Replies

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 10, 2002 09:52am | #1

   Sarge -

   I did find several sites that give information about the tree, Cand... something Kentukea, botanical name. Yellowwood is, in reality, its common name. Grows mostly in the mid southeast of the US. Couple of species are native to China/far east but the specific tree in this case is indiginous to the US. Will grow as far north as Boston and we actually have one on the UofW campus. Member of the legumee (pea) family as is the locust tree.

   The wood is never mentioned as a commercially viable lumber tree. In fact, it's refered to as rare or uncommon. Slow growing. It gets its name from the color of the wood: bright yellow. The only use mentioned for the wood is in the making of a yellow dye from its outter wood (sap wood? - I'll find out in a couple of days as I disect the log). Virtually every source lists it merely as an ornamental. Flowers resemble pea blossoms of all things.

   Might make a nice accent wood.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   jonsherryl | Sep 10, 2002 04:18pm | #2

   Dennis, I've only experimented with samples of this species and never really made anything out of it...but the references you've checked that associate it with locust are on the mark. It's a legume and closely related to black locust. While it has been used as a landscape species and is now rather wide spread, its original range was limited to small pockets from Kentucky and Tennessee westward maybe as far as southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. It isn't plentiful enough anywhere to be and important timber species, but the wood itself seems to have some good properties. Its figure is similar to that of black locust, but it has a brighter yellow color and is not quite as dense. I haven't seen any technical data on its shrinkage stats or decay resistance...although, if they are comparable to those of black locust, they'd be better than average.

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 10, 2002 04:50pm | #3

   Jon -

   Thankss for the info. I've never worked with black locust but it sounds like this will make an interesting piece. The log I have is just freshly cut, only down a week so I'll seal the ends and let 'er dry for a spell. Or would it be preferable to de-bark it for seasoning?

   I'm totally new to working material this "fresh".

   Thanks again.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

2. 
   DennisS | Sep 11, 2002 09:25am | #9

   Hi Jon -

   My impression from other comments is that Locust is a fairly hard wood. Dense and so forth. If yellowwood is supposed to be similar, it must be when it's dry. This log is so wet! It was like turning a marshmallo! (grin)

   The yellow coloration of the sap wood is really phenomenal. I've never seen anything quite like it. From your experience, does it hold that color as it seasons? The heartwood on this piece is about the color of hickory, a light chestnut sorta brown. The contrast between sap and heartwood isn't dramatic but it's quite pleasing.

   I cut off one 3"+- piece off the end and roughed out a bowl turning down into the end grain - the pith is just a little off center and had already started to check. The wall thickness is about 3/4"- all around except for a little heavier at the spigot end for mounting on the chuck. Sealed the whole thing up with end grain sealer and will let it rest for a spell and see how badly it cracks, if at all.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   jonsherryl | Sep 11, 2002 04:04pm | #10

   Dennis, yellowwood does have a brighter yellow color than black locust and it is a little less dense, but I think you're mostly experiencing the euphoria of working with green wood. As the wood develops its long term patina it will shift from bright yellow to more of an amber gold color (still very attractive) and the wood tissue will become far more rigid...not quite as hard as black locust, but plenty tough enough for most furniture projects.

   The one thing that concerns me is that it sounds like you are going to try to season this wood in the round (as an unmilled log.) This is not a good idea. It is always best to mill the log into slabs or boards of whatever thickness you intend to use while the wood is still green. If seasoned in the round, the log will inevitably develop radial checks and it will also take much longer to dry.

   ...But anyway, it's a joy to read your posts and sense how bubbly and ecstatic you seem to be as you progress with this project. First-time moments in wood working are among life's great pleasures. 

   Edited 9/11/2002 9:07:39 AM ET by Jon Arno

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 11, 2002 05:03pm | #11

   > ....you are going to try to season this wood in the round (as an unmilled log.) This is not a good

   idea.

   ........

   Thanks for the advice, Jon. It's probably more relavent to the walnut log I got from the same source, though. Understand, the piece of yellowwood was a lenth of the trunk section only about 18" long. I shouldn't be refering to it as a "log" as such.

   I have worked green wood before; in fact the first lesson I had in turning we worked with only partially seasoned green wood blanks. But nothing like this! The tree had been cut down only a few days when I got it!

   Due to its size, or lack thereof, and given that it's best not to try to season it as it is, I suspect I should rough out some pieces from the rest of it as well. That brings up yet another question I've posted a couple of times -

   What little I've been able to find on the subject, I'm curious how to "read" the piece of wood in order to get the most out of it. From a turning point of view, that is. One end of this short piece looks as though it was cut right below a crotch. I try to visualize the grain pattern inside so when it's 'unwrapped' the finished piece will reveal the wonders that are inside to their best advantage. Most reading to date recommends, actually warns against turning through the pith since that's where one will inevitably get cracks and checks. This particular hunk of wood isn't big enough to half or quarter to obtain anything of any size in the way of a finished piece.

   I recognize that this isn't something that is easily explained in a generic sense as each piece of raw material presents its own particularities and qualities. Turning into the side of the tree reveals a totally different presentation of the grain structure than does turning down through the center. I've tried the latter and find an otherwise ho-hum hunk of wood can result in a rather handsome piece.

   After posting last night about stabalizing green wood, I decided to throw the roughed out bowl I worked on in a bucket of diluted dishwasher soap to see how well it worked. In the green state that it's in, it has a SG more than 1 - doesn't even float! (g)

   At least it will be clean.

   Sorry to ramble on but the first cup of coffee has just made its impact felt! (grin)Dennis in Bellevue WA

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2. 
   RANGERP75R | Sep 10, 2002 05:23pm | #4

   Dennis:

      I knew someone out there had dealt with it. Hopefully more will post as I'm totally unfamiliar with it as I said in other post. If it's anywhere the hardness of black locust, you got some heavy-duty wood. You said you've never worked the locust. All I can say is, good thing you got the Uni-saw with all tht HP. I won't work it on my de-tuned 2 HP. Take it to a freinds that has a 5 HP. Be sure your blades are sharp. If you have lots of locust, they won't be soon. ha..

      The only thing I've dealt with harder than the locust is a piece of Lignumvitae. Whoa molly... I undertand at one time they used it for propeller shaft bushing on ships. Get a forklift to move it and I haven't figured out how to cut it yet. ha...

      Curious to see if you get more feed on the yellow. It is obviously limited to certain areas.

   sarge..jt

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 10, 2002 08:17pm | #5

   Hi Sarge ....

   I forgot to unload the rig last night so this morning I thought better of carting the stuff around all day. The hunk I have isn't very big, only about 18" long and maybe 8" average dia. or less. Got the endgrain sealed just in time as it's starting to check. While I realize it's still green and full of water, I was amazed at how heavy this piece of log was for no bigger than it is. Felt *REALLY* dense.

   I know I sound like a broken record, but being new to this process of extracting finished material from the raw .... material, I'm wondering if I should try milling it into workable sized pieces for accent or? The log isn't big enough to halve, let alone quarter for bowl blanks, and I suspect I'd get massive amounts of stress cracking if I tried to turn down through the center. The heart/sapwood is pretty concentric and even all around so this latter approach would produce an interesting piece, I think.  Yeah, that's what I'll do - slice off a 4-5" piece, rough turn and season then finish it later when the monsoons hit forcing my attention indoors.

   Good idea. Thanks, Sarge (grin)Dennis in Bellevue WA

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1. 
   RANGERP75R | Sep 10, 2002 08:32pm | #6

   Dennis:

      Again you came through. Ha..Got to make a 2:30 PM appointment. You really can't lose financially, however you go about it.grin> That should work, if not the forestry techs will probaly reply with a better solution.

   sarge..jt

1. 
   DennisS | Sep 11, 2002 09:09am | #7

   In case anyone cares to know about this stuff ....

   I whacked off a 3" piece of the log this evening, mounted it on the screw chuck and proceeded to strip out the screw hole. This is a *very* wet log (grin). Got the screw wedged back in so I could turn a rebate to remount on the chuck to hog out the inside as a rough turning to let it season b4 trying any final form.

   I see why they call it yellow wood! The sap wood is an almost brilliant citron yellow. The log is so wet I had sap running down the gullet of the gouge while taking out the waste on the inside.

   Now- for a question to all you turners out there....

   A few issues ago, I think it was in FWW, there was an article about stabilizing green wood. The author claims that a 50-50 or 60-40 solution of dishwasher liquid and water does the trick. Has anyone used this method?

   I've sealed my waterlogged material with endgrain sealer to let them season, but the wood, while not highly figured, looks really interesting and I'm eager to get back to it. If there's a better way to stabilize green wood other than waiting a year for it to dry out I'm like to know.

   TIA ....

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

2. 
   DennisS | Sep 11, 2002 09:15am | #8

   Just thought I'd letcha know, Sarge, I roughed out a small bowl this evening from the yellowwood log. Man - I've been working with seasoned ash, maple and that gredadao the past few weeks and had forgotten what a pleasure it is to turn green wood. It's such a neat sensation to see the shavings come off like peeling an orange! I get a little lax, though, since sharpening isn't such an issue and I tend to let my edges get too far gone before touching them up. The finish suffers mostly in that case.

   But it's pretty neat stuff.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]