Weird Wood

[Cwalker935]

A friend gave me these weird chunks of wood that he found while hunting. They appear to me to be where a limb had grown from a trunk and the wood surrounding the limb had rotted away. The remaining surface wood is surprising hard. I suspect the middle of these pieces may not be as hard. They are about 6" inches long. I think they may be cedar.

Has anyone tried to do anything with something similar? I think they may have promise as blanks, stabilized blanks or fusion castings. Any thoughts?

 

[Charlie_W]

Unique for sure!

 

[keithbyrd]

cut them and see! I am betting they are going to look good!

 

[KenV]

Have seen those in connifers. locally they are spruce and hemlock. the lower limbs become very resin rich and do not rot. The ones I have cut are cracked/fractured resin and do not want to stay togerher. Have not tried Cactus Juice.

Cut along a sid and see what you can get.

They do burn hot and help start fires.

 

[Jim Smith]

It also happens with Southern Long Needle Pine. Like Ken said, it is the remains of a branch that was probably dead and full of pitch before the tree came down. The pitch will make them very hard to get it to take a decent finish.

Jim Smith

 

[Cwalker935]

I cut one up last night and it is definitely connifer and very pitchy. I will try to turn some of the pieces and do a worthless wood casting with some of the other pieces.

 

[Phillip Kelley]

Pine?

We call them "pine knots" down here in south AR....good for making rich lighter kindling...

I cut one up last night and it is definitely connifer and very pitchy. I will try to turn some of the pieces and do a worthless wood casting with some of the other pieces.

 

[Marko50]

A friend gave me these weird chunks of wood that he found while hunting. They appear to me to be where a limb had grown from a trunk and the wood surrounding the limb had rotted away. The remaining surface wood is surprising hard. I suspect the middle of these pieces may not be as hard. They are about 6" inches long. I think they may be cedar.

Has anyone tried to do anything with something similar? I think they may have promise as blanks, stabilized blanks or fusion castings. Any thoughts?

View attachment 155648

That's exactly what they are. Pine knots.

 

[Marko50]

They are also great for carving faces (Wood Spirits). TreelineUSA sells them. Here's the link:

https://www.treelineusa.com/pine-knot.html

...Just a little factoid: TreelineUSA is next door to Craft Supplies USA in Provo, Utah. Both companies are owned by Nish brothers. ...Good people!