Replies

1. 
   chaseford | Nov 04, 2005 12:39am | #1

   Is the trunk big enough to turn bowls for guacamole?

2. 
   Elcoholic | Nov 04, 2005 01:26am | #2

   It's technically a vine and I've never heard of any one using it.  Others may have more input.  If nothing else it makes excellent firewood.

   John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   The more things change ...

   We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized.  I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.

   Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC

1. 
   DennisS | Nov 04, 2005 05:38am | #3

   "It's technically a vine...."Are you sure, John? Not trying to pick a fued or anything but after starting the ever present avacado seeds as house plants they got big enough we decided to try planting them outdoors. In researching its hardiness zones, it was always refered to as a tree.Just curious is all. Since the two I planted seem to be surviving mayhaps I should go set up a trellis for them to grow on! (grin)Hmmmmmm .... perhaps the seeds would make good turning projects! (hehehe)

1. 
   Elcoholic | Nov 04, 2005 04:07pm | #6

   I got that wrong.  Can't remember now when or where I heard that it was so long ago.  Maybe I should jus stick to eating them.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   The more things change ...

   We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized.  I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.

   Petronious Arbiter, 210 BC

2. 
   Camphora | Feb 10, 2017 01:15pm | #9

   A reply that's 12 years late: My avocado thought it was a vine!

   When I read what you said about the avocado tree being a vine (before I saw your self-correction), I thought "I knew it!" That's because I had one growing near a very tall cedar, and darned if the avocado wasn't climbing the cedar. Most or the avocado was a very wide, fairly tall tree wth substantial main branches starting about five feet from the ground, but one rogue branch had essentially climbed the cedar, wrapping around it in a loose spiral to a height of about 25 feet. It was a while back, and the cedar succumbed to a disease and was removed while I lived elsewhere, so I don't have a photo of the two trees' relationship. (And there there are no clear pictures of the Loch Ness monster). This photo captures the vine-like nature of another of the avocado's branches.  But, that avocado was climbing the cedar.

   
3. 
   MichaelPB | Nov 04, 2005 07:26am | #4

   I used to buy 2" dowels at McBeaths that were supposedly avacado.  Worked about like maple, not quite as tight a grain, but decent stuff, grain was kind of boring but I never cut the dowels in half to really look.

4. 
   hitai | Nov 04, 2005 03:50pm | #5

   The wood is not much to look at , in fact goes to a downright unnatractive yellow when freshly cut.

   However, it spalts magnificently.

   You can slice it up and then hard stack it ( no stickers), wrap the stack with plastic and wait a while. this is an intuitive procedure depending on temperature, hmidity etc , so set your stacks up so that you can check them for progress. without disrupting them too much.  This wood goes from cool looking spalt to rot very quickly, but if you can stop it at the right time, you will have some awesome wood.   

1. 
   WillGeorge | Nov 04, 2005 07:27pm | #7

   Sounds good BUT HOW do you stop it? I'm stupid...

1. 
   hitai | Nov 04, 2005 08:08pm | #8

   Oh Sorry......   break the stack and let air get to the boards.  Get them into a kiln or other dry area. 

   there have been other discussions on spalting here so you might want to do a search both here and  on Google if you want to know a lot more.   If it goes well it can be very rewarding......     We can't give the stuff away unspalted, but easily get 10 bucks a foot for it when it comes out right.