How to identify "good" crepe myrtle?

[Bob Bouis]

For the last year or so, I've been grabbing almost every piece of crepe myrtle I come across. Usually they're pulled out of the dump or someone's garbage so it's hard to distinguish between them. One piece in 30 will have fiddleback figure and chatoyance that puts maple and even koa to shame. But the rest of it is bland (not to mention treacherous to work; I think it's cost me at least three bandsaw blades from catches). Is there is some trick to identifying the good crepe myrtle? I assume it has to depend on the species or cultivar, as I've recovered lots of pieces that ought to be heavily figured from stress, but just aren't.

[Joe Kaufman]

Crepe Myrtle is a popular tree around here. I gave up a few years ago, never found anything but a blah grey Inside. It sure looks like it would have possibilities from the exterior surface. I'm also interested in what you find out.

[John K Jordan]

...But the rest of it is bland (not to mention treacherous to work; I think it's cost me at least three bandsaw blades from catches).

What are you doing to get a catch on a bandsaw?? What ever it is, please don't do it!

A bandsaw is about the safest power saw in the shop. But a bandsaw "catch" is dangerous and very hard on the machine, and as you mention, will destroy the blade. And worse, people have lost body parts this way.

I process a lot of wood for turning and much of it is round or oddly shaped, and yes, some crepe myrtle. There is always a way to make a cut safely.

The only way I know to have a bandsaw disaster is to try to make an unsupported cut. If cross cutting round things such as a small round limb I either use a big v-block or clamp the piece firmly with one or two wooden clamps such that the clamps ride flat on the bandsaw table.

If sawing an oddly shaped chunk or log I do one of several things depending on the shape and the cut I need to make: jam support wedges under, fasten a support to the wood with screws (some use hot melt glue), or better, sequence the cuts to make so all are supported. Some people build a sled with clamps.

In 15 years I've had exactly one bandsaw disaster which fortunately resulted in only a bent blade. I was cutting a supported chunk when it suddenly broke along a crack and instantly became unsupported. This was years ago and since then I very carefully examine the wood for defects and work accordingly. And always keep the hands clear.

BTW, the best tool safety advice I ever heard was to always imagine what could happen (for example, to your hands) if the wood suddenly disappeared! I think about that when holding or pushing anything with any tool, especially the bandsaw.

JKJ

[Bob Bouis]

Good advice for sure, John. Crepe myrtle has a combination of factors that make it especially dangerous -- small and twisted pieces, very hard wood. But it also seems to have some indefinable grabbiness that frustrates cuts that would otherwise have been adequately supported. Is it caused by the wood flexing, stress being relieved, just its general difficulty to cut? I don't know. I just wanted to emphasize that I've learned the hard way that extra precautions need to be taken. I'm sure if I had screwed down every piece, I wouldn't have lost any blades.

[John K Jordan]

Good advice for sure, John. Crepe myrtle has a combination of factors that make it especially dangerous -- small and twisted pieces, very hard wood. But it also seems to have some indefinable grabbiness that frustrates cuts that would otherwise have been adequately supported. Is it caused by the wood flexing, stress being relieved, just its general difficulty to cut? I don't know. I just wanted to emphasize that I've learned the hard way that extra precautions need to be taken. I'm sure if I had screwed down every piece, I wouldn't have lost any blades.

To be clear, fastening with screws is rarely needed. I've had to do this only once. I have the same stability issue with short log sections on my woodmizer bandsaw mill - for that I built an auxiliary fence and clamp the piece to it. You especially don't want chunk of wood to twist on a 15 hp bandsaw even though you are well away from the blade!

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I have sectioned numerous pieces of crepe myrtle over the years, some large, some small, all of it green. I can't remember one case of grabby. It is hard for me to guess why you have experienced this but I'll try.

The hardness by itself should make no difference. Much of the wood I cut is harder than crepe myrtle. A blade with too many teeth per inch can be a problem when the teeth fill with sawdust, especially if the wood is stringy or gummy or wet with sap. I've tried many blades and these days I only use 1/2" 3 tpi blades made from Lenox stock for all turning blank processing from both green and dry wood.

Small and twisty pieces are best held in a clamp (or two) for crosscuts. Longitudinal cuts down the center of twisty pieces can usually be handled with clamps or by first making a flat surface. I understand some people use a jointer for this; on occasion I have used a stationary belt sander to make a flat. For a larger log section I make a flat if needed outside by skimming with a chain saw. I also keep a sharp hand hatchet (I like the SOG) hanging on the wall by my big bandsaw for small irregularities. If the round section is large, fairly straight, and sits firmly on the table I just draw a line and make my first cut through the pith. If a large diameter round is 12" or less in length with flat ends, I prefer to stand it up on the bandsaw table and do a rip cut - no stability problem there although that can be stringy.

Also, "grabbyness" can be minimized with a sharp, clean blade with plenty of set in the teeth. Maybe switch to a new blade before cutting your crepe myrtle?


I wish I could help with your "good" crepe myrtle figure question but I can't remember noticing something on the outside that would indicate great figure inside. I've cut some other species that also surprised me - one "shrub" that I suspect was buckthorn had bright yellow wood with the most amazing figure I've seen in a small trunk, about 2-3" diameter.

JKJ

[Bob Bouis]

More excellent advice.

Re: the hardness of crepe myrtle, the only sources I see published online equate it to Asian satinwood and claim its hardness is comparable to walnut. I was curious, so I did an informal hardness test, and you're right, it's not particularly hard. Harder than walnut maybe, but not that hard. It sure is hard to cut, though!

Today I found a piece at the dump. Maybe 3.5" in diameter, straight. In the hour it sat in my pickup bed it split from one end to the other, but the grain looks really promising! It had red bark for what that's worth.

Here's an example of a "good" piece made into a pen (the picture's not so good and doesn't really capture the depth of the chatoyance, but I think you get the idea):

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Here's the promising piece:

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[John K Jordan]

Here's an example of a "good" piece made into a pen (the picture's not so good and doesn't really capture the depth of the chatoyance, but I think you get the idea):

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Ah ha, it looks like the figure is obvious under the bark.

The chatoyance on the pen can't show in the 2D photo but I can certainly imagine it. I'd like to find some more like that. My son has some huge crepe myrtle at his house, trunks in excess of 6" in diameter. I asked him to let me know if he ever decides one needs to come out.

JKJ

[Bob Bouis]

Here's one I like to call "My, Grandmother, what an interesting branch you have."

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[Bob Bouis]

Somebody said, hey, there's some big crepe myrtles on the side of the road, come get them. So I grabbed my electric chainsaw [don't want to bother the locals, you know] and headed down there.

Couldn't get them in the truck. I got about 3/4 through ripping one before the battery ran out. Fortunately they've been set aside. I got some branches (which are bigger than pretty much any crepe myrtle trunk I've ever seen) that had fantastic figure, really hopeful about the trunks. Gonna go back with the trailer and the Stihl 660 tomorrow.



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[Bob Bouis]

I got 'em, but while I was rolling one of them onto the trailer in the rain, I slipped on the ramp and landed on a particularly sharp corner. Bruised the heck of my ribs. Sawed the others in half, then cut an edge off one of the halves to turn a 15" crepe myrtle natural edge roughout. Thought about finishing it wet but wasn't able to get the clean cuts I'd want for that. What a pain this wood is to work with. It's hard to cut with just about anything, hard to balance the blank, even hard to rip with the chainsaw. About the only thing it does easily is core. There's no rhyme or reason to which woods are easy to core. Pecan and crepe myrtle are easy, but poplar is hard. What gives? Then I was looking at my ugly cuts when I noticed the piece was streaked with blood. Somehow I put a 1" cut down the middle of my thumb while roughing it out. I laughed and my ribs hurt.

The pieces are huge, but there aren't a lot of spots flat and long enough for big natural-edge bowls. I think I'm going to take the rest of them and cut them into 3" slabs on the mill. When this one's done it's going on my coffee table for a while, just because of the pain it's been to get it.

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[John K Jordan]

No blood on this one yet. I asked my son to let me know if I ever wants to take this one out, one of several in his yard. This one is over 18" at the base.

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JKJ

[Bob Bouis]

Nice. If you ever decide to remove it, I think you should yank it out of the ground. I had a root ball scavanged from the dump once that seemed like it had a lot of potential. Unfortunately it was full of rocks which caused me to delay cutting it and it self-destructed from extreme splitting about a week after I got it.

I notice the other picture didn't come through. Here's one I green turned this evening from a smaller lobe. I intended to cut it thicker/deeper (but not too much, as you can see the heartwood is relatively plain) but my 32" chainsaw bar deflected (due to user error, I'm sure) and botched the cut a little. It's just as well as I didn't want to go much deeper anyway. 12" -- about the size of the first core from the last one and not as nice. I also got one long (16"+) peppermill blank and a bunch of really nice pen blanks from that cut.

I still didn't get the finish cuts I wanted on the outside. I just resolved to have a little tearout (or a dimple) on the bottom side. It's a platter anyway.

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