Small branch off-cuts from garden shrubs and trees make for interesting timber for use in your woodwork projects.
Recently a neighbour was clearing some ancient honeysuckle and a flowering cherry tree. My packrat-edness got the better of me. I needed some of that mini-lumber goodness for making handles, file handles, screwdriver handles etc.
So get on your lumberjack shirt and sing the song as you gather your, umm logs.
Recently a neighbour was clearing some ancient honeysuckle and a flowering cherry tree. My packrat-edness got the better of me. I needed some of that mini-lumber goodness for making handles, file handles, screwdriver handles etc.
So get on your lumberjack shirt and sing the song as you gather your, umm logs.
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Fresh cut wood has a high moisture content.
Relative to its dimensions - although the cubic area isn't great, we still need to dry it out under controlled conditions. There's a shrinkage calculator here, and there's an fascinating equation used to ascertain equilibrium moisture content here.
Me? I just dip both ends in wax and leave it for a year or two..
Imagine a tree trunk or branch is like a bundle of very long, leaky microscopic drinking straws. The sap can evaporate out of the ends much faster than it can along its leaks. If we seal the ends with wax it will still leak but at a much slower rate. This gives us a stable drying-out, helping to prevent splitting - of course there are no guarantees :-)
The picture shows timber that has dried rapidly and with no control. We want to avoid the damage that causes to our exotic timber haul. Big thanks to Sean McClean for the image.
Relative to its dimensions - although the cubic area isn't great, we still need to dry it out under controlled conditions. There's a shrinkage calculator here, and there's an fascinating equation used to ascertain equilibrium moisture content here.
Me? I just dip both ends in wax and leave it for a year or two..
Imagine a tree trunk or branch is like a bundle of very long, leaky microscopic drinking straws. The sap can evaporate out of the ends much faster than it can along its leaks. If we seal the ends with wax it will still leak but at a much slower rate. This gives us a stable drying-out, helping to prevent splitting - of course there are no guarantees :-)
The picture shows timber that has dried rapidly and with no control. We want to avoid the damage that causes to our exotic timber haul. Big thanks to Sean McClean for the image.
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In ancient Europe you could always spot the woodturners, they had a gouge sticking out of them*
So I give it a minimum of two years seasoning, in a relatively dry cellar, for timber that's not more than 5" diameter - taking it from there - if it doesn't feel right while you're using it, stop and get another piece - or stop altogether, it's your call.
Professionally kiln dried timber is expensive by comparison, yet I've never seen a guarantee from the wood yards that the wood won't split.
Hope this gives you some clarification, please take care - it's your body.
* Ok I made this bit up
I'm definateley on the lookout for more ancient ivy it's sooo smooth.
Do you just pile up the wood in a shed or leave them outside to season? The bark is still on so do you have to worry about that getting rot or attracting bugs?
I keep mine in the workshop it's pretty bug free and dry enough to halt decay. No mould or woodworm so far :)
You shouldn't need to remove the bark for seasoning, but why did the tree shed a limb? If it was diseased you might want to reconsider using that timber.
Cedarwood is beautiful , I'm envious. Always good practise to use a quality dust mask when machining any wood.
I know lumber yards use paint, so it must work also.
I do this a lot. I probably have 300 limbs stacked up waiting for use in various states of dryness. I just started carving a flute from a crab apple limb pruned about 1.5 years ago. For sealing the ends, I use beeswax and olive oil mixed together. When melted and blended, it is thin enough to soak in well, but still hardens up nicely. Paraffin and mineral oil makes a decent blend as well.
No matter what you do, some limbs will split. My redbud limbs tore themselves apart for some reason. It was crazy.
Synonyms: dumpster diving, curb shopping, Skip shopping (UK i think)
We had all you could take wood for free on the curb last time a tropical storm came through.
Just my 2 cents. Oldanvil