Just harvested a buckeye Gloat

[Mark Norman]

And of course, what good is a gloat without pics?
No good at all, so I got a few.

I guess buckeye is a soft wood because it cut like buttah! I am a little dissapointed with the grain being rether plain but I haven't cut it up yet so who knows what else I will find inside when I do.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1844.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1980.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1982.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1983.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1984.jpg

I'll have me another beer while I rest and then go back out to cut it up.

[Bernie Weishapl]

LOL yea you better have a couple. Congrats on some nice wood Mark. Looks like some good turning there.

[Mark Norman]

Well, it is rather plain looking but I guess anything is going to be rather plain compared to the walnut I've been blessed with.

I got the large piece sliced up and ready for sealing.
Time for another natty light;) Then I'll go finish up the rest and get em all sealed up.

[Brian McInturff]

I'd probably use that buckeye for practicing. Save the Walnut. I noticed in your video in the other thread your makeshift toolrest, the channel steel, is pretty wide. With it being so wide I notice you are holding your bowl gouge horizontally(flat). You might want to start looking at finding something a little narrower so you can get a little angle on your cuts. I think you'll find your turning will go much better. Back to the Buckeye- Boy, I can see some really cool bowls with that large voind that goes up the middle of that one log. Oh Yeah!!:cool::cool:

[Steve Schlumpf]

Congrats on all the wood Mark! Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of it!

[Mark Norman]

Thanks!

Brian, that is exactly why I harvested the buckeye,,,,to save the walnut. I'll see what I can do with the makeshift tool rest, I tried round stock but it kept rolling away from the work:eek: lol
I am working on building a suitable tool rest for the machine.

Steve, do you have any doubt I wont post pics?;)

[Mark Norman]

I't as vanilla as wood comes realy. I guess I should sva judgement for when I have a piece finished. Its real wet I mean got me a shower wet...

I cut it all up and had my helper seal up the ends with anchorseal.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1989.jpg

Picked out a piece and let my band saw have its way with it/...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1994.jpg

I'm realy prety good at this part...;)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1995.jpg

I was busy workin on it when me honey brought me some supper...What a sweetheart she is.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1996.jpg

If it weren't for her I might forget ta eat...lol

I lost part of the bark but thats ok, I'll just take the rest off when I am done with it..

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1997.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t116/triangle5/wood/100_1998.jpg

Its soaking in DNA now but I think it would have lost a bunch of moisture if I just left it on the lathe spinning overnight the way it was spraying all over.

Damn, look at the clock will ya, its almost me bed time. Guess I'll go close up the shop...

Well today wasn't a total loss...

[alex carey]

It's probably better the wood is plain, if it was really awesome you'd end up saving it just like the walnut. Gotta have practice wood sooner or later.

BTW, nice dinner, lucky you.

[Mark Norman]

Dinner was about as exciting as the wood Alex. But both filled the apropriate void:D

Yeah, I've been known to get lucky at times...

I realy am dissapointed I lost the piece of bark. I realy like the bark on the buckeye and such is why I made the NE. I'll be more carefull with the next piece.

[alex carey]

I rarely do natural edges and someone might be able to give you more/better information, but at our guild they did a NE demonstration and the guy said wood intented for NE work has to be harvested a certain time of the year. Otherwise when the wood shrinks/moves the bark will just snap off.

The guy who did the demonstration on NE seemed like he was just scratching the surface, it seems there is a whole science to natural edges.

[Mark Norman]

I rarely do natural edges and someone might be able to give you more/better information, but at our guild they did a NE demonstration and the guy said wood intented for NE work has to be harvested a certain time of the year. Otherwise when the wood shrinks/moves the bark will just snap off.

The guy who did the demonstration on NE seemed like he was just scratching the surface,....
Well I'll have to do an experiment then. I harvested this one in spring when it was wet as hell and in full bloom, I'll harvest the other late in the fall after it looses its leaves and see what kind of diffrence it makes, the tree will no doubt have a lower MC in the fall here in Ca.


it seems there is a whole science to natural edges.
I'm thinking a lot o glue is in order;)

[curtis rosche]

pull out the roots of that tree. it is well know for root burls

[Rusty Smith]

Another thing that I learned at the Woodcraft "bowlturning bootcamp" was that the direction of cut is important when doing NE. You should cut from the NE in toward the center of the bowl (either inside or out) rather than the other way. I'm guessing that you were cutting toward the NE rather than the other way around.

[John Fricke]

MMMMMMM.......nothin like curlies and chili dogs........ohhhhhh I'm thinkin of curly fries.......never mind.

[Mark Norman]

Alex,
I have been thinking about it and I would be willing to bet you are absolutely correct in that the wood would be better harvested in the fall.
In the spring it is swelling with moisture and in its heavy growth cycle so it would make sense that the bark would be loose from the swelling from the growth and new bark is forming under the loose flaking stuff. In the fall the bark that formed in the spring would be well adhered to the tree and the moisture content would be much less.

Well Curtis, The root ball is not an option at this point. Its a neighbors tree and he just agreed for me to take the 'ugly' trunk part;) I had to leave the other half of the tree.

Thanks for the tip Rusty, I kinda knew that, maybe some glue would have been in order as well.

John, thanks for the chuckle;)

In any case I have some 'practice bowl blanks, and I can certianly use the practice:D

[jim carter]

the best part of the buckeye is underground. thats the part they sell as blanks. you can produce the blue and black color by getting it to mold. i have a burl that i coated in mayo and stuck it in a black plastic bag and put in in the sun. the burl was plain yellow when i dug it up 3 weeks ago. i just checked on it and its molding already and im starting to see some black streaks. i never tried it on the trunk of the tree but it should still work. if you have enough, try a piece.

[Mark Norman]

if you have enough, try a piece.
I think I have plenty:) I just might do that Jim. I would like to give the wood a lil more character than what its got.

[jim carter]

just a thin layer of mayo is all you need. both sides. seal tightly in a black garbage bag and set in the sun.about 2-3 months it will be black, blue , yellow and i have seen pink streaks also.