What Part Of The Tree Is Best To Grab ?

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Pipes

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Ok you driving along and bam you see a tree down or being cut and you can get the wood [:p] ! Now not wanting to drag the whole tree home WHAT part or parts of it are likely to have the best figure ? . I have passed up a LOT a wood NOT really knowing what to take and what to leave . I know we all want it all but a GIANT Maple is really a PITA to drag it all home :O) ..Ya and I know I need a chain saw I own 2 :O) .:D
 
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I like the very first block above ground----not always but most of the time it's the very best block of wood. Of course it's the hardest to get home also----we still have some big trees here in Kentucky----not many but a few.
 
I will grab the bottom of the tree near the roots if I can take the roots better still I grabed, second best part for me is the crotch or fork ( intersection of 2 branches or trunk )
 
Every tree is different and it depends on what you plan on using it for.

I've been eying some black cherry burls that are 10' above ground. Crotches are very nice for bowls and plates but only so/so for pens. As some have said, closest to the ground sometimes have nice figure, so does root balls if you are will to work to get it cleaned up

Branch wood is the most likely to crack, so is the pith and IMO the worst to use.

Learn to look at the tree (or log), it many take awhile, but soon you will be able to tell what is inside and which piece to grab. Even once you think you have it figured out you will still be surprised what can be found under the bark.

Happy huntinh
 
Originally posted by tseger
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Originally posted by jthompson1995
<br /> don't forget to look for burls or curly areas.
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This may be a dumb question, but can you tell by looking at the tree, if it has curly figure inside[?]Tim
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Yes you can.... Sometimes.

I have a picture somewhere. I'll look for it and post it here.
 
I will second Ron, look for the end grain then if you got a chain saw cut the log at 45 degree angle to see the end contrast grain then you will know how to mill your log, roots are the best IMHO, look for developing sites and get the roots of those trees ( need a truck or a big trailer [:D] )
 
Originally posted by Pipes
<br />Ok you driving along and bam you see a tree down or being cut and you can get the wood [:p] ! Now not wanting to drag the whole tree home WHAT part or parts of it are likely to have the best figure ? . I have passed up a LOT a wood NOT really knowing what to take and what to leave . I know we all want it all but a GIANT Maple is really a PITA to drag it all home :O) ..Ya and I know I need a chain saw I own 2 :O) .[:D]
Click to expand...

Go for a drive or a weekend away with family, you know what to pack first luggage are second [}:)][:D]good way to have LOYL on your back[:D][:D]
 
Originally posted by tseger
<br />
Originally posted by jthompson1995
<br /> don't forget to look for burls or curly areas.
Click to expand...
This may be a dumb question, but can you tell by looking at the tree, if it has curly figure inside[?]Tim
Click to expand...

There may be (and probably are) clues to what kind of figure a tree may have. The ability to say a tree is figured or not borders on the mystic, something using a divining rod to find water. I once knew a couple brothers, real old timers, who sold figured maple. They claimed they could spot a figured maple tree on sight when others couldn't. By the quality of the wood they had, it was not possible to argue with what they claimed. To answer your question, my response is a solid: I dunno. [;)]
 
That's interesting, Frank. I have read on the internet somewhere that the bark will look different somehow. I wish I could remember where I read that.
Maybe some of the wood experts will chime in on this one. Tim
 
Guy,

Other than the obvious burl go after the ones mentioned (root ball/base and crotch).

One other ovelooked area is the outer side of the crotch. If you raise your hands up like tree branches, the area I am talking about will correspond to your "arm pit" [:D][;)] This area yields curly wood.

Wood that are curved on one side will most likely have some curls on the inside bend as well. The compressive stress causes the curls...same way it does at the root ball area.

The bark does show some signs of the hidden figure but varies in degrees (some may be obvious, others may be not).
 
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