Turning Canary?

[BrianH]

I scrounged a log yesterday, from a builder clearing an overgrown garden. The parent plant had spiky leaves, rather like holly but only a quarter the size, and between them were purple berries somewhere between a pea and a grape in size. The most memorable, and probably recognisable, feature was the wood itself which was an unbelievably bright canary yellow when first exposed (it remains to be seen what colour it will eventually go now that I have started converting it to shavings). I can't find either the plant or its wood in either tree or timber books so wonder if it might be an overgrown shrub or some such. The trunk seems to have been about 8-10 feet tall and 3-4 inches in diameter. Anybody got any suggestions of what it might be please?
All the best
Brian

[theblindwoodturner]

Hi Brian, what a find. that sounds good. You'll get a nice finish I dare say. For a minute when I heard this thread I thought someone wanted to turn a canary? lol. poor dizzy bird.

lew

[BrianH]

Just me being mischievous, Lew
Brian

[theblindwoodturner]

There's nothing like feeling the piece as it's spinning. There's certain woods that whilst green feel really silky and are great to work with. At the mo I'm on a mission to stock up on timbers ready for the launch.

lew

[John D Smith]

Hi Brian I had a similar experience myself the Tree/shrub is Mahonia (berberidaceae) if you have quite a lot of this seat the ends asap or use it, it splits in no time.Regards John

[Andy Coates]

I'd say Berberis. I student of mine, who is a garden designer, recently brought me some small branches of it. Turns well but I don't know how long the colour lasts.

[theblindwoodturner]

Berberis has a tendency to lose colour after about 6 months or so depending on conditions and turning applications, etc. I've worked with it before and the best way to keep the colour is to emphasise with a bit of spirit dye or wood colour etc. then you should be laughing.

berberis does have a slight downfall however. sometimes it can change from dense to open grain and back depending on atmospheric conditions. however it's a nice wood and I would love to get my hands on some large pieces again.

[BrianH]

Thanks for the thinking-cap sessions everybody. My money is now on Berberis. I have, since I last posted, turned a couple of experimental...that means no sanding or finishing!... bits and bobs and after two days exposure the yellow is still evident but much less vivid. I have also noticed that my bits have had a tendancy towards cracking, even though they were cut 'reet thin'. Time will tell whether this is a tendancy of the wood or whether I turned bits of the log that had been wrenched or otherwise abused by the builder who, incidentally, was felling the stump with a panel saw. Rather him than me.   
Brian

[ken rodgers]

I agree it is most likely to be Berberis
On the few ocassions of turning this I found the wood and colour to remain stable.
I have got a couple of bottle stoppers that I made almost two years ago which were sealed with sanding sealer ( 50% diluted) and polished with friction polish - and the colour has not changed.
Ken

[John D Smith]

Hi Brian, It seems as though I am on my own about this wood I still maintain it is Mahonia, do you have a picture you could post prior to turning showing the bark and some leaves.Regards John

[BrianH]

John, you get today's one-legged-goldfish award for the question I was expecting and most fearful of.
Writing I can do, posting I can do, piccies I can do. Posting, writing AND piccies sends this dino-saw into paroxisms (can I claim 10 extra points for word-of-the-day, Andy?) of fear.
I am now confident the tree/bush in quetion was/is Berberis but I've also been told the two are closely related.
Brian
PS Didn't we have Mike Mahonia over from Canadia for one of the seminars. If so how come he wasn't bright canary yellow under his smock?
Brian

[theblindwoodturner]

hey may have been preserved in cuprinol lol

[Bryan Milham]

I've got to go with Berberis as well, having turned it myself, sometimes there are greenish sworls in the colour as well.

You've got to be lucky to get a bit big enough to do much with, I made a few pens from mine.

[Andy Coates]

I turned a section today so you can compare it...

You can see that the cambrium layer is brighter, and the older wood lighter, maybe this confirms that the colour should last unlike say the oxidation red of Alder. However, all woods fades to brown eventually, especially in sunlight.

[John D Smith]

Hi again Brian I thought I would follow Andy's lead and turn a piece of Mahonia also showing shavings you can compare an decide which you think it is Regards John