At long last, Ive received a blessing from the tree gods. I got a Box Elder that was cut down to make room for a home addition. It was a good cause after all, the home owner is adding a workshop to his property. Never was there a more noble cause.
Its good to have a horticulture fella in the family. One of my wives cousins spotted this tree and asked if Id be interested. After picking myself up off the floor, I told him that yes, I would be! A few months later, shes home and waiting.
From what I understand, Box Elder trees dont get very large. This one was on the big side!
I really need to get a trailer... And a bigger truck... Donations welcome!
Good thing all I had to do was push the pieces out of the truck. Actually I was also able to push the pieces into a truck... Conveniently enough, the tree was uphill of there we loaded the truck. We literally rolled the wood onto the tailgate and into the truck! Thats easier than using a tractor!
The crown of this tree is pretty big, so Ill have lots of options. Im thinking at least a big hollow form and platter. Im super eager to cut open this piece. The grain patterns should be excellent! Im still itching for a real porker to try out the full capacity of the lathe!
Since this is rather prized wood, I want to do just about everything I can to insure it doesnt rot before I can get to it all. If I had a ginormous shop, Id go ahead and process the logs and cut everything into blanks. However, thats not the case...
I bought 4 mil black plastic and 2.5" x 6 creosoted timbers to lay the wood on. Not having anchorseal, I used exterior grade latex paint to coat the end grain. If I thought these logs would sit for an extended period of time, I would have bought anchorseal. I do have the best of intentions to turn this all in a few months... You know what they say about mice and men...
Well, the moment of truth. Heres the first log opened up. This one is about 9" in diameter. Ive always loved the thrill of cutting into a log. You never know what youll find. I was happy to see some good coloring and there is even enough figure in the wood that I can see it off the rough cut of the chainsaw.
Fist bowl from Box Elder! This one is destined for my wifes cousin to thank him for his hard work and patience dealing with an overly excited woodturner.
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