More unexpected walnut!

[tekno.mage]

A friend turned up last night and delivered a trailer full of walnut to me for free

Events like this should make any woodturner happy.

BUT

The tree was cut up by a tree surgeon, so I have the main trunk of a large walnut tree which has been sliced into rounds about 12" or less deep - One of the pieces is over 3 foot in diameter and only 10" deep. #-o Sob Sob

It's a good thing I mostly make little boxes and other small items

One thing I did notice (he mentioned the tree came down and was sliced up early last winter then lay in the open in a garden until he picked it up last week) was that most of the slices seem to be sound wood with very few (or no) splits or cracks in the ends of them. I'll be spending today processing the rounds into quarters and painting PVA on the ends. Then it's a matter of finding somewhere to store them that is safe from woodworm....

 

[boysie39]

Kym , glad your keeping it , :roll: would hate to have to make more arrangments for collection . :mrgreen:

 

[tekno.mage]

Hi Eugene,

Definitely keeping it Am about half way through splitting the chunks into halfs & quarters by hand using splitting axe, wedges, large mallet etc - as my partner's ripping chainsaw is currently in for repair. So far all the wood is sound if a little wet. Good exercise on a sunny april morning - and I saw the first swallow of the year arrive here too.

 

[chrisbaker42]

Saw my first swallows yesterday afternoon in West Wales

 

[dickm]

Saw my first swallows yesterday afternoon in West Wales

They've not had the courage to venture up here yet
W.R.T the logs, in the lengths you've got, splitting is probably quicker, and a lot quieter, than the chainsaw.

 

[andersonec]

BUT

The tree was cut up by a tree surgeon, so I have the main trunk of a large walnut tree which has been sliced into rounds about 12" or less deep - One of the pieces is over 3 foot in diameter and only 10" deep. #-o Sob Sob

Have you guessed why tree surgeons cut it into short lengths?

They have to lift them. If you can get to them before they cut it up then they will leave it in whatever lengths you may be able to handle.

3ft diameter x 3ft long = heavy

Andy

 

[tekno.mage]

Hi Andy,

Yes - I know very well why tree surgeons cut up trees the way they do - and how much of a nuisance it is to try and move a very large chunk of a trunk (tractor plus winch in the case of a large oak my partner recently dealt with.)

Actually I would not have got this lot of walnut at all had it not been sliced up the way it was - the friend who passed it on to me had collected it from a relative assuming it was going to be in larger lengths (he makes furniture) and having turned up with a trailer felt obliged to take it away, even though it was of no use to him whatever.

 

[matthewwh]

I picked up the bole of a copper beech from a guy on freecycle a couple of years ago.

He was amazed when I arrived with an axe, a couple of wedges and a sledge and just popped it into quarters lengthwise and slid them into the back of the car.

 

[tekno.mage]

Matthew, something I've often wondered - is the timber from a copper beech any different to that from an ordinary beech?

 

[henton49er]

A friend turned up last night and delivered a trailer full of walnut to me for free

Events like this should make any woodturner happy.

Well, my piece has certainly made me happy. Thanks again, Kym.

Mike.