Trunk Cutting Advice

[Gordon Vizecky]

I'm working on cutting up a walnut trunk into blanks and I have hit a point of major indecision.

The piece pictured stands 46" high and varies in diameter but is 24" dia. at the smallest point.

I've been primarily turning bowls but I'm open.

How would you cut it up?

I can swing 24" on my lathe.

Thanks!
Gordon

[Josh Bowman]

I can't believe I'm the first to jump in here! I'm not the regional expert, but have cut up a lot of blanks lately. What I would do is split the crotch so each half still looks like the original profile. IAW I tend to try to get that intersection of the 2 limbs onto 2 large blanks. I just did a cherry crotch like yours and the grain looks good so far. After you split it, take a compass and make your circle(s), then hack away with the chain saw until it's roundish. Then repeat with the second half. The crotch part tends to make a very low place in the base of the bowl, so if you can cut that outside bark part off to kind of flatten it with a chain saw, it will keep you from shaking your teeth out of you head while you try to rough it out, I used an electric chain saw while it was chucked on my lathe to remove that part.
I'm anxious to see what the rest of the folks have to say.

[Reed Gray]

I would try for 4 bowl blank sections. First, I would cut the length about in half, cutting through the diameter just below where there is a bark chunk out. The upper crotch will be your best pieces. Next step would be to rip it in half, cutting through the 3 pith points on both log sections. You will probably end up cutting about 4 to 6 inches off the top section to get to the good crotch wood, if you are wanting to focus on the crotch wood. The bottom section cut up the same way. You will get smaller bowl sections out of it. There may be some pretty compression wood under where the big crotch branches came in.

robo hippy

[Dennis Ford]

Here is one possible layout. This is not the most common way to cut up a crotch but it has worked for me (some of the time). If you have a bark inclusion in the crotch do not use this.

[Gordon Vizecky]

Thanks guys.

I ended up following Reed's suggestion. I was originally thinking of cutting it that way but was second guessing myself so I figured I would check with the group.

Thanks again.

Gordon

[David E Keller]

I'll bet those crotch pieces turn out really nice. Looking forward to the follow-up post once they're turned.