Tell me about Hawthorne

[Mike Willeson]

Found a farmer today who has a ton of trees they will let me take. The first on the list are a few hawthornes in the pasture. I am starting with these as a thank you for letting me take wood...I am hoping they are good for turning. They want the hawthornes out of the pasture because the yound calfs rub against the thorns. There is plenty of room to drop the trees and whatever I don't want I can pile up for burning.

Other than they have nasty thorns, what can you tell me about hawthorne? How is it in regards to drying / cracking? Does it turn nice? What kind of coloring, etc. I would like to hear about any experiences with hawthorne.

After I nab the hawthorne I can go back for apple, mulberry, possibly black walnut, and a few other not yet identified species.

Thanks.

[Ryan Mooney]

No turning experience with it.. but I did get a couple big chunks I slabbed up out of a tree than came down a friends house. Basic experience was:
- eats tools, I spent a whole bunch of time sharpening while working it. I think it has a a high silica content maybe?
- the grain went this-a-way and that-a-way a lot which made planing it "fun" I suspect that that may have been as much a function of the location (relatively high wind) as the tree.
- relatively minimal warping on drying considering my lackadaisical treatment of the boards.
- ditto minimal checking/splitting. I did paint the ends so I suspect that that helped some..
- once finished up a litle its quite pretty all on its own, although it can look a little "open/loose" with something like just BLO because of micro tearout along the grain. I suspect you could polish it up nicer on the lathe (and no idea how it would cut green - be interesting to know... he has another big log about ready to fall over any day that my interest in may vary depending ... )

Lucky you on the apple, I need to meet more orchardists here..

[Mike Willeson]

Bump....has anybody worked with hawthorne?

[Reed Gray]

I have worked the ornamental type. Nice pinkish wood, deep bark inclusions, so good for wild natural edge bowls, and cut fairly nicely. I have seen some wild type that had some minor thorns, bark was smooth.

robo hippy

[David Newson]

Found a farmer today who has a ton of trees they will let me take. The first on the list are a few hawthornes in the pasture. I am starting with these as a thank you for letting me take wood...I am hoping they are good for turning. They want the hawthornes out of the pasture because the yound calfs rub against the thorns. There is plenty of room to drop the trees and whatever I don't want I can pile up for burning.

Other than they have nasty thorns, what can you tell me about hawthorne? How is it in regards to drying / cracking? Does it turn nice? What kind of coloring, etc. I would like to hear about any experiences with hawthorne.

After I nab the hawthorne I can go back for apple, mulberry, possibly black walnut, and a few other not yet identified species.

Thanks.

Mike, this may help you Hawthorn in the UK may differ slightly but I would imagine its the same attributes its a very hard dense wood, if requires drying very slowly and well sealed or it will crack, also during the drying process it will distort in shape a little so allow for distortion during cutting stage, it also requires very sharp tools when turning and carving and as others have said it does dull the chisels quickly, I turned and carved a Hawthorn bowl and it was put up on this site about 2 years ago and is probably still on this site,I also noted that it holds detail well very well when turned, so in my opinion this wood is well worth saving, and good luck with your collection of wood.

[Hayes Rutherford]

Mike, the species I am familiar with in north Idaho is referred to as black hawthorne. It is often invasive and likes to grow along drainages. Most of what I see only gets to four inches give or take and grows in clusters. I brought home several short logs and turned some end grain bowls and goblets. Most of it cracked before i could get to it but i would say it turned nicely and took on a good finish. Creamy tan colored with interesting brown flecks and the pieces I turned thin had no cracking problems. My suggestion would be only get what you can turn reasonably soon.

[robert baccus]

there are many species of "HAW" in the woods. these are all species of the apple family with all the good and bad that implies. it is hard, fine grain very pretty, tends to split in thick pieces just like all the fruit trees in general. --------------old forester