Black Walnut Root Ball piece

[David A. Peterson]

Walnut Root ball wood is not easy to come by, as no one wants to go to the trouble of digging up the stump, cleaning it, then drying it for a looooooong time. I managed to get hold of a little bit of it, and here is a toothpick holder I made from it. (p.s. it is worth the effort!). Before I put the finish on it, the lighter variegated areas were a cream color. Polished to 2000 grit. 7/8" hole down the top, done with a forsner bit, then flared out.

Dave Peterson
288639

[Harvey M. Taylor]

toothpick- holder now that is downright gorgeous. max

[Stan Smith]

Man that is so beautiful! Great choice for the design and functional, too. I like the matching rings on the bottom and neck--Nice touch!

You may not want to hear this, but walnut burls go for really big bucks. The use them for dashboards and gear shift knobs in luxury cars.

[David A. Peterson]

Man that is so beautiful! Great choice for the design and functional, too. I like the matching rings on the bottom and neck--Nice touch!

You may not want to hear this, but walnut burls go for really big bucks. The use them for dashboards and gear shift knobs in luxury cars.


Stan: O, I am totally aware that walnut burl goes for big bucks. So does walnut crotch wood. I use it all the time, and yes, it costs me some money to use it. However, 'root ball' is not something that the luxury car makers are going to go after, as it is too labor intensive to utilize, AND it does not come in big enough pieces. They pay the big bucks for monster burls growing on the side of the tree that is above ground. That is why I thought this was such a find. The guy that had it had cut a bunch of chunks, and it was soaking in a 55gal. rain barrel to keep it from checking/cracking. I had to anchorseal it, and then bury it in a garbage can full of shavings for 6 months before I even tried to turn it. This chuck was only about 2 1/2 " thick. I have a little bit bigger piece that has dropped from 50% moisture, down to about 26%, so it is still in the garbage can full of shavings. I might get to turn it next winter. It is also very dense wood as compared to normal walnut, which does have some pores.

[Stan Smith]

Thanks for the info. I had heard about some property being sold for development about 150 mi south of here. The owners were told their property would be more attractive for sale if the walnut orchard was removed. They contacted a company to remove the orchard and asked how much it would cost. The company responded that the cost would be nothing and they would pay the owners $80K. The owners then thought they should contact some others for more bids. They ended up getting $450K for the trees. This was probably at least 30 years ago.

What moisture content will your other piece be when you turn it? I don't know much about moisture content except that it has to be down to a certain level for the area you live.

[David A. Peterson]

What moisture content will your other piece be when you turn it? I don't know much about moisture content except that it has to be down to a certain level for the area you live.

I will wait until it is down to 12-15% before I turn it.
Dave

[Stan Smith]

I will wait until it is down to 12-15% before I turn it.
Dave

Thanks, Dave. I see you're in NC. I've been buying blanks from NCWood, usually 4"x4"x 12". Beautiful stock and just got some ambrosia maple. The blanks come fully waxed and have a moisture content in the high 20's or low to mid 30's. We live in a low humidity area with sort of a high desert climate. I would think that the wood will take forever to dry enough to turn unless I scrape some wax off the sides. I've done that with one piece and am weighing it every month. I also have a moisture meter. Any advice for a guy not very knowledgeable about moisture content? Thanks!

[David A. Peterson]

It matters, based on the relative humidity of your area. wood moves. there is a greater concern if the pith is still in the center of the piece you buy. If it is not in there, movement won't matter a lot, but on occasion is DOES matter. An example. I live in NC, where humidity is usually 70+. I turned a nice dry piece of bubinga into an ice cream scoop handle. Around the neck, there was a stainless steel collar that provides some support to the wood so it won't crack the wood if you dig into some super-hard frozen ice cream (like Ben & Jerrys or Haagandaz). I turned the wood on that collar so the fit was perfect. It was within 2/100ths of an inch on my caliper, which left just enough room for an epoxy seal. I sent it to my son, who lives in Seattle. Relative humidity is less there. within two weeks, the bubinga (a very hard wood) shrunk enough that the seal on the epoxy broke loose. The wood was dry when i turned it (like 12% moisture), but the relative humidity where I live was different than where my son lives. It sounds like you are doing the right thing: acclimating the wood to your location before you use it.

[Stan Smith]

Thanks. I can tell your from personal experience that Seattle is a lot more humid than here in Redding, CA.

[Gus Dundon]

That's stunning! Great turning, beautiful wood. The finish is brilliant. Very well crafted.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Stan, those were probably Claro Walnut trees out there on the left coast, and they are worth BIG bucks for many decorative uses such as gun stocks.