While I am a turner and I am turning some platters for my cousins wedding next year, she has asked me if I can come up with 10" - 12" by 1 1/4" rings of trees with bark still on to be used as center peices for her wedding reception. She would like them clean with a clear finish on them and while cracks are OK, she doesn't want any gapping cracks.
I am not sure where to find such a thing. I do nto have have the equipment to cut them myself however I can finish them
Anyone know where I can get something like this either by mail or in the S.E. Michigan area? Dried would be prefered however I can dry them myself with Denatured Alcohol.
Prevent the outer rings from drying faster than the inner rings as this is what causes checking. keep the outer part moist while the alcohol dries the inner part. Work outward over time to dry it.
I cut some today in fact. Black walnut. 1 1/2" thick. The large sap ring makes them especially nice as you get a nice color contrast. Wish you were closer. They are right at 12" in diameter. I plan to sell them for $7 each. One Lady wants 30. I have enough logs to do 300.
I could ship them to you, but it would cost about $1.00/pound, and these will weigh about 6 pounds each. I suspect that you can come out better locally.
I can cut them for you as well. Same price as WD would be fine and is similar to what I did locally for wedding favors this fall. I cut them on a large bandsaw with the log held in a sled so the cut is pretty smooth, but I can also sand them for $1/face on my stroke sander (need both sides sanded $2/slice). I will be cutting down some hickory and some oak in a day or two that could be used. I have some dry slices, but not 15-20 in that size and some don't have bark, so would have to cut new ones. Ships from NY. Let me know.
Yes, it is green wood. I actually planed that piece, and it turned out very nice. But since it was wet, after I planed the cookie, I took a leaf blower and dried out all the rollers and spiral head to avoid any potential rust.
Aggravating to plane them, but it sure makes them much prettier that the cut with the sawmill.
I'm in MO too and have walnut from a couple locations. Some of the "richest" walnut (almost purple black dark) came from up around Louisiana, Missouri which is along the Mississippi River. I agree that I have never seen that much sap wood in a walnut tree.
I'm familiar with Louisiana, MO actually. Played a high school football game up there back in the day.
That's what I was saying on my walnut thread a week or so ago. I just haven't seen sapwood more than 3/4". I've seen it often at around 1/2". My buddy just had some live edges sawn from a 15" diameter walnut and it looks amazing.
I think that the large sapwood ring makes this tree perfect for cookies. Trees are like people. They are all different. Some have wider sap rings than others. Actually, I like sap rings and sapwood in walnut. Many people only want the dark heartwood. They don't want the sapwood. I call them sapwood snobs.
Oh don't get me wrong I'm not saying one is better than the other. I agree, this is why I like live edges. Yes, I'll be working with heartwood slabs, but I love the contrast that live edges bring. Looks really cool on those cookies too.
I believe that it is a function of growth rate. Walnut down here in Georgia likely grows faster than in Missouri, and that would probably make a difference. The amount of rainfall and soil type would also factor in.
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