Good point Mal! I thought about George with the corners knocked off but it doesn't have any numbering and doesn't match his typical cuts....doesn't make it not his though. Don't know how to send a link through the forum app so will shoot it to him tomorrow when in front of a cpu. Thanks!
Here are shots of the ends sanded down.
Great clue
magpens I did and still do cut the square corners of some blanks, including those ones.
This mean that, the blank is mine, it was my first attempt at stabilizing but years before the Cactus Juice was available, where I used a wood hardener made by a company in Australia that I forgot the name but that, it will be revealed when I find the thread I made about these blanks, all those years ago.
I have sold a few dozens of these blanks but, I had to stop because, the wood was very soft and soaked far too much of the wood hardener that was sold in a 1/4 a litre spray bottle and later I manage to get the biggest containers they sell/sold (not sure if still available) that was of, if I remember correctly of 1 litre for $70.00 and those very "spongy" blanks drunk that stuff like camels drink water...!
You would be saying by now, "cut the bull and tell us what the wood id...!" right...???
:biggrin: I will get there , my friends, I will get there...!!!
As for the age of the wood, I'm sorry to say, is not "ancient" and not really "Colonial" its younger that that, I would predict to have been about 30 to 40 years old when it died and after some decomposition standing up, if fall over a small creek in an area of thick bush and tall grass.
I found it when asked to clear an old fence from the overgrowth, so that a tractor could go through rip the old posts and wire and put a new fence. The fence at one point crossed this creek and that is why I found it, very spalted, very soft by, very pretty, nature has been working on that wood since the tree died and in such a humid area, fungi developed quite rapidly.
I calculated the tree being there for no longer than 2 years, another 2 years and the wood would be saw dust as this wood deteriorates very rapidly in such conditions...!
Any clues, yet...???
So, what do we know so far..???
*- In that location, it had to be a native tree,
*- It has a fairly short life expectancy,
*- It decomposes very fast and become very soft,
*- Natural spalting makes it one of the most beautiful woods out there,
*- I have plenty of it and, in a few other sub-species, also,
*- Large wood borer kills these trees and termites eat it like, chips,
*- Oh...! and it has a beautiful yellow flower,
Not yet...???
OK, you have to wait a little longer and why not use this opportunity to have some fun and learn something...??:wink::biggrin:
Be back soon...!
PS: And about the blanks' one end looking a little strange and whipy, that happened because...! do you know why...??? something I did those days to show the natural wood colours...?
Cheers
George
