Using raw wood...drying and stabilizing

[timsickels]

After some tree trimming aroung the yard, I find myself with some limbs that would yield a few blanks....Sumac, pear, plum, locust. If the grain is nice, how and where would I get them dried and stabilized, and is it worth it. I just thought it would be nice to harvest my own blanks. Thanks for your help.

 

[knowltoh]

I would cut them in to oversize blanks, use Anchorseal on all surfaces, and set them aside for a year or so. I see no reason to stabilize if they are green and in decent shape. I do this all the time and get some beautiful blanks that way.

 

[Rick_G]

I cut mine to length, and just under an inch square then dry 4 or 5 in the microwave at a time. 3 min. on defrost then take them out and let cool to room temp. Then do it again as needed. My pin type moisture meter reads down to 8 percent so when it doesn't read any more they are dry enough. I don't bother with stabilizing. If it's to punky to turn I just toss it. For the nicest grain look for crotchwood or areas where the tree may have been damaged years ago. Burls are even better but harder to come by. If you try this pick up a cheap microwave. Don't use the wife's good one in the kitchen. It's also a good idea to stay in the area when microwaving. They have been known to burst into flame if you get them to hot. If you get a blank that starts to smoke toss it into a container of water. They burn from the inside out when microwaved. DAMHIKT

 

[Edgar]

+1 on what Herb said - I do the same with my tree cuttings.

Usually I stack them on pallets in my tractor shed where they are out of the weather, but last year I also stacked a few Chinese tallow limbs on a rack in front of my garage where they were exposed to weather year round. I recently cut them up & they were really nicely spalted and still solid enough that they don't need to be stabilized.

 

[timsickels]

Good answers

Thanks for the help. I'll probably try all 3 methods, plus I might try my food dehydrator. First, I need to cut into these limbs to see if the grain warrants going any further, but the sumac looks really interesting. I recently cut up some pieces of grapevine we had in our landscape and got a few really nice blanks.

 

[Rick_G]

Thanks for the help. I'll probably try all 3 methods, plus I might try my food dehydrator. First, I need to cut into these limbs to see if the grain warrants going any further, but the sumac looks really interesting. I recently cut up some pieces of grapevine we had in our landscape and got a few really nice blanks.

I've only done one with grapevine and the woman who runs the wine making shop where I get my wine made loved it when I gave it to her.