Replies

1. 
   swenson | Dec 15, 2011 09:24am | #1

   Plum

   Some kind of plum canker disease came through our town here in northern Virginia ten or fifteen years ago and everyone lost their ornamental plum trees. I made all kinds of kitchen utensils out of what I salvaged, mixing spoons, salad tongs, a huge chili spoon, two paddle spoons of my own design for mixing bread dough.  I even turned a little mallet used for beating Raman packages to break up the noodles.  All were finished at first with mineral oil. They have been wet and mistreated all this time and all look beautiful still. I never put them in the dishwasher though. That is my only experience with this beautiful wood, hope it helps a little.

1. 
   Sjoeberg | Dec 17, 2011 04:17pm | #2

   Now I have at least some idea of what to do and how to do it, thank you!

2. 
   schooner1 | Dec 17, 2011 08:39pm | #3

   Beautiful wood

   Plum is usually really vibrant wood, but tough to deal with. It loves to split.  When you cut it, take care to seal the ends, and dry it slowly. If you cloose to make treenware make them thin, to avoid the splitting. I am a woodturner as well as a cabinet maker, and love plum, but my best pieces have been the result of patience. Good Luck

   Vern

1. 
   Sjoeberg | Jan 01, 2012 01:15pm | #4

   Seems promising

   Thank you, I intended to use it for small turnings and inlays, so it sounds like it will work out well. By the way, do you know if the sapwood can be used for smoking food?

2. 
   Spiegler | Oct 06, 2013 09:24pm | #5

   Using plum wood

   Any recommendations on how thick to cut the disks of a 20-inch-wide plum tree to get the best drying process?

3. 
   Jeremya | Nov 19, 2015 01:17pm | #6

   how to seal the tree?

   I was given a 35 year-old plum tree today, and hope to make flutes and handles and maybe pipes and carvings from it - Vern speaks of sealing the wood - can anyone elaborate? How long should it dry? I live in Finland, and it is quite damp and soon to be cold - it will dry in the shed outside I reckon - I guess this will affect how long it takes... Once again I wish I had apprenticed to my grandfather, master cabinet maker - but still dream of working with wood. 

   Thank you,

   Jeremya