Redbud / Black Cherry / Red Cedar?

[sdb777]

Anyone ever turn any of this?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis

Cut some the other day(okay Allan ran the saw and I pushed stuff throught the table saw), it's been AnchorSealed and set aside to do a LOT of drying. The colors went from brown-tan to brown-green to a really dark brown, with some yellow thrown in by the 'maker'! The tree was standing, but still showed some spalt lines and 'soft spots', as well as a few cool worm holes!....thought it would have been solid(guess it was the worm that let the outside moisture start 'working' on it?) So the stuff will need some CA during the turning process....

Not sure how long it'll take to dry this wood. But it's cut into over-sized pen blanks(not sure if it'll shrink during the drying process). Pretty sure I cut them 7/8ths squared and 5-3/8th long. Best guess for drying time needed? (In garage, no A/C out there, and plenty of air movement)


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serotina

Cut one of these down too! Growing wild on the hunting property, It also go AnchorSealed and is drying. Not a lot of worm holes, but there were a few....no soft spots. Hopefully when it dries it'll start top 'pop' visually. Not a huge amount of color changes in it?

Any guesses on drying time needed? Same conditions as above.




Was really after those Red Cedar trees that have been laying down since early September of last year! Scored on a 14" diameter trunk with very few knots until you got about 10 feet up! This stuff is really cool looking wood, and it's practically dry now! Guess the weather being dry for the last few months has really done it's job.
There is a lot of 'marbling' going on in this stuff. Colors go from white-yellow sapwood to pink-ish red to maroon to yellow(inside the maroon stuff), and the grain is tight, as well as wavy! Great score for a first tree cut into!!!
And it smells so good when you cut into it!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Picture anyone?

This stuff is going to fund the re-payment for the childs(dog) operation. Got it listed at IAP......


Going to have plenty to share with the friends I have here....cut up over 800 blanks!!!!





Scott (I need some drying time) B

[TDHofstetter]

I've definitely turned th' cherry & the eastern red cedar. Cedar's amazingly lightweight when it's dry, especially after handling nothin' but hardwoods for a long time. Turns well, takes detail pretty nicely.

Black cherry... turns EXCEEDINGLY well, sands to a VERY high state of polish, and takes a natural finish like very few other woods.

Redbud looks pretty neat from here - this is my first glimpse of it.

All them blanks'll take a long time to dry if you don't accelerate the drying time with boiling or an alcohol soak. You can hasten the cedar by putting it in a sunny window (at least I've had good results from doing that), but I wouldn't try it with anything much more dense. Naturally dried, y'oughtta' expect a good solid 9 months slow drying time in the sizes you've got.

[Doug B]

Scott, I have had really good luck using Denature Alcohol - soak for 24 hours - for pen blanks. After about a month the blanks were great. I lost just a few to cracking/checking. I've only tried it on a few types of wood though, so I don't know how it would work on that Redbud and Black Cherry.

That ERC looks great! I was given some at the last gun show that came from Oklahoma (at least I think it is ERC) and that was some really nice wood - much denser than Aromatic Cedar I have tried before and really nice colors.

It is much different than the Western Cedar we grow here in NM.

[Ruffnek]

I've turned all three...LOTS of cedar, a fair amount of Redbud and some Black Cherry, too.

In fact, I have some Redbud logs that Boodrow brought me last year that are 14" - 16" in diameter. The only problem is that the length is shorter than the diameter. The fellow he got them from had already cut them into short logs by the time he got there. The bowl pic below is Redbud. As you can see, it has a very wide grain pattern with yellowish-green and pink coloring. It's very hard when fully dry.

The Redbuds in East Texas are just about at the end of their blooming period. They start to fade just as the Dogwoods come into bloom. Both are native trees and really pretty this time of year..

If you have them all cut into pen blanks, it shouldn't take very long at all for it to dry. Forget that one year per inch stuff. With pieces that small, the moisture loss occurs quickly through both the ends and the sides. It simply doesn't have very far to travel.

Also, when turning a pen, the WT of the finished blank is so thin that it has probably reached EMT by the time you have the pen finished, especially with the heat from sanding.

Cedar, particularly, is fairly dry when cut and I've never had a problem turning it green to finished dimensions. It doesn't seem to warp at all on larger pieces. It will crack, fine hairline cracks, but that's primarily from the heat generated while sanding. On pen blanks, I'd think your batch would be ready to sell now.

If you are concerned about the moisture content of the Cherry and Redbud, put the blanks on the rack in your oven and leave them in there on low heat for couple of hours. The Cedar, I wouldn't do a thing to except turn it or sell it.

[sdb777]

Thanks for all the responses!

Cedar is already being asked for at the IAP forum. Probably not going to have much luck with lots of 20, most guys are asking for 5 - 8 blanks....so be it. I'll send out small amounts, as long as it all gets sold, my debt is paid....


Haven't posted the other two types. Only cut up one 12" stick each into blanks just to see what I was getting into. They are wet, and was hoping that they would dry quicker like that.
I did apply the AnchorSeal to the ends to help the cracking/checking. And bringing them in and putting them in the oven is probably not going to happen....the wife puts up with a lot of stuff already, but that would probably have me sleeping in the shed!
I think the eastern red cedar is also the aromatic red cedar? Sure seems good when your cutting it!!!


BTW....that is one heck of a bowl!! Real beauty!!!



Scott (I be better off in the oven) B

[Joe Lyddon]

That red cedar sure looks NICE!

... it smells really good too... yes?

Waiting to see results from it...

[maxwellsmart007]

Hi Scott,

I saw your ad on the IAP, and noticed they haven't been selling quickly...

Have you thought of selling them individually, or in lots of 5 or so? A 20 blank minimum might be scaring people off...

[sdb777]

Guess I'm gonna need to change that....

Was just trying to make sure folks got a full box full, it's not like it's going to rot or something before someone uses it.


Appreciate the 'heads-up' though.....really.

Was wondering if $0.80/each is too much.....any thoughts?





Scott (new to this sellin' wood stuff) B

[sachbvn]

I don't think I'd want to have to buy 20 of the same blank either.... IMO - I think you'd have pretty good luck selling them for .80 each - shipping is THERE responsibility and if they don't want to make best use of shipping cost - that's their choice. I'd find out exactly how much it costs to put some in an envelope (including the price of the envelope) and offer them up as single's but mention that you can fit 20 in a flat rate box for 5 bucks.


Zac

[sdb777]

Guess I need to get up to the Post Office and get one of each. Flat rate envelope and small box....stuff them full and see what fits in what? Pretty sure 20 will fit in a small box....not real sure on the envelope. Funny thing is, the cost of shipping is only $0.05 difference between those two offerings(according to the USPS website)!


Got some orders yesterday....
Thinking it's not the price or the quantity, but the fact that I don't do the PayPal thing. But once you've been 'burned' by them......long story.



Scott (I'll be putting some in the 'box'!) B

[sachbvn]

Scott,

I'd like to hear the paypal story - I just recently started using them (very sparingly) and am curious as to your problems. You can PM if preferred.

Oh yeah! Grats on the orders!!!


Thanks,
Zac