Joshua Tree Blank

[RunnerVince]

My dad's neighbor had a Joshua tree removed several years ago, and I finally got around to cutting a chunk of it and bringing it home to make into blanks to see what they'd look like.

The "wood" is so porous that I thought it might dye well without a vacuum or pressure pot, but alas it was not consistent. I think with a vacuum dye would take exceptionally well though.

Aside from the poor dye job, it's not well-suited for turning without stabilization, which is how I thought it would be. And beyond that, it doesn't do it for me appearance-wise. Maybe with a better dye job I'd like it more.

Anyway, if anyone ever wondered about Joshua Tree, there's my take on it.

 

[mark james]

If I had the opportunity... (without stabilization):

1. No dying for the first trial.
2. I would coat the rounded blank in CA.
3. Turn, and re-coat every few cuts.
4. Continue to coat in CA and turn to dimensions.

Interesting timber. I hope it does well for you. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Drewby108]

That looks less like wood and more a bundle of hairs. I would almost think it needs a good full stabilization to really shine. Interesting and thank you for sharing!

 

[KMCloonan]

Yes, it looks like a bundle of Fibers. Mark's suggestion will work to see what the turned blank could look like.

If you were going to do more than a couple, you may want to look into stabilizing.

 

[RunnerVince]

If I had the opportunity... (without stabilization):

1. No dying for the first trial.
2. I would coat the rounded blank in CA.
3. Turn, and re-coat every few cuts.
4. Continue to coat in CA and turn to dimensions.

Interesting timber. I hope it does well for you. Thanks for sharing.

It turned down ok without stabilization, but yeah, once you got within about 1/8" of final dimension, you'd want to start coating with CA. Still, it's SOOOO porous, I'd be prepared to use a ton of CA. For me, I'll hang onto the blanks I have until I'm in a place and financial position where I can stabilize...or look into having someone else stabilize them for me. I'm still not sure I like them enough to even bother with it.

 

[RunnerVince]

Yes, it looks like a bundle of Fibers. Mark's suggestion will work to see what the turned blank could look like.

If you were going to do more than a couple, you may want to look into stabilizing.

I thought right from the start that it'd need stabilizing, but I wanted to see what it would look like without.

 

[walshjp17]

I would think you could also use UV resin (like AumiUV or that sold by Berea) to fill in the pores.

 

[penicillin]

Just a note of caution:

Be aware of the regulations around joshua trees in your area. You could be breaking the law and subject to fines if you are caught. What about picking up a piece that fell off and is laying on ground? Ya' got me there. I have no clue about that.
-> Proving that your piece of joshua tree was obtained legally could be a potential issue. (Low risk, maybe?)

In California, there was an emergency regulation making it illegal to cut any joshua tree without a permit from the state government. Even cutting down a dead tree or one that was damaging your house required a permit from the state. That emergency regulation expired 9 May 2022, and I am not sure what regulations apply now. Look at this and see if you can figure it out:

Western Joshua Tree Conservation

The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.

wildlife.ca.gov

 

[sorcerertd]

Wow, that does look "hairy". They are kind of an odd palm, yucca, cactus combination in appearance. I'll bet it would be pretty interesting stabilized, especially with a little mica between the fibers.

 

[RunnerVince]

Just a note of caution:

Be aware of the regulations around joshua trees in your area. You could be breaking the law and subject to fines if you are caught. What about picking up a piece that fell off and is laying on ground? Ya' got me there. I have no clue about that.
-> Proving that your piece of joshua tree was obtained legally could be a potential issue. (Low risk, maybe?)

In California, there was an emergency regulation making it illegal to cut any joshua tree without a permit from the state government. Even cutting down a dead tree or one that was damaging your house required a permit from the state. That emergency regulation expired 9 May 2022, and I am not sure what regulations apply now. Look at this and see if you can figure it out:

Western Joshua Tree Conservation

The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.

wildlife.ca.gov

The tree was harvested in Utah, and as far as I can tell, there are no regulations for residential plants. But thank you for the heads up. Proving it would be a hassle.