AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tim Pettigrew on October 02, 2017, 10:36:12 AM
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This post was prompted by Dave's (Aka Howling Baboon), bewailing the loss of colour in his Alder (see Alder bowl - where did that amazing colour go? (https://www.awgb.co.uk/awgbforum/index.php/topic,4937.0.html))
Well last week (27th October), my neighbour had an apple tree felled in his garden and offered the wood to me either for turning or for burning on our wood-burning stove. :) What follows is best told using photographs:
(http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/downloads/img_4121cr.jpg)
The base of the trunk looked very promising and is shown in this picture before surgery with my electric chainsaw.
(http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/downloads/img_4137cr.jpg)
After chainsaw surgery - note the slice marked with a red arrow which is the subject of the following photographs
(http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/downloads/img_4178cr.jpg)
The arrowed slice after preparing a blank with the bandsaw.....
(http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/downloads/img_4328cr.jpg)
....Mounted on the lathe ready to go....
(http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/downloads/img_4336cr.jpg)
....The base of the resulting rough turned platter....
(http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/downloads/img_4344cr.jpg)
....The top face
Now what will be the resultant colours when the wood has dried out? I will post an update when the piece has been completed (assuming that my tried and tested drying technique is successful and that the wood doesn't crack-up :().
Hope that this post is of interest.
Tim
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I suspect you will be able to retain most of this colouring. I have recently acquired a large branch of crab apple (ranging from 2" to 8" diameter), and have made some vases from it. They show the same spectacular grain features as your tree, which is mostly down to the tree dying on the inside, and all sorts of fungi having a field day.
Once I get my photo booth up again, I'll post some images.
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Thanks for that, I'm very much hoping that the colours will survive. You are quite right about the tree dying from fungal infection - the base was very weak and with grandchildren playing in the garden, the tree had to go!
Tim
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A spectacular piece of timber, Tim, so let's hope that it retains its colour for you.
By the way, what was the smell like when you were turning it? Some green apple that I recently turned was incredibly aromatic.
Les
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Yes Les, it was very aromatic, and, as perhaps might be expected, the smell was like that of stored apples!
Tim
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Here's a pic of a small vase I made from my crab apple. This is finished with 1 coat of oil (will get more once its bigger brothers are done). As you can see, the colours are very similar, and they haven't change at all.
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That's fantastic and very reassuring as regards the colouration. Thanks for posting - I'll post an update in due course to show how my apple fared after drying.
Tim
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Apple from old fruit trees can have an amazing variation in colour as well as twisted grain. Turned a fair bit of it over the years and though it does fade a bit the variations in colour etc have always remained to a large extent. This one was turned some years ago for example.
Pete
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Thanks Pete, that's a great example.
Tim
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Looks good, fingers crossed! The red colour is still hiding in my Alder, well that's as long as you're shining a light through the endgrain. Maybe it should end up a lampshade!