Replies

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 16, 2002 08:28pm | #1

   Apple makes some beautiful turnings if you're into that sort of thing.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   MikeIke | Sep 16, 2002 09:04pm | #2

   I haven't added that to my bag of tricks, but I know some people who are. I guess I should make some billets for them! Thanks!

2. 
   gweisenburge | Sep 17, 2002 02:07am | #6

   When I was building small craft, I used the natural apple crooks, from where branches leave the trunk, for what we boatabuilders called "knees," and "breast hooks." I harvested crooks from a local grower who let me into his firewood pile. He said the crooks were unsplittable, so, "take all you want." Next year, he saved them for me. I bandsawed out the center on the compression side, sometimes getting a book-matched pair of 1-in-thick crooks from one piece. Then the next year, I made him a wall mountable shelf of air dried apple, with a couple crooks to hang it from. I made myself a few too, and they're still flat and beautiful. I think applewood has a "luminescence," if you will, when sanded with 320-grit and finished with five or six coats off marine varnish. Its very durable, and isn't especially hard to dry. I airdried rough sawn crooks for a year, and then, believing at the time that it worked, I finished drying them in my frame bending steambox.

   Edited 9/16/2002 7:08:12 PM ET by Gary Weisenburger

2. 
   Andrew | Sep 16, 2002 11:41pm | #3

   Ike, apple turns quite nicely, so if you have a lathe you should set some aside for turning. i have resawn a fair amount of apple from a friends tree that they were taking down. the stuff that i have has beautiful color and figure, but it is very unstable, and while drying some of it has warped so badly it is likely going to become firewood. my advice is to give yourself an extra 1/4 to 1/2" over the thickness you want when you resaw, then sticker them and put lots of weight on top of the pile. when it dries and your jointing and planing you'll be thankful that you can get more than just veneers out of it. the limbs of an apple tree contain alot of reaction wood, and you might be able to do some turnings with it and let them warp into cool shapes, but don't plan on sawing them into lumber. hope this helps

   andrew

1. 
   MikeIke | Sep 17, 2002 12:45am | #5

   There is this really neat old guy I met in a class that is a turner. He was always dragging in some oddball kind of wood and making something. He's gonna love all this apple! Thanks for the tip!

2. 
   bobhallsr | Sep 17, 2002 08:08am | #8

   If you can't save it all for wood projects, use it to cook ribs or a pork shoulder. Your family will think that you are a genius. OK, so maybe they already know that.

   BJGardening, cooking and woodworking in Southern Maryland

3. 
   RW | Sep 17, 2002 12:42am | #4

   Used to get apple wood from the local tree cutters and use them for making patterns for gun stocks. I wasn't aware at the time that they were worth much else. Hogged out a channel down the middle, did some layout markings, pumped the channel full of bondo and sprayed the metal with PAM and clamped. Made for dandy inletting patterns to set in the duplicator. Have to agree with the reaction wood comment. Had some funny things happen when wood came out of the middle. Rice crispies, anyone?

4. 
   qldwoodie | Sep 17, 2002 06:45am | #7

   Apple is certainly a great turning wood - if you want to impress someone by making a continuous shaving off a skew, get some Apple.  It's also one of the best threading woods I've tried.  Makes very durable screws for clamps, and excellent tool handles.  Colour is quite variable, depending on where it grew, but often interesting.

   IW

1. 
   Shepherd1800 | Sep 17, 2002 06:50pm | #9

   Apple is a great wood for all types of tool handles and other small tools, it wears well.  However apple or any fruit wood does not season well in the round.  It is a good idea to split it into quarters and seal the ends.  You can also rough turn it green, place it in a brown paper bag and allow it to dry, then finish turn it to the final shape.

   Stephen

1. 
   MikeIke | Sep 17, 2002 11:26pm | #10

   Thank you, sir! I believe with such overwhelming advice to turn the stuff, I am going to put it in the hands of a good turner, as I have no immediate plans for that. However, I did find a neat idea in a posting this morning suggesting I save a little for BBQ. Sounds like a great use for the knotty parts and crotches!

   Ike

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 18, 2002 12:00am | #11

   > ...., I am going to put it in the hands of a good turner,

   Afraid I don't qualify (yet) as a "good" turner. But have you considered "Turner's Anonymous"? That's an organization that supports wayward, derilect wood-bee wood turners (such as myself) by collecting and distributing valuable raw material (such a your applewood) to their members to help alleviate their suffering and deprivation. If you're moved to support such a mission, let me know and I'll be glad to accept all the applewood you care to send.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   MikeIke | Sep 18, 2002 12:51am | #12

   I'm afraid I am a card carrying member of Router's Anonymous. "Hi,I'm Ike, and I'll stop at nothing to use my router..."

   I'll let you know if I decide to ship it off. I may like the BBQ too much to let it go.:-)

2. 
   DennisS | Sep 18, 2002 01:50am | #13

   > ...I may like the BBQ too much to let it go.:-)

   Itenerant wood turners get hungry, too, ya know (grin)

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]