Just scored some pear wood (Moved by moderator)

[Louie da fly]

The bloke next door has a pear tree in his chook (chicken) run and he had to trim off a fairly big branch because he wants to put a mesh roof over the run after a fox got two of his chooks. I've been coveting that tree for some time, and I mentioned to him if he ever wanted to trim the tree to let me know - so he borrowed my bush saw and cut it off there and then! Nice.

 

Now I just have to persuade the neighbour on the other side that his (enormous) pear tree also needs trimming . . .

 

Any suggestions on what I should do with the branch to make sure it's usable and seasons properly? It's maybe 3 inches thick.

[Perls]

Hi Louie,

 

All hardwoods are comprised of heartwood and sapwood. Sapwood is pretty useless for modeling. In a 3" branch I doubt there is anything useful. My guess is that you would need a branch or trunk at least 8" in diameter before you could harvest anything worthwhile. If you were to get a hold of a piece with useable heartwood, you would want to bandsaw (either plain saw or quarter saw- google it) it into boards, paint the ends to prevent checking, stack them with spacers between the boards, and store them in a place with low humidity and a constant temperature for as much as a year. Then you would have to mill it into lumber, which in addition to the aforementioned bandsaw you would need a thickness sander and a hobbiest table saw (like the Byrnes saw).

 

All in all, given the amount of time, skill, and effort it takes to build a successful model, why take a chance with questionable materials. You would be much better off buying your lumber from Jeff at HobbyMill.

 

Best,

Steve

 

Ps here's a link about heartwood vs sapwood: http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/what_is_the_difference_between_sapwood_and_heartwood

[michael mott]

   In a 3" branch I doubt there is anything useful.

 

Well respectfully Steve I have to disagree with your assessment.

 

Depending on whether the tree branch grew slowly or fast the sapwood could be quite thin, and there are always opportunities for small blocks of wood on our models. There is a great satisfaction knowing that you looked after preparing the wood. The difference between air dried pear wood and Kiln dried pear wood is significant to quote James Krenov (Google him if you are unfamiliar)

 

"I don't get kiln-dried wood because I think that kiln-dried wood has been killed. This is not a pun,but a fact. The process of saturating wood with steam and getting it all wet, cooking it, you might say, is a chemical process that changes and dulls the color of the wood, and the fibers are affected so that wood which has been kiln-dried feels different to me. Its got a different ring, a different texture; it isn't clear and fine. Its like a poorly developed photograph--one that was taken well but just didn't come out. besides, kiln-dried wood is brittle. many people don't realize these truths because they have never been close enough to real wood, beautiful wood in its natural state. They've seen veneered surfaces; they've lived with wood second hand, and they are just not aware of the richness that is to be found in individual pieces, logs and planks."

 

Not everyone sees wood quite the way Krenov sees it, but I find his way of looking at it rather refreshing.

 

Please do not misunderstand I am not suggesting that Jeff's wood is inferior far from it, all I am trying to suggest is that there can be wonderful benefits to working with a small piece of wood that you prepare for yourself.

This tiller made from a very small branch of White Lilac is what I mean, and the curved piece of cherry was cut from the wood around a knot.

 

 

So Louie definitely coat the ends of the wood with wax melt some paraffin wax (sort used in cooking) in a pan and paint the ends with it leave it for a few years in a cool dry place.

 or cut it up into sections slab or quarter sawn and sticker it as already suggested.

 

Regards Michael 

Edited September 24, 2014 by michael mott

[Keith_W]

Louie, any scrap wood that you remove from your pear trunk can be used for smoking food. I often chuck pear chips into my Kamado smoker and get amazing ribs. I know this is REALLY off topic but here are some ribs I smoked with cherry wood:

 

 

So if you cut up your pear branch, first dibs on the offcuts! I'll even drive up to Ballarat to collect it

 

If you can't make a ship model out of the wood, you may as well use it to flavour your food, eh!!!

Edited September 24, 2014 by KeithW

[mtaylor]

Louie, any scrap wood that you remove from your pear trunk can be used for smoking food. I often chuck pear chips into my Kamado smoker and get amazing ribs. I know this is REALLY off topic but here are some ribs I smoked with cherry wood:

 

So if you cut up your pear branch, first dibs on the offcuts! I'll even drive up to Ballarat to collect it

 

If you can't make a ship model out of the wood, you may as well use it to flavour your food, eh!!!

 

 

As much as I like the result....    I suggest that any follow up be done in the Shore Leave area. 

[Perls]

Michael,

 

I just re-read my earlier post and I respectfully disagree with you. While I realize the overall tone was perhaps more discouraging than I was aiming for, I'm not pulling back from the gist of what I said. Yes, the satisfaction and enjoyment of using materials you source yourself is great but you're doing a disservice if you suggest someone expend time, effort and funds on an effort which is inherently fruitless. I do not know how fruit trees grow in Canada, or for that matter Australia, but I grew up in New England and had a business when I was in college pruning local orchards. I don't believe I EVER saw a three inch branch with more than an inch of heartwood.

 

I think an inch of plain sawn heartwood, of questionable length, is not of much use. I just took down a miniature Crab Apple Tree in my yard, it was about 35 years old. The trunk was about ten inches in diameter, with about eight inches of heartwood. The clear length is about 4 feet and eventually I will harvest some pretty wood. Other than the branches which came directly off the main crotch there was not much useable heartwood.

 

When I recommened HobbyMill I was not advocating "dead kiln dried" wood, but the fact that it was already milled (ps. If everyone shared your view on kiln dried hardwoods, good luck finding a nice piece of furniture).

 

I admire everything you do, especially with metal work, but few have the machine/wood shop you have. I stand by my opinion that harvesting useable timber from a 3 inch log is, most likely, a waste of time, effort, and money. I agree with the member who suggested that the wood be chipped and used to smoke some Kangeroo on the Barbi.

 

Below is a picture of how heart and sap wood can vary in a log.

 

Best,

Steve

Edited September 25, 2014 by Perls

[michael mott]

This is the beauty of this forum there are so many differing views about the work and materials that we use.

 

"but you're doing a disservice if you suggest someone expend time, effort and funds on an effort which is inherently fruitless."

 

Steve this is your opinion and not the point I was getting at.

 

"I do not know how fruit trees grow in Canada, or for that matter Australia, but I grew up in New England and had a business when I was in college pruning local orchards."

 

Precisely a thought that crossed my mind, different localities produce very different resultant growth, I have a small piece of your run of the mill Spruce, except that it is far from it it is only 4 inches in diameter and has over three hundred rings, because of where it grew.

 

"If everyone shared your view on kiln dried hardwoods, good luck finding a nice piece of furniture"

 

Steve this is not my view, I was simply quoting James Krenov to share a different point of view regarding the way wood is used.

 

"I admire everything you do, especially with metal work, but few have the machine/wood shop you have."

 

Thanks, I am very fortunate to have collected over the last 50 plus years the tools I have, and to have worked in the commercial model-building business.

 

"I stand by my opinion that harvesting useable timber from a 3 inch log is, most likely, a waste of time, effort, and money."

 

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

 

"Below is a picture of how heart and sap wood can vary in a log."

 

A great picture to illustrate the variability of heart and sap wood structure.

 

Regards Michael

[nancysqueaks]

Hi All, I would like to slip into this thread if I may.

 

Certainly save small branches of fruit wood. Not all will be super stuff but can often

be pulled into service to make small parts such as tops, belay pins, etc. etc. The thing

is that some of this small wood can be very rewarding and be of excellent quality.

 

I am sure that I am not along in looking at something I've made from a bit save wood

and really appreciating the finish, quality etc.

 

I don't do anything special, just collect the branches and leave them untouched for

about 18 months or so. Still better forget them and convert them at ones leisure.

 

The following are pictures of Apple wood, converted only by thru and thru sawing,

not quarter sawn after about 2 years 'seasoning'. They are approx. 3" diameter  which

I think is what we are talking about. Certainly only small 'bits' are available but enough

in between the knots to build some nice ship's boats etc.

 

I do season larger sections of wood but sometimes small branches of say holly come my way

and these can be very useful. I am currently growing a box hedge .......

 

Cheers, Nick. 

 

I've made a bit of a mess of this post but the photos are below.

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[Perls]

Michael,

 

I think we can agree to disagree on this one. I also stand by remarks on how much I respect the work you do. While I mentioned you have a great shop, I failed to mention your incredable skills. They are something I can only aspire to.

 

I'll continue to follow your work and hope you'll stop by my build log now and then. I would truly appreciate any advise and suggestions you can share.

 

All the best,

Steve

Edited September 25, 2014 by Perls

[Perls]

Hi Nick,

 

The pictures you have shown really serve to prove the point which Michael was making. I don't see hardly any sapwood and the heartwood is beautiful. I hope you are able to creat many wonderful pieces with the wood you have sourced.

 

I'm thinking of adding a new line to my signature....."Often wrong....but never in doubt"!

 

Best,

Steve

Edited September 25, 2014 by Perls

[Louie da fly]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. I'll keep the branch and see what happens to it over time.

 

Ballarat's pretty special - I've got some big pieces of ash and elm from street trees that have come down in storms or been pruned, and the bloke next door (on the other side!) let me have the timber from a pretty big walnut tree that died in his yard. I've no idea what I'll do with it all, but it's great having it.  

[reklein]

Hey Louie, Just to throw another stick on the fire. I took a little three day woodturning course a few years back, the "experts" there said to avoid fruitwood as it is unstable due to the annual movement of the wood during its fruiit production stages. That is the weight of the fruit flexes the wood. On the other hand fruitwoods are fairly colorful, and cherry is one of the best. On milling your own wood, its really satisfying to produce miniature lumber from collected stock,if nothing else you will realize why the hobby wood sales folks price there stock the way they do. You''l probably lose about half to sawdust. Have fun and keep the "chooks in the pen. Bill in Idaho

[Jaager]

Here is my take on this subject:

Swiss pear - is usually Pyrus communis - it has about 2 inch fruit, but it is often used as root stock and fruiting varieties are grafted to it.

The "Swiss" part is (I believe) a treatment done to the dried wood - steaming(?) to get a uniform color.

 

Most any fruit food will provide excellent working stock.  With the thicknesses that we use friutwood stability is not a problem.

Nice color, hard, no pores,  relatively little contrast in grain,  bends well  - tight grain =  all the traits we are after.

 

The furniture cherry wood is Prunus serotina (Black cherry).  It has ornamental value, and because birds like the fruit, is often found in fence rows, but the friut is small.  It is not likely a variety  grown for its friut.  The wood from backyard cherry trees is useful, but will likely be a different color.  The furniture wood is not difficult to obtain or expensive from hardwood dealers.

 

The difference between hardwood and sapwood is due to the tree storing "extractives" inside the cells.  It makes this section denser and a different color.  It is less likely to shrink during the drying process.   The sapwood is more prone to checking.  When dry, the sapwood is useful for our purposes, it is just a different color.   No need to discard it.

 

If you can billet (1-2 inch slab)  your wood,  I would debark it.  In any case, make sure, - this is important - make sure there is no beetle infestation.  If there are beetles, burn it.  If you billet, box out the pith and discard it.  The effects of drying will be more to your liking with it gone.   Coat the cut ends and branch cuts with wax, latex paint, varnish -  something to stop the rapid water loss from the cut ends.

 

You can speed up the drying process by making your own kiln.   Use the foam sheething that comes in 4' x 8' sheets.  The foil surfaced type is probably better, with the foil surface on the inside of the box you make.  The heat source only needs to be  a 200W to 300W incandescent light bulb, or heat lamp if incandescent bulbs are no longer available.    The water vapor needs to be exausted, but a $10 computer cooling fan mounted in a hole on one end is sufficient.   Air leaking in the seams where the six sides come together  will replace what the fan pulls out.  The size only needs to be what encloses your stock.

 

When you stack it, sticker it for proper air flow around the billets. 1/2" x 1/2"  sticks will do.

You can get a moisture meter for $10-20 from Amazon if you want to follow the process. 

 

For billeting, you cannot beat a band saw.  Try to find one with at least a 2HP motor.   

Getting a round log into rectangular  slabs - 

First, you need to get 2 perpendular flat surfaces on the log.

Use a sliding carrier board to ride on the saw table and against the fence.

Fix the log to the carrier board.   The carrier board should be longer than your log, so that you can attach at both ends of the log.

For attachment, I use the right angle support braces used in house timber framing and wood screws.