Thorsen Side table Challenge. March 22, 2007.
I’ve been thinking about the making of the side tables for the challenge. I first started cutting some Goncalo Alves, and I am going to finish that table, but, I was thinking about what I could do that would be more dramatic. I’ve also been thinking about calling these tables a Celebration of the Uniqueness of Woods.
So my new challenge is making a set of “Twins” using two different woods. The first wood will be American Holly. Holly is not usually available as lumber. The US Forest Department has put the annual harvest of Holly at around 40 – 50,000 bdf per year. Holly is usually harvested in Winter because it has an affinity to discolor. Holly very easily get a blue stain. Some of the Holly that I’ve seen for sale says that it is dried in a microwave. The moisture meter company does not even have a scale to be used for Holly because of its limited use. It is not worth the aggravation for lumber companies to put the time and expense into creating Holly lumber when it could be a total loss. Kiln tables for Holly don’t really exist, and the only suggestion is to cut it into boards the same day that the log is cut, and then get it into a kiln the same day and cook it as fast as you can. Needless to say that’s not the way that most lumber companies process timber.
The Holly that I have was cut during January of this year, and I’ve stacked it in my workshop with stickers between every layer and then stacked Popular on top of that to weight it down. It has had a fan blowing on it for the past 2 ½ months. The moisture was around 35% when I got it and it’s about 12% now using other wood as the benchmark for testing. I have around 200 bdf of this one log. The log was about 20” wide and 20’ long when it was cut. The boards that I have are about 9 – 10’ long and 10” at the widest.
The second “Twin” is being made out of American Popular, also called Tulipwood, or Yellow Popular. The sapwood of Popular is creamy white, streaked sapwood. The heartwood is pale olive-green to tan or greenish-brown. Often with streaks of blue, purple, dark green and black.
The popular that I’m using started out a planks 24” wide by 16’ long. They were stored in the attic of my barn in New Jersey for 5 years. The temp in the attic would get up to 135 deg in the summer. So this Popular was well dried. I’ve had around 6% on the moisture meter on this wood. It was cut into 8’ long planks when I moved to Delaware because my lumber rack would only hold 10’ long planks. The planks are around 22 ½” wide now so they have shrunk in width around 1½” since they’ve been in my possession. I have about 300 bdf of this one log.
Further postings will be made from time to time.
Atypical Holly and Popular, both rough sawn 
Holly on the left and Popular on the right
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
23 comments so far
MsDebbieP
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#1 posted 2250 days ago
isn’t this fascinating!! They will be quite the twins!
Looking forward to following this journey
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
scottb
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#2 posted 2250 days ago
an albino twin and a pop(u)lar one ;)
I’m amazed to see such large planks of holly… I’d only seen it in quantities small enough for little else but inlay.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Van Gogh -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Dick, & Barb Cain
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#3 posted 2250 days ago
I guess you get the ”Lumberjock Board Award” for the LJ with the most boards.
Can anyone top Karson?
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
scottb
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#4 posted 2250 days ago
Nope. On a Bell curve he puts me much closer to the opposite end of the spectrum!
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Van Gogh -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Karson
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#5 posted 2250 days ago
I have less money than everyone. All of my capital is in hard goods. And I didn’t write any of it off the tax books.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Obi
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#6 posted 2250 days ago
I cut 8 sticks and then I cut 4 more sticks and then I cut two sticks
-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/
Bill
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#7 posted 2249 days ago
See, I said someone would probably build the table from poplar…I was even thinking of doing that too.
Way to go Karson.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
Chip
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1904 posts in 2260 days
#8 posted 2244 days ago
Holly is my second most favorite wood Karson, right behind, well, you know.
Are you aware that Holly is Delaware’s official tree (or bush or flower or something like that?) and I believe Delaware has more of it than most other states. I have seen boards in the lumber yard up here but not nearly as huge as the piece you refer to. And it goes for $17.00 bf. You’re a rich man Karson!
-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt!
jpw1995
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#9 posted 2243 days ago
$17 a board foot? Wow! I always hated Holly trees when I was a kid. I remember having to pick those prickly leaves out of my mom’s flower beds. OUCH!
-- JP, Shelbyville, KY
Dick, & Barb Cain
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#10 posted 2208 days ago
Karson,
Where is the rest of your series?
Or is it a deep dark secret. LOL
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
Chip
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#11 posted 2208 days ago
Karson would be a great poker player… he’s playing his cards, errr tables, close to his vest (that can’t be very comfortable ;-)
-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt!
Karson
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#12 posted 2207 days ago
Everyone i giving me a hard time here. I’ve spent the last two days in the shop.
I’m making or assisting on 6 – G & G tables.
All the wood is cut and we are now doing the milling.
I had originally posted the table top for the Goncalo Alves table. (That’s #1)
I had blogged (this one) on the twins. Holly and Popular. (That’s 2 & 3)
My son Dan is making one (That’s 4)
My youngest son David is making one (That’s 5)
And my oldest daughter is making one (That’s 6)
I’ve been taking some pictures and I’ll try to get some posted
That’s after the freeze date when you can’t copy my tables to modify yours.
So there.
Karson
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
MsDebbieP
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#13 posted 2207 days ago
lol too funny Karson.
and wow – - a family affair!! That’s wonderful and a super memory
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Chip
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1904 posts in 2260 days
#14 posted 2207 days ago
Would never give you are hard time Karson… tease ya maybe, but never a hard time. Besides, if you tried to keep us posted on that many tables you’d never get any woodworking done. ;-) Very much looking forward to seeing your results, whenever that may be.
-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt!
oscorner
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#15 posted 2206 days ago
Karson, I thought Obi was the only mass producer of Thorsen Tables on this site?
Obi, you better cut more sticks! LOL.
-- Jesus is Lord!
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