Spalted Black Jack Oak and Pecan Rustic Mantles...

Nice pieces! I cant wait to get back to the hills…. this feb!!!

-- Ted, TX or PA www.around-the-bend.com

Thanx Tex, they were simple but functional for the Hill region. I have no doubt your carving skill and unique pieces you carve would fly out the barn doors there!!! I decided to quit straight-lining one edge for mantles except per request!. That way, if it doesn’t move and it is a nice figured slab, I can flip it over, rout out some mortises, put some legs on it and it is a bench. a table, a desk …or whatever the heck they customer wants :)...Look forward to seeing ya in Feb…..Be well my friend….And see ya in the Hills…

-- Frank, Little River/Academy, Texas , http://www.allthingsrustix.com

Nice work … good tip on the epoxy and black paint

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Nice work. You have a lot of time into these, will you make good wages to cover your hours when they sell?

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3 http://www.portablesawmill.biz/concrete/

these look really good!

-- Ben Bull, Oak Designs - http://www.oak-coffee-tables.com

Hi Frank,
Love your gallery projects. You really know how to show off wood. I got to your gallery by goggling “blackjack oak”. Wow!

I have an opportunity to harvest a dying blackjack oak and am trying to find out what I can expect to use it for. The main log will be about 9 feet by 24 inch diameter. My understanding is that blackjack oak is very hard, used primarily for tool handles, farm machinery, ?.

I’m wondering if you can give me some first hand information about other characteristics of the wood. Checking, warping, relative width of heartwood to sapwood, evenness of stain uptake, turnability, ray fleck visibility …. whatever you have found to be significant. I must say, seeing what you have done with it has been the most motivating of what I have learned to date.

My friend has a manual bandsaw mill (that is, only the blade is powered). I’m concerned about blade wear. Can you give me a milling difficulty compared to red oak?

I appreciate any insight you give me.

-- Keith, NW Alabama

rustic beauty

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Thanx for all the kind comments…
Toolman: BlackJack Oak is kind like a box of chocolates as in you never know what you are going to get, like any wood it will check if dried to quickly, always seal the ends of logs and slabs with something like anchorseal immediately, I have never stained any wood, just goes against my grain :) Fashion a small 30 gal or so plastic barrel with soap and water above the blade, strap it to the frame, put in a faucet at bottom with a short hose and make a resorvoir so the blade runs thru the soapy water constantly while cutting, I have a friend who cuts up tons of Bois D’ Arc with a manual bandsaw mill and this works well.
Be well…

-- Frank, Little River/Academy, Texas , http://www.allthingsrustix.com

Frank: Thanks for the encouragement. I have found out that since the Blackjack Oak is almost dead, it may have already split. I believe I am going to offer to put the tree down so I can see what shape the trunk is in. If it isn’t too dry and split to invest more time in it, I’ll take it from there. I would like to get some 2-1/2 ” slabs.

I have some Anchorseal, now, as you all have been insisting.

Maybe my friend will try dripping soap solution on the blade of his bandmill to see if he wants to rig a barrel. He thought it sounded like a good idea that would make the cutting easier.

I plan on borrowing your “just goes against my grain” pun. I might even get a smile out of my wife on that. She really thinks my humor is hilarious, ......but tries real hard not to laugh. I promise to give you credit.

Have a good week!

-- Keith, NW Alabama

Your more then Welcome ToolMan…anytime…the tree more then likely has usable wood as it takes a 1 in thick slab a year to air dry…if you want to wind up with 2.5 in thick slabs then cut them a little over…about 2.75-3 in and allow for overall lateral cell shrinkage and give ya some planing headroom…yea the soapy water will let ya cut ten times more per blade…I will try to snap a pic of my friend’s rig and his solar kiln ( cut a year’s waiting time down to 6-8 weeks ?) he built himself….next time I go out to the lake fishing as that is where he has his shop..and where I need to move mine and fixing to … :)

Be Well and God Bless…

-- Frank, Little River/Academy, Texas , http://www.allthingsrustix.com

Some great looking wood. Nice collection and use.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Good to hear from you Karson my friend…and good to see ya..ya know I was stationed at Dover AFB before they sent me to Panama back in 78 and I caught some good size fish out there in farmers ponds before there dogs run me off :)

God Bless you and yours and keep you well….......

FXC

-- Frank, Little River/Academy, Texas , http://www.allthingsrustix.com