Gauging interest - American Sycamore.

[jeff...]

Based on the responses and considering the sycamore grain may be hard to dry flat. It Looks like this will be cut up as turning squares. I'll make sure this time I trim out the pith and follow what I've read about producing bowl blanks. I'll see what happens once I get it the mill.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[NZAPP1]

Based on the responses and considering the sycamore grain may be hard to dry flat. It Looks like this will be cut up as turning squares. I'll make sure this time I trim out the pith and follow what I've read about producing bowl blanks. I'll see what happens once I get it the mill.

Thanks for the responses.

:eusa_danc :eusa_danc :eusa_clap
Thanks Jeff let me know when you get them ready

 

[jeff...]

I went back through the replies and created a list for sycamore turning blanks.

Nick - 3) 8x8 or 10x10 4-6" thick bowl blanks
Charlie - a few bowl blanks (Charlie I'll need to know dimensions and quantity)
Mike - Spoons and ladles. (Mike I'll also need dimensions and quantity)
Bob - 20x20 3-5" thick blanks (if I can get em that big)

Per Kyle's advice, I won't be slicing any boards out of this log, due to the twisted trunk. The boards would not dry flat, so I'm not even going to try. I really value Kyle's wisdom, he's got a lot of logs up on me and knows what he's talking about. Thanks Kyle for the pointers, last thing I want to do it cut up a bunch of junk.

I think this twisted sister should make some fine turning material though, but we'll have to wait and see what it looks like when I get it on the mill and open it up. I can't make any promises. But will keep ya'll posted and take some pics if I can.

Thanks

 

[ccccarving]

Jeff, Same as Nick or anything leftover will do.
Thanks Charlie

 

[NZAPP1]

Sound good Jeff. I may also be looking for some to make a box and vase, The box would be 3 x 3 x 4-6 and vase 6 x 6 x 10-12

 

[China Woody]

Jeff, I may be interested in some 8/4 walnut. I'm always looking for good priced material. Not sure how far it is from Wake County to you, but hope we can arrange for something.
Woody.

 

[jeff...]

Woody, if all goes well - I'll probly end up making a trip to raleigh to deliver turning blanks to NZAPP1. It's cool to get to meet folks face to face, so perhaps we could meet in Raleigh somewhere? I'll try and get some pics as the lumber becomes availible.

I forgot to ask, is there any intrest in black walnut turning squares? I plan on 8/4 but forgot to ask about 4-6" inch thick squares.

I kinda got a cheap price set in my mind based on grade, width and figure. But we'll have to see what I got into it. this is the first time I'm actually going to keep tabs on what I spent and my time involved.

Friend sent the flowwing to me and I thought you might enjoy it

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Came across this and found it amusing (and sad).

The evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1) Teaching Math In 1950 - A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

2) Teaching Math In 1960 - A logger sells a truckload of lumber! for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3) Teaching Math In 1970 - A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4) Teaching Math In 1980 - A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

50) Teaching Math In 1990 - A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers)

6) Teaching Math In 2006 - Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80.
-----------------


Thanks

 

[cskipper]

:rotflm: :rotflm: :rotflm:

 

[NCPete]

Too funny!

 

[China Woody]

Jeff, thanks for your reply, and the very humerous anecdote on American education - I'm still laughing.
Yes, I would be interested in some turning blocks.
Hope you don't scare yourself when you start adding up the time and costs - I'd hate to have to count the number of $1 jobs that I've done using $100 worth of time and effort.
Look forward to meeting you here in Raleigh. I'm pretty flexible, so just let me know when you're going to be in the area.
Thanks again for your willingness to help us get some inexpensive material.
W.

 

[NZAPP1]

Jeff
I would like some walnut in the same sizes that I have stated:icon_thum

 

[jeff...]

Took my trailer out to this guys farm today. He took me back in the woods and showed me a monster red poplar, I didn't know they got that big 8-O. It's on the other side of a creek and quite a distance from where we'll be setting up. We decided it's to big for the mill and to much hassle to be trying to wrestle out of the woods that distance, so it will remain standing.

The Twisted Sister Sycamore is still standing too, he wants some help taking it down since it's right next to some power lines. It's the wildest looking tree I ever seen. I was looking it over and he said; if you stare at that tree long enough, you just might see a face or two in there, somehow I believe he might be right :lol: it's just wild looking.

From the looks of it, I'll be there all day Saturday and most likely a big part of Sunday. However I might decide toe up the logs and cut them down the center, slice up his half into lumber, put my log halves on the trailer and bring home to play with later. Just thinking it might be the way to go, would be quicker for him and I could be out of there sooner too.

Needless to say I'm really looking forward to this weekend of sawing. It's a blast running the mill, and meeting new people, plus he has a BBQ planned too, it should be a good time. I'll try and snap a few pics to share, not everyone's cup of tea mind you, but I sure do enjoy it.

 

[jeff...]

Couple of pics of what I did this weekend.

a few hundred BF 8/4 of black walnut
some 4/4 black walnut
some wide 6/4 american sycamore slabs
some sycamore truning blanks 6"x11" and 4"x18"

Thanks

 

[jeff...]

I won't be selling the wide 6/4 American sycamore slabs, I've got plans to make table tops out of them. What I can't use for table tops, I'll hack up into figured pen blanks. The grain in the sycamore is extremely wild, twisted and laced, especially up around the multi limbed crotch area, just right for a slab table top.

I met a guy who makes figured slab table tops. This is something I've been wanting to try every since I seen a picture of the one in Elvis' jungle room, this summer. http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3786&highlight=slab).

He gave me a mental sketch of the 6x6 white oak press he built to dry his figured slabs. He said he has very good luck drying them so the slabs stay flat with minimal splitting. He also said they don't need to be all that dry either. Around 20% MC, before you seal them in the finish, just like Kyle said. So I'm going to give it a try and see what happens. Worst that can happen is I dry some figured slabs and maybe make a mess of the finish on one or two, waste a little money and time.

I think the sycamore bowl blanks are already spoken for (no pith this time). But I'll snap some pics of the walnut and set a price, once I can give it a good look over. If it's not good quality stuff, I'll hang on to it myself and do something with it later (maybe woodguy’s rocker class?).

Thanks

 

[jeff...]

Picked up my trailer this morning and hacked up a small piece of the sycamore into a few pen blanks. What would you guys call this curly sycamore?

Thanks

 

[Tarhead]

I'd call it beautiful! Ugly trees make nice stock.:icon_thum
Mark

 

[jeff...]

A few pics of BobN's 4x18 slab. Bob as you can see the last half of the slab is pretty eat up. I can get you two 4x18x18's out of this slab if you still want it.

Thanks

 

[jeff...]

Few more pics (only two allowed per post)

Thanks

 

[NZAPP1]

Those look wild. I would love to make a pen from that wood it looks awesome:icon_thum

 

[jeff...]

One of the smaller 6x11 slabs - this one is 5' long. And has plenty of curly grain. I have two others that are 9' long. One of the 9'ers has pith running through it, I will not offer the pith ridden one for sale.

Figured out how to get more than two pictures per post...


Thanks