Crape Myrtle blanks

[Jbalderson]

I removed 2 nice sized crape myrtle bushes out of my back yard yesterday and there is plenty of potential for blanks. My questions are has anyone used this before? Did you dye it? Did it have to be stabilized? and how was the character or the grain?

 

[Edgar]

I removed 2 nice sized crape myrtle bushes out of my back yard yesterday and there is plenty of potential for blanks. My questions are has anyone used this before? Did you dye it? Did it have to be stabilized? and how was the character or the grain?

I made this one about this time last year & I've seen several others posted from time to time.

This one was from the previous year's prunings - I simply cut & drilled a twig that was a little over 1/2" then turned, sanded & finished it with friction polish. No dying and no stabilizing. It turned like butter and polished up great. Being twig wood, it's all sap wood but that knot gives it some nice character.

If you have a whole bush to work with, you should be able to get some very nice blanks. I have two trees that are about 35 years old & one of them is going to have to come out due to overcrowding - it's got a nice gnarly base that I'm looking forward to cutting into.

Have fun & be sure to post some photos of what you come up with.

 

[Jbalderson]

unfortunately these were bushes and not trees but some of the bigger pieces are 2" across so I might even try a stopper or two out of it

how long did you let the wood dry before turning?


By the way that is a nice pen

 

[Edgar]

unfortunately these were bushes and not trees but some of the bigger pieces are 2" across so I might even try a stopper or two out of it

how long did you let the wood dry before turning?


By the way that is a nice pen

Thanks!

Since this was just a small twig, it was only on the shelf about 6 months before I turned it. I didn't have a moisture meter at the time - it just looked & felt dry enough to turn.

I have some larger cuttings from last year that are 1-2" in diameter. They have been air-drying for about a year and are ready to turn.

Wood never air-dries completely in our humid Gulf Coast area - if I can get the moisture content below 14%, I call it ready to turn.