meters to make the bridge from september to may

If it is not steemed, it is very difficult to work with handtools, no problem with powertools. Especially planing drives you crazy. It is cheap too. Only spruce is lower price. I think shipment maybe the most expensive.

BTW nice place here, love to read these handtool posts.

Marc

 

[Colin C]

Hi MarcW
Welcome to the forum

 

[Anonymous]

Just bought this piece of European Beech and gotta share...and why? Because this stuff is one of the hardest to get woods here in the US, at least on this side of the US.

Heh. Grass is greener syndrome. We import Black Walnut, you import Beech!

Some American have been known to import enough euro beech for a (large) workbench.

Some Europeans have been known to import enough maple for a (large) workbench.

Crazy!

Although I would like some handle-grade hickory lumber. No European equivalent :wink:

BugBear

Nice, Mike! I am jealous.

BB, we used to build bridges with walnut here in Kansas as it was the most common wood. What size hickory do you need?

I just got some small pieces of persimmon. After a few minutes playing time, I think it will probably just be used for wearing surfaces :shock:

 

[GEPPETTO]

Hi all,..

If it is not steemed, it is very difficult to work with handtools, no problem with powertools. Especially planing drives you crazy.....
Marc

Hi MarcW, firstly welcome here and secondly...

I have planned some unsteamed beech recently, I sawn it was more difficult to plane with handtoolls than oak or chestnut but I'm not become crazy :roll: :lol:
I learned that sometime it's easier to go against the grain than with it, as when you scrub the slab.. perhaps I'm wrong but it worked for me :wink:

Cheers
Gabriele

 

[bugbear]

Although I would like some handle-grade hickory lumber. No European equivalent :wink:

BugBear

Nice, Mike! I am jealous.

BB, ...... What size hickory do you need?

[/quote]

What I'd like are a coupla' planks around 4' long, 6" wide and at least 1" thick.

But the shipping costs would be deadly. Shipping a small piece would be cheap, and shipping a container load would be econmic, if I could sell on.

But shipping a coupla' planks ain't gonna fly

At the moment, if I need to make a custom handle, I either use Ash, or buy a (hickory) sledge hammer or pick axe handle, which *are* available here, at a price.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 66-3416703

BugBear

 

[MikeW]

Hi all,

Beech is very common here. It's the wood they throw after you, if you don't close the door when leaving. :lol: Seriously I made beech firewood out of whole trees in the eighties. Yes, I know, but I needed 28 meters to make the bridge from september to may
...
BTW nice place here, love to read these handtool posts. Marc

Hi Marc--Welcome!

That's OK about burning Beech...you should have seen all the 1-2 foot in diameter, perfectly straight-grained Spruce I use to burn when we lived in the log cabin oh so many years ago.

Marc will understand the Spruce reference...

As we heated and cooked with wood, and winters got to -20 degrees F for weeks at a time and zero F actually felt warm, we went through a bit of wood every winter.

Well, enough sotries. Again, Marc, Welcome!

Take care, Mike

 

[Anonymous]

What I'd like are a coupla' planks around 4' long, 6" wide and at least 1" thick.

But the shipping costs would be deadly. Shipping a small piece would be cheap, and shipping a container load would be econmic, if I could sell on.

But shipping a coupla' planks ain't gonna fly

At the moment, if I need to make a custom handle, I either use Ash, or buy a (hickory) sledge hammer or pick axe handle, which *are* available here, at a price.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 66-3416703

BugBear

Actually, that is what I do when I need to make handles. I often find hickory tool handles or gardening tools with hickory handles that sell for next to nothing. I left most of them with the buyer of my old house but I have some left. I make flat handles from ash and turn the hickory.