Bristlecone Pine (gloat, of sorts)

[Allen Neighbors]

I've recently returned from a trip to CO. I was fortunate enough to make a friend (an artist) there, last year. This year he took me up to 11,600 feet, to a forest that burned in 1894 (no typo). Many of the trunks in that forest burn are still standing. He had a Forest Service permit to retrieve two trunks, plus other wood. I brought back four large, and several smaller pieces to cut into turning blanks.
That 78 year old man was running around on that mountain, like a mountain goat... carrying a chainsaw... made me ashamed of myself, and I'm only 70. But I couldn't get enough air while I was up there... air was hard to come by.
Pic 1 shows some of the larger pieces, that have been anchorsealed... 116 years of weathering, after burning.
Pic 2 shows some smaller chunks, awaiting anchorseal.
Pic 3 some smaller chunks, sealed and stored in referkiln.
Pic 4 shows a little weedpot made this morning from a small piece... 4"H x 2"D with water tube inserted. Just one coat of DO so far...
I love this wood! If you get a chance, google Bristlecone Pine, and read some of the history of this tree.

[David E Keller]

Neat story and nice looking wood. Just a thought... Do you really need to anchor seal a piece of wood that's been dead for over a hundred years? I can't imagine much moisture left.

[Baxter Smith]

Great story and some neat looking wood to go with it!

[Allen Neighbors]

Neat story and nice looking wood. Just a thought... Do you really need to anchor seal a piece of wood that's been dead for over a hundred years? I can't imagine much moisture left.

My thoughts, exactly... They were cut down on the 26th of Aug (IIRC), and when I cut them to size this morning, the ends were cracking from the pith outward. I guess it's the same thing as when you plane just one side of a kiln-dried board, it'll cup or warp on you... either that, or just the fact that it was transported to this hot country I live in. It's been 90 plus, since I got home...
Anyway, after I saw the cracks, I cut them to size, & sealed the ends to be safe. (I hope)

[John Keeton]

Allen, some neat wood, great story, and a very nice weedpot!! I like the rustic character. Did the wood have any pitch? It seems doubtful, but I am curious.

[alex carey]

I went and visited the oldest tree in the world a few years ago, it was this bristle cone pine stuff, since then I've wondered would it would be like to turn. I look forward to more pictures of finished products.

[James Roberts]

Great wood gloat and nice story to go with it. The weed pot looks great, too.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Allen - congrats on all that beautiful wood! Looking forward to seeing everything you turn from it!

Lived in Colorado for years and spent just about every weekend I could in the second range and well above 13,000'. Air is hard to come by but I lived there and got used to it over time. I remember folks coming to Colorado Springs and hardly being able to breathe because of the altitude. Tooks about 3 or 4 days and they were good to go - sorta.

[charlie knighton]

you and your friend were just funning

[Bernie Weishapl]

Allen that is a great story, some nice looking wood and the weed pot looks great.

[Jim Underwood]

You simply must do some natural edge bowls from this stuff! Those weathered edges are awesome....

[Allen Neighbors]

Allen, some neat wood, great story, and a very nice weedpot!! I like the rustic character. Did the wood have any pitch? It seems doubtful, but I am curious.
Thanks, John. There isn't any pitch that I've found so far, except maybe that's what made tightest knots so hard, where limbs grew once... they are extremely hard... seems like the remaining pitch petrified? to an extent. Don't know if that's so... but it is really hard there.

I went and visited the oldest tree in the world a few years ago, it was this bristle cone pine stuff, since then I've wondered would it would be like to turn. I look forward to more pictures of finished products.
It turns like very dry, medium hard wood... lot of dust at times, but when you really get inside the weathered wood, it's clean, and makes some nice shavings. The growth rings are too close together to see well, without a magnifying glass. Think 80 to 100 rings in 1 inch or so, of diameter...

Allen - congrats on all that beautiful wood! Looking forward to seeing everything you turn from it!

Lived in Colorado for years and spent just about every weekend I could in the second range and well above 13,000'. Air is hard to come by but I lived there and got used to it over time. I remember folks coming to Colorado Springs and hardly being able to breathe because of the altitude. Tooks about 3 or 4 days and they were good to go - sorta.
This is my fourth year to go there in August, and it's the first year that the air density has bothered me. We were at a little above 8000 feet, where we stayed at the RV Park. We were there for over two weeks, and I was just beginning to finally get used to it when we had to leave for home.

You simply must do some natural edge bowls from this stuff! Those weathered edges are awesome....
I've been giving that some thought, Jim... I don't want to lose the gnarly look of the wood... I can't bear to turn all the outside away...The larger pieces are about 10" diameter, so I'll get to keep some of it on everything, I hope.

Allen that is a great story, some nice looking wood and the weed pot looks great.
Thanks, Bernie. Be glad to share, if you'll drop down thru the panhandle...

you and your friend were just funning
That's for sure!! We were really funning. I asked him if he thought that little 4x4 Toyota truck was a jeep, when he bought it. We went over a trail on the side of that mountain that was made by fourwheelers. I wondered, at times, what our wives would think, if they'd seen us two oldies in our 70s, trying to get our footing, hossing some of that wood up and down that steep, rocky slope. But it really was great fun!

Great wood gloat and nice story to go with it. The weed pot looks great, too.
Thanks, James, your comments are appreciated.

Great story and some neat looking wood to go with it!
Thanks, Baxter, I appreciate your comments, too.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I've recently returned from a trip to CO. I was fortunate enough to make a friend (an artist) there, last year. This year he took me up to 11,600 feet, to a forest that burned in 1894 (no typo). Many of the trunks in that forest burn are still standing. He had a Forest Service permit to retrieve two trunks, plus other wood. I brought back four large, and several smaller pieces to cut into turning blanks.
That 78 year old man was running around on that mountain, like a mountain goat... carrying a chainsaw... made me ashamed of myself, and I'm only 70. But I couldn't get enough air while I was up there... air was hard to come by.
Pic 1 shows some of the larger pieces, that have been anchorsealed... 116 years of weathering, after burning.
Pic 2 shows some smaller chunks, awaiting anchorseal.
Pic 3 some smaller chunks, sealed and stored in referkiln.
Pic 4 shows a little weedpot made this morning from a small piece... 4"H x 2"D with water tube inserted. Just one coat of DO so far...
I love this wood! If you get a chance, google Bristlecone Pine, and read some of the history of this tree.

Hé Allen that's certainly a worthy gloat :cool:, I suppose you're not going to try to count the year rings :D, but do you have ant idea of the age of these trees ??
I just went through your replies to the other turners, and saw you've been up there a couple of times, and you had great fun, and yes that's what it is al about, thanks for sharing, love to hear those good stories :) :cool:

Nice vase that shows it age, enjoy it.

[Allen Neighbors]

Hé Allen that's certainly a worthy gloat :cool:, I suppose you're not going to try to count the year rings :D, but do you have ant idea of the age of these trees ??
I just went through your replies to the other turners, and saw you've been up there a couple of times, and you had great fun, and yes that's what it is al about, thanks for sharing, love to hear those good stories :) :cool:

Nice vase that shows it age, enjoy it.

Leo, I tried to count the rings on a large vase I turned last winter, and gave up after 300, because I was having to use a magnifying glass and in my shaky hands that's hard to do. I posted a pic of a piece that I'm turning right now on another thread. I tried to count them, too, and I also gave up on it, but I would guess it's age to be between 500 and 600 years old. Just a guess, but it's based on how many I counted, and how far from the pith I was when I quit.
Thanks for the nice comments...