A "problem" that I don't mind to have...!

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robutacion

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beautiful wood George, the cork tree burl looks interesting too.

as for the wood ID, it has some characteristics of white poplar

Thanks George,

I wouldn't be surprised, I have found out today that, the few smaller logs I took home and that I show the bark pictures that seem to be diamond shaped, that wood is a Poplar, I cut a log today and, the smell gave it away, also the bark of some parts of the log is smooth whitish as any other Poplars I work with, there is only one thing that is throwing me with this logs, the wood is a lot harder.

As for the wood of the big logs, I haven't come to any conclusion, yet...!

I can tell that, this burl wood will make some nice boxes, I know that you have already requested some pics of some woods for your boxes and I will be taking care of that request, very soon...!

Cheers
George
 

robutacion

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Just never enough space...!

Hi Folks,

This thread is getting fairly long but, it represents a "story" that is not yet reached its end so, I will continue adding in for a little longer.

Today I'm talking about lack of space to move around in my work-area, things just accumulate very fast and being a single man band, I have to create the mess and then have to sort it out, somehow, like most of you...!

This is not the first time that, I dump a large quantity of logs/wood in my back yard and then I spend days slicing and dicing wood, that is the part I like but, I also produced cubic meter of sawdust from the bandsaw alone, that ripping blade 38mm x 1 TPI takes big chunks with its teeth, the bags although being ginormous, seem to fill up too quick.

The wood after sliced/processed in bigger chunks for drying and further processing over time, have to be stacked/stored somewhere, they are identified with its number and then sorted out but before that happens and while I have wood in the yard/grass, I keep cutting and cutting until it's all done/gone but then, I have to deal with the mountain of large chunks of all sorts and sizes, piled out on the floor/everywhere...!:eek:

One lot is sorted and stored away and all of a certain, I bring another trailer full that I want to keep out of the weather but I need to clean the logs so that I only store usable wood, the rest goes into bags to give away with the bigger pieces kept for our own firewood place in the house.

The problem is that, after a few runs like this, within a fairly short amount of time, I struggle to find places to store/stack the processed chunks, I keep re-arranging stuff but it normally solves the problem for that time, for the next lot I have to re-think and re-arrange things again.

Is only obvious and predictable/expected that, other areas under cover will have to be re-arranged, most of the time those areas are filled with logs that I no longer can keep in that form and have to process that wood to reduce the storage spaced foot-print that same wood will require, afterward's.

I have reached that point where, I have to re-organize all my other storage areas, prioritize (throw stuff away that was kept for no particular reason) and re-claim that space. This type work is better done in Summer time in those not so hot days but, the new wood that I have been bringing from the new firewood processing plant, has started with the Winter in full swing and we gave still a fair way to go before the rainy days are less often.

So, why am I sharing my mess with everybody...? and why not, you guys have seen the place at many stages, from clean, organized and presentable to times where not so much and that is fine by me, every piece of wood coming from my hands, follow a very similar pass/stages that, I always like to share.

I have also done/finish a couple of samples from this Poplar burl that you guys will enjoy, I'm sure...!

That's all for now...!

Cheers
George
 

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robutacion

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Hi Folks,

As mentioned in my last post, I have some sample that I finished as a pen or, prepared enough for your viewing.

Could you tell me what it is and the difference between the 2 blanks.

PS: The skinnier blank, only has 1 thin coat of CA after sanded to 240 grit.

Have fun.

Cheers
George
 

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1080Wayne

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Well , I`ve never seen burl that white before . I assume the whitest part is sapwood . Don`t know if the UV fluorescence is natural or something you added . Probably from the Cactus juice , but I don`t know why it would concentrate in the sapwood . Only the eyes look similar to poplar burl i`ve seen
 

robutacion

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Well , I`ve never seen burl that white before . I assume the whitest part is sapwood . Don`t know if the UV fluorescence is natural or something you added . Probably from the Cactus juice , but I don`t know why it would concentrate in the sapwood . Only the eyes look similar to poplar burl i`ve seen

The white part still has burl eyes so I would consider it part of the burl but you are correct, the white part is the outer part of some burled areas.

Both samples are absolutely raw/untreated wood, I hadn't noticed that purplish shade before, I will inspect that top sample a little better in the sunlight but I would say, its a pic thing...!

You saying that the eyes look like Poplar burl, are you referring to the bottom image, I believe so, and about the top sample, they have something in common, what is it...?

Cheers
George
 

1080Wayne

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I assumed from the first picture that both samples were from the same burl , with the first piece being from the interior and the second the exterior . That would seem to be consistent with the first piece having eyes in all directions and the second basically just in two . The observation that doesn`t fit with that is the extreme darkness of the eyes in the second sample which is not consistent with sapwood , unless they were from two different trees growing under much different conditions , or from two different poplar species .
 

robutacion

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Hi Wayne,

Good observations from your part but, the main difference between the 2 samples is that the bottom sample is from a blank of the Poplar burl that I acquired a few weeks back and that I dried in the oven for a couple of days, this particular wood/burl doesn't like "accelerated" drying not only curves but also makes the burl eyes hollow and dark, in many ways, the same behaviour as the Peppercorn burl. I only put a coat of this CA on it to show what would need to be filled, one of many possibilities would be grind coffee for a match.

The top sample was my attempt to stop time and show how the burl looks when still greenish. Finishing it with the regular CA finish, the blank was simply taken out of the box a few days after I processed some burl into oversized pen blanks and just before I stacked all the box contents into a couple of drying towers to put away.

The wood had lots of moisture from rain so, I will expect the finish to crack as soon as the wood start drying and shrinking. I'm expecting to see less than this dramatic differences in the burl wood that I'm allowing to dry naturaly, this wood will dry very fast...!

PS: Both blanks are from the same burl but possibly from different chunks

Cheers
George
 

1080Wayne

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Thanks for the explanation George . I like both of them , but the bottom one really stands out with the dramatic colour contrast . I doubt if the top one will end up like that once it fully dries . The aspen poplar burl I have (from BC , I don`t get burls on my aspens) is about the same as the darkest parts of the first piece .
 

robutacion

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Time to bump this up. What is the update George? I feel like I should do a road trip :):)

Well, there has been nothing happening in regards to getting any more wood from the Firewood processing plant.

I have not been there for months but I should have, I should have there a big pile of wood to bring home, some that I put in George's pile myself and many other logs that I marked with a cross, to have them moved to my pile as soon as they would be moving wood from those areas.

It is also possible that I will find a few new wood's that have been dumped in there since my last visit, I don't think that the place has been sold yet, I went passed the place a few times more recently and the "Sale" signs are still there.

My trailer needs some work done and I had a bloke that offered to fix it a few months back, I'm still waiting...!

The weather has been pretty hot also and I/we don't go out unless absolutely necessary not while my wife Merissa is struggling with her RA problem.

The only time in all these months where I worked a chainsaw out was to get the wood from the last wood number on my timber's list, the Japanese Elm that I helped a friend to get and share.

As for you visit, you don't need any excuses, there is enough wood in here already to satisfy your curiosity, believe me...!

How far are you from me...?

Cheers
George
 

robutacion

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Some more goodies...!

Well, I have found out today that the firewood processing plant has been sold and that the changeover is marked for the beginning of August so, Ken (the old owner) has the rights to this Winter's wood sale, the cold starting normally halfway through May.

I was at the firewood place for a quick visit a few weeks back and I wanted to go back for a few more loads, 2 trailers full I already own from the last chainsaw work done down there and still waiting for me to pick up since before December last year but, it has not been possible for me.

Today, and again after doing some competition bow shooting at my bow club (about 9 times each year), I went passed about lunch time and stopped to have a yarn with Ken and organise things. Ken was out on one of his horses so, I told his wife that I was going for a walk around the wood piles and have a look at something new.

I didn't realise that I had parked a few meters away from a pile of split wood that looked strange and as I walked closer, I realised that was a pile of Mallee root that has been split by the same machine that pulls the roots out.

I was only 10 meters away from my vehicle and that is how far I went today, I wasn't going to miss out so, I started to grab the bigger pieces and start piling them in the concrete, next to the main pile.

I have never seen so much Mallee root together, between Red and Brown Mallee, the pile was 4 tonne and was dropped yesterday (Saturday), Ken actually purchased the stuff already split from an area further North but still inside the State.

In the meantime, Ken appears on his horse and when I moved, the horse got a fright and Ken nearly falls off the damn horse, he had seen me from some distance away but I didn't see him until he was about 30 meters away.

So apparently, Ken has been looking for some of this Mallee root for some time, this is rare stuff to find in quantity like that, the guy that sold this lot to him has another 23 tonnes to deliver in a week or two, Ken saw the opportunity and paid cash for the whole lot, he knows well how some open fire restaurants and other people with money are willing to pay for this high-quality firewood, heavy, burns well, gives a beautiful taste to anything cooked with it and this area doesn't have that many Mallee trees anyway.

The Red Gum dry split sells for AU$300.00 p/tonne, this stuff worth at least double that as firewood but think carefully, Mallee Root is the Mallee burl so, people are burning burl wood as firewood...!:eek::mad:

Ken was laughing when he got to me, he knew that I had found his latest treasure and that I was not leaving there without some, which turned out to be nearly 1/2 tonne, this stuff is dry but extremely heavy and hard.

My only concern was that the pile was sold off and that I couldn't have any of it (maybe a couple of pieces) but soon Ken clear that out for me and said, I was the first person to have seen that pile, apart from him.

I didn't have the trailer with me so, I loaded the poor waggon picking up all the pieces I had put aside, I actually didn't think that I could fit them all but I did...!:biggrin:

Now, there are another 23 tonnes coming, so I was told, I believe that one bird in my hand worth 2 of them flying so, I grabbed what I could while I could the condition is that Ken was not expecting me to take any from this lot but, he made me a deal that, if I would go back soon and do a couple of mornings chainsawing for him, he would allow me to have some of this lot and charge me what he paid for it/per tonne, as for the next lot, when it gets here, we will see...!:biggrin:

I cut a couple of chunks when I got home, the bandsaw blade is not sharp enough to handle this hardness, the clean wood coming out of it is beautiful however, I will have a high percentage of waste because if was split into smaller pieces and there is some damage/tear in some areas of the wood, from what I could see/estimate, I should get 30% waste 35% full size and pen blanks shorts and the other 35% will be casting wood

I don't know about you but, by the time I unloaded the wood into one of the undercover sheds, I was bugged, my back was telling me that sorting the chunks from the pile, load and unload them from the vehicle, was going to be an exciting but painfull exercise :redface:

I'm not looking forwards to the chainsawing deal I got but, I just could not say no, would you...?

Enjoy the pics, I will soon take some pics of the blanks I will get out of it...!

Cheers
George
 

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stonepecker

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George,
Please put my name on the list for some brown Maliee burl blanks. Let me know when you have them ready for sale. We will talk then.

Thank you, Wayne
 

robutacion

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I don`t see any on the front passenger seat or the roof rack , George .

That is true but, I had all my bow stuff that I had to put somewhere, the front seat was the only place for that so, I still had the rest of the vehicle to load on however, I had a certain amount of this burl on the ground when I ask Ken if I could have it and how much, the deal was made based on what was on the floor and what was on the floor was what I though I would be happy with and could carry without going to extremes, but I know what you mean...!:wink:

Cheers
George
 

robutacion

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It's wonderful to read how excited, alive and healthy you became with your unexpected discovery of treasure! I wish you many more days of turning over such beautiful surprises.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app

Hahahah, is interesting how other people perceive certain situations and I couldn't agree more with your comments, I really come alive when I find these sort of things, I wish that I could all of a certain become healthier as a result but it is true that the excitement helps the body to cope better even though afterwards, I pay the price but that is OK by me, I need these sort of exciting moments to help me going...!

Cheers
George
 
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robutacion

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A trailer full...!

Well folks, I got quite a surprise when I went to the firewood place to get some more Mallee root from the 4 tonne initially unloaded only to find a "mountain" of Mallee root unloaded a couple of days ago contrary to I was told of a couple of weeks before the additional 23 tonne would arrive, I was like a little kid in candy store...!:biggrin:

So, there has been 27 tonne of this stuff brought in about 1 week and Ken is telling me that he is trying to get some more...?:eek:

One of the things I noticed was that this bigger load is not as good as the first smaller load, like so many other sales, the initial/sampling stuff is always better than what you get in quantity, a little more dirty and lots of chunks that are not Mallee root.

I have made sure I would pass on to Ken my findings when I was going through it to sort what was most suitable to me, I was hoping that the bigger load would have better chunks of the Red Mallee root, the first lot show that the Brown Mallee root has better blanks inside while the Red Mallee as too many cracks and imperfections that make difficult to produce clean full-size pen blanks, from what I could see/I got of about 50/50 of each type, I have more waste and less quality pen blanks out of the Red Mallee roots something that I can't do anything about it.

I have paid for 1 tonne of this stuff, I already had loaded in my waggon about 250kg of it last week and yesterday, I loaded 710kg in my trailer with another full bobcat bucket full of selected pieces that are now on my "George's stash" waiting to come home next time.

There is not much of the first 1 tonne left, about 40 or so kg, the rest I will have to pay or get some chainsawing done for Ken ASAP as he needs wood cut now as the winter is approaching. A full bobcat bucket will be about 1/4 of a tonne, I'm hoping to make another selection run as soon as some from the outside of the pile is sold, I would like to convince Ken to give me the suppliers contact phone number to see if I could organise some of the biggest full-size Mallee roots as whole there is, before they are split into pieces, I could have less waste that way but again, I don't know if Ken will do that to me or, if the supplier is willing to bring some whole roots and what would be the minimum weight necessary to travel all the way up here, will see...!

While I have plenty of room at the storage paddock, I can't really afford too many tonnes of this stuff as is not cheap however, I know how difficult this stuff is to find and I hate the thought of missing out on a unique opportunity to stock up on this stuff. Even if I don't get a lot more of it, I have enough to keep me busy for a couple of years, chewing on it, chunk by chunk...!:biggrin:

Why is that I seem to constantly think that I never have enough woods...?:eek::confused::wink:

Enjoy the pics,

PS: I had my camera with me yesterday and the first thing I did was to put it on the passenger seat so that I wouldn't forget to take some pics of the big pile but what did I do, got halfway home before I realised that I didn't take the pics I wanted, only today I took some pics of what I had in my trailer:frown:

Cheers
George
 

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robutacion

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looks interesting George, is there going to be anything big enough for me to make boxes from? 65x65x100mm

Oh boy George, I forgot all about your last request, I should have a print out from the email/PM somewhere, obviously not in a "visible" place so sorry...!

Yes, I can certainly cut up some from this Mallee and some from the woods you requested before, I will get that taken care of tomorrow.

I will send you a few pics of the options so that you can select what you want/like.

Once again, my apologies for forgetting about your request.

Cheers
George
 
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don't worry about it George, its quality not quantity I require :) and i now how busy you get.

as always I am on the lookout for something unusual/highly figured which will make a striking box.
 

robutacion

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don't worry about it George, its quality not quantity I require :) and i now how busy you get.

as always I am on the lookout for something unusual/highly figured which will make a striking box.

Well, I promised that I was taken care of things immediately and I did, your box is packed and ready to post first thing in the morning...!:biggrin:

I have no lack of stunning pieces that are or would be most suitable for your mini box making, the problem is me reminding of you when I'm cutting woods, there is when I spot some more unusual stuff, not always big enough but you box blank sizes at 65 square x 100mm long is a reasonable size to work with but unless I remember, they will endup being cut as knife or pen blanks.

More recently, and since I built those heavy duty wooden shelves, I have been trying to pre-prepare my woods by cutting the logs a little shorter and cut it into square or rectangular blanks, normally 4 blanks per log (one for each quarter) and store them.

This not only saves me a lot of space, it also saves me a lot of time and back pain to get my hands on something that I run short of instead of going through piles of logs...!

I'm doing that bit by bit, the logs handling still affects my back but, I do a couple at the time on every other day and that helps a lot.

Anyway, I took pics but I didn't show you what I put in the box, I made a selection of the recent woods and the ones from before, I made that decision so that you can be surprised, I'm sure you will be pleased...!

Cheers
George
 

robutacion

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Well, I have been in contact with George and he has requested to see the pics of what I put in the box, spoils the "surprise" but I'm OK with that:wink::biggrin:

Here we go George, have your "relish"...!:)

PS: Blanks #57B - #10B and #24B are of soft nature, they may need stabilising...!

Cheers
George
 

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robutacion

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there perfect, just what I am looking for, thank you for sorting these out for me George.

i see the red and brown mallee but what are the other woods?

Oh wow, did I hit the nail right on the head..?:biggrin:

I'm glad you are pleased, I was sure you wouldn't be disappointed if you haven't seen the pics, I'm glad I was correct...!

There are 2 Red Mallee, one is from an older root (darker) and the other is in fact from a newer burl core, the area where the trunk and the burl meets.

The #57B is the Peppercorn tree burl, in this case the spalted stuff. The #10 is the Poplar burl and the #24 is the Cork tree burl. The brown Malle piece has some interesting patterns on it.

Pieces this size are not that difficult to get from medium or large Mallee tree burls, most caps would not be thick enough but what you have to remember is that these are Mallee root burls, they have always a lot more crevasses and gaps inside them, sometimes in those hollows we find rocks and unless they are sandstone, any harder rocks and blades get destroyed, regardless if bandsaws or chainsaws reason not everybody like to deal with the roots.

Being a sucker for pain, I take the risk and do a lot of swearing in between:mad: what makes things a little more difficult for the yield of clean wood is the fact that the roots are split with either a stump/root remover or a stump/root shear, I believe the shear is the one from the way the wood is split/crushed, I'm trying to see if I can get some full/unsplit roots, I may get lucky if I come up with the money to justify they driving 3 1/2 hours to get to me with a truck, will see...!

Cheers
George
 
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