peach tree wood ?

[David T gray]

i got a friend who works in a orchard and there cutting down some dying trees anyone ever try this stuff ?

[Bill Blasic]

One of the folks in my club has access to peach wood. As they take them down I have gotten a half dozen stumps. I've done only one piece a hollowform which I gave to the orchard owner. It turned very nicely and had a lot of color variations. Oh, the stumps or root balls smell like peaches!
Bill

[Dan Hintz]

David,

Where are you located? An opportunity is there for some people to get some crotch and root balls :) <hint, hint>

[Steve Schlumpf]

David - if yo are able to pick some up - be sure to seal it ASAP to help keep it from checking. Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of it!

[Jim Burr]

+1 on Steve's suggestion. I drive by 3 Fruit tree graveyards everyday and have been known to offer a pen for a few logs (12-15). Apricot is great, peach, apple..but stay away from Almond!!! You can soak that stuff in DNA, boil it, bag it, tag it and drag it...as soon as you look at it...split!!!:eek:

[Jim Underwood]

Love that Peach. Get it! Get it! Get it!

Turns as well as Cherry, but smells much better...

[Bernie Weishapl]

A peach is my favorite fruit. When turning it just makes the shop smell wonderful and as Jim said turns as well as cherry.

[Charles Goodnight]

I don't know as I have never used orchard wood, but I have been told you should be careful because most orchards get sprayed regularly, and the pesticides get incorporated into the wood. You could get some nasty toxins breathing the wood, so make sure you wear a respirator.

[Ralph Lindberg]

I don't know as I have never used orchard wood, but I have been told you should be careful because most orchards get sprayed regularly, and the pesticides get incorporated into the wood. You could get some nasty toxins breathing the wood, so make sure you wear a respirator.

Charles, I would doubt this. While I no longer hold my pesticide licenses, I try to stay semi current. The organic insecticides, from phosphate (DDT) to nerve toxins to insecticidal soaps all break down over time and are not incorporated into the wood. I am not aware of any herbicides that could be used on orchards, since they would effect the tree.

Most people are more likely to react to the natural compounds in the wood.

[Tim Thiebaut]

I trimmed my peach tree last summer and saved some of the larger pieces to turn this winter, the ends were checked horribly when I brought them in a few days ago, I had cut them long before I started coming here and knew nothing about sealing the ends. So I left them in my garage until last sunday morning when I brought 2 of the logs into my shop, trimmed up the ends and found some fairly nice wood right in the middle of the logs, I wasted 3/4 of it from checks. The good pieces I end up with I set on the work bench as I was doing other things, I kept hearing this light clicking sound, come to find out it was the pieces of wood cracking and checking as it was sitting there, I could actualy hear it cracking more...the "good" pieces I had were completly ruined by monday morning. Lesson learned...next time I will seal the ends

[Jim Burr]

I don't know as I have never used orchard wood, but I have been told you should be careful because most orchards get sprayed regularly, and the pesticides get incorporated into the wood. You could get some nasty toxins breathing the wood, so make sure you wear a respirator.

I can't think of any legitimate reason not to wear a MSHA certified respirator at all times in the shop or equivalent.

[Harry Robinette]

David
I turned some peach a couple years ago the guy I got it from said he soaked it in water for 3 or 4 days then let it dry in his shop.After it felt pretty dry then turn it at one setting and put finish on it.I did the piece he gave me the next day, turned to finish and it came out nice.One thing I don't usually do is put finish on the bottom of wet wood only wax so the wood can breath.Just my idea right or wrong and I very rarely have cracking.
Harry

[David T gray]

thanks for all the comments only getting a small amount trees are pretty small should be getting a few >10'' blanks

[Brian Ashton]

If it's a fruit wood grab it. The worst thing is you have it for firewood later... Some of the best turnings I've done over the decades have come from fruit woods.