walnut root wad

[Wes Ramsey]

I did some tornado/flood cleanup over the weekend at our cabin in MO and ended up with a walnut root wad. I believe the tree was a casualty of a tornado that took out a lot of our timber about 7 years ago. The sapwood was almost completely rotted away, but the trunk was solid as if it were still green. The flooding we had earlier this year brought us a fresh mess of...well, mess, and exposed this tree from the brush that had been hiding it. I just couldn't stand to see it go to the burn pile so I dropped it off at the edge of the field with intentions of going back later to pick it up. I know it is solid, but I don't have a clue what's inside. The tree itself was probably 12-14" at the butt. The tap root is broken off about 18" below the base of the root wad and it is probably 24-28" across at the widest point. I left a couple of feet of trunk on it so I can cut off any checking that happens before I can get it sealed. Anyone have any experience with a walnut root wad? Any pictures of finished pieces?

I'm debating whether to crack it open and have a go at the innards on the lathe, or even take a couple of the larger slabs for end tables. But I'm also pondering just selling it to help fund a new hollowing rig. What would something like this be worth to a local buyer?

Sorry for all the questions. Not quite sure what to do with this one yet.

Thanks!

Oh, and maybe this is a gloat better suited for a different room, but I got some great saw logs this weekend - hackberry, box elder, walnut, and one perfectly straight 28" cherry log. Two more of them are waiting, but it needs to dry out a little more first. Almost buried the tractor getting the big one out of the river bottom.

[Dick Strauss]

If you can take some pictures, it defintiely will help you get more insightful replies.

[Wes Ramsey]

I will probably be back up there this weekend to work a little more and I'll bring it home then. I've been consulting the mighty google and what I have is different than most of the pictures I see. Since it has been dead and in the ground for a while time has eaten away all the capillary roots and most of the larger ones. What's left is pretty much just the round lump of solid wood that used to have a tree growing out of it. I will run it by the car wash on the way home this weekend since it is covered in sand and topsoil. I'd have saved the trunk, but I have so much walnut already I don't have much use for it.

That massive cherry root wad is there for the taking as well, but it is too big to deal with. If I get brave I may try to cut a few chunks of it just to see what's in there.

[William Bachtel]

Better photos will bring better results. Thanks.

[John K Jordan]

That massive cherry root wad is there for the taking as well, but it is too big to deal with. If I get brave I may try to cut a few chunks of it just to see what's in there.

That might be worth your while. Some of the best cherry I ever cut for turning blanks came from a massive root ball. It took me days just to get it out of the ground with my backhoe and bobcat. I whittled it down into blocks with a chainsaw. The cherry had dense grain, good figure, and just plain refused to check and crack. Dealing with the dirt was the biggest problem since it was too big to carry to a water supply.

The butt sections just above the root were like that too - one piece is still outside in the sun after years and it only has minor checks.

JKJ

[Wes Ramsey]

That might be worth your while. Some of the best cherry I ever cut for turning blanks came from a massive root ball. It took me days just to get it out of the ground with my backhoe and bobcat. I whittled it down into blocks with a chainsaw. The cherry had dense grain, good figure, and just plain refused to check and crack. Dealing with the dirt was the biggest problem since it was too big to carry to a water supply.

The butt sections just above the root were like that too - one piece is still outside in the sun after years and it only has minor checks.

JKJ

Huh. Well, now you got me pondering the cherry root. I guess I'll try to grab some of that while I'm there.

[Wes Ramsey]

I brought the stump back and hosed it off as best I could. It will probably stay in my truck until I figure out what to do with it. So two questions - one, is it worth anything? And two, if I cut it up into blanks do y'all have any tips for how to cut it?

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[John K Jordan]

Looks promising. The ends should be sealed immediately if not already done.

How you cut it up depends on the kind of thing(s) you would like to make! I mostly like to make small things from dry wood so I would start sectioning with a chain saw then move to the bandsaw to make squares from 1" to as big as I could fit and still leave out the pith. Wax the ends well and put on the shelf to air dry. I usually let blanks like that dry from 1 to 10 years, depending on the size.

If you prefer to turn bowls, perhaps green, take a wild guess and start sawing! It is almost impossible to predict what is inside - what you get might be amazing or a disappointment. I always hope for the best then lower my expectations and make smaller blanks if needed.

The value of the wood can be much higher if you cut it up into nice turning blanks since the buyer can see the wood rather than guess. Watch out for embedded rocks and pockets of dirt.

JKJ

[Dennis Ford]

That looks better than one I got a year or so ago, it was hollow and full of sand. You will likely find a few surprises (both good and bad), I think there will be some nice material inside.

[Wes Ramsey]

Thanks guys. I found a few posts/articles on walnut root wads on the mighty google. Some say they're obscenely valuable and some say they're more trouble than they're worth. Since this one is out of the ground already, big enough to get some sizeable blanks from and relatively clean it may be worth some money, but I have no idea where to try and sell it. If there's any good wood in it I'll probably list some blanks on Craigslist and keep what I can't sell. I'll post some pics when I'm ready to cut into it.

[Dennis Peacock]

Some folks just have lucky resources like that. :)

[Wes Ramsey]

Some folks just have lucky resources like that. :)

Dennis,

It helps to have good friends, too. I'll bring you a chunk of it next time I'm in town since that 24" cherry burl I offered you several years ago was too big for you to carry off :eek: I finally gave it away a few years ago...just before I started turning. I have been kicking myself every day since.

[Wes Ramsey]

I finally got this stump slabbed out Saturday. It came out really nice and the outer pieces will make a couple of nice blanks. The slabs from the middle are too nice to cut. I have them listed for sale in the classifieds, but it won't hurt my feelings if they don't sell. They would make a REALLY nice pair of end tables, or even some nice HFs.

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