Ok...so I got the tree

[Mike Willeson]

I had submitted a previous thread about a pear tree I was being given and asked a bunch of questions about drying, etc....

Thanks to all who responded.

So I got the tree this morning and brought it home and trying to decide how much wood is usable.

The other thread taught me to cut the sections length wise and seal them up good.

My question now is about size. How small a log or branch can you get turnable wood out of? - not including pen turning. I would like to try and use the wood for small bowls, vases, containers, etc...

The largest part of the trunk is around 12". I cut that into about 18" - 24" sections and will cut it length wise for sealing and drying.

There are smaller chunks of course so how small is usable vs. what should go direct to the burn pile?

Hopefully these are semi-intelligent questions.

Thanks.
Mike

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike - congrats on the wood!

Everyone will have different ways to do things but I would leave the wood in log form until you are ready to turn it. Seal the end grain but leave the bark on to help slow down any moisture loss.

The size to cut your blank will depend on what it is you want to turn and the swing size of your lathe. As far as what would be considered to small - keep in mind that you can turn small plates, bottle stoppers, pendants, etc. It's up to you!

Have fun!

[David E Keller]

Congrats on the tree, Mike.

The branch wood can be turned into a number of things. Lots of people make end grain objects from branch wood. Boxes, ornaments, birdhouses, vases, and more can be made from branches. Lots of spindle work can be accomplished with branch wood. Pear is pretty popular for fine detail work like finials and thread chasing because it holds detail so well.

As for what to keep and what to burn, that's up to you. I probably wouldn't keep anything smaller than about 3" in diameter. I'd love to see some photos.

[Richard Madison]

Good score Mike. You can make small end grain turnings from branches 4" or even a little smaller.

[alex carey]

hell I'd even keep the 3" diameter stuff. You can make some pretty bud vases with 3".

[Mike Peace]

I make a lot of small stuff and keep some pear spindle stock down to 1 1/2". Generally I try and keep pieces at least 2" square. Much smaller and I don't have as many things I can make with it. Bradford Pear is plentiful around here so generally don't take limbs much less than 6" in diameter. I will typically quarter that by cutting thru the pith and then take the two halves and cut thru the center again so I wind up with four quarters. Pieces 12" or longer make great handles.

[Mike Willeson]

Here is a couple pics of the wood I ended up with.

Since I this is the first wood I am trying to deal with and there were a variety of suggestions about how to dry it I tried a few different things to experiment.

I left some logs in the round and I cut some in half lengthwise.

Also, I had no anchorseal (sp?) so I went with latex I had sitting around. Someone suggested two coats of latex with news paper in between, so I tried a few pieces that way. It will be kept in the garage under the bench. We'll see how it goes.

Couple more questions -
1) I understand you can turn things "green" and either let it warp or oil it up and finish it later. How soon wood you work with green wood?

OR

2) If I want to work with these pieces "dry", how long might a 6" log, for example, take to be considered dry?

[Dennis Ford]

You can work with green wood the day it is cut down, you will get a little wet so don't wear anything that has to be dry-cleaned!

I have seen bradford pear log sections as big as 6" dry without cracking but that is the exception, most will be ruined with cracks before drying. If you want to turn dry wood, the best way is to rough turn it green and turn it again after it is dry.

The rule of thumb is to rough it so that the thickness is ~10% of the diameter. Then you have to control the drying rate. If it drys too fast, probably will crack. Lots of info on this subject here, many methods. Your results will depend on how apply these methods, where you live, weather conditions and luck.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

All wood is turnable.....:)

Another use for the "small" branches is turning boxes or goblets. Mushrooms, tops. Lots of uses for small stuff.

[David E Keller]

Mike, the rule of thumb for air drying wood is 1 year per inch of thickness plus a year, so a 6" log would take about 7 years. You'll likely lose a lot to cracking. I think you are much better off cutting it into sizes that you find useful and sealing the endgrain. You'll still lose some that way, but not as much.

[Richard Madison]

To combine what David and Dennis said, the idea is not to dry a log, but just the opposite. You want to seal the log ends very well, and then cut off one piece, cut into blanks, and rough turn asap. Reseal the cut end of the log. Dry the rough-out by your preferred method. Cut another piece off the log when you are ready to turn more rough-outs. Just another viewpoint and worth what you paid for it.