# found wood



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*HUGE Eucalyptus score*

Sheesh. Good thing I have a truck now.

I saw a note on craigslist today (online classifieds) that a guy had put "10 to 15 more" eucalyptus logs out in the alleyway behind his house. LA is all blocks split in half by access alleys big enough to drive 2 cars through (barely). The Google directions were a little wonky (didn't name one of the roads, had me lost for an hour), and so a 47mi. round trip turned into a 75mi. round trip, and there were an incredible number of cop detours, road constructions, and things like a row of cars in each lane, side by side, all doing half the speed limit for miles so I couldn't break through the otherwise empty highways (I'm just venting now), but a stop for gas, and help from a guy there who had a Thomas Guide (thick, handy map-book), and a few more misadventures getting lost, and I found it. The road was a "pl." (place), meaning it was only about 3 blocks long, so if you missed one of about 3 cross streets, you'd never find it, as I proved, over and over and over again…

Anyway, I finally found it, blood pressure at max levels by this point, and rolling down the alleyway, several movie references popped into my head, like "That's no logs… that's a battlestation!" (Star Wars) and "We're gonna need a bigger truck" (Jaws). He had said they were 2-3 feet long, and as much as 2' in diameter. Usually these ads greatly exaggerate. I'm reminded of one lady who stated she had logs that were 48" in diameter, which would make them about the size of the plastic versions you sit in on log flume rides  They looked, based on the bricks they were standing on in the picture to be more like 16". Turns out she meant centimeters, which put them at around 16"-18". This is common in LA. People don't know trees here, nor how to judge their sizes. I think I found an exception. I actually had a sinking feeling overriding the euphoria of finding them. These were absolutely huge, by my standards. If you own a sawmill, they weren't all that big, but if you've been collecting branches for a year like me, it was an eye opener. They were all leaning up against the fence. Some were standing more than waist-high.

I got out and shut the truck door, and dogs erupted in barking all around me. It was about 2:45AM - first chance I had to get up there, plus all that driving/being lost time - and my "SHHH!"s didn't help at all. These were all big dogs, like Dobermans, and bulldogs - junkyard dog types. Climbing up into my truck, I could see over the fences, and both sides seemed like junkyards, full of rusty old trucks, boats, scrap metal, and weeds as tall as me. But this was a neighborhood, and I felt bad that the final obstacle had to be sprung on its sleeping inhabitants as well as me. They barked full volume the entire 20 minutes I was there - about 5 dogs, 3 on one side, 2 on the other, behind their fences. Oh, and I lied. There was one more obstacle. Leaning a particularly large log out of the way, I found the one thing I'd been most worried about, and why I was glad I brought my headband lamp - a black widow spider. It was the biggest I've ever seen, with a 1/2"-5/8" body. With the legs, it was over an inch. I didn't know they got nearly that big, but it was definitely a BWS. Black, patent-leather body, and large, ominous, fire-engine red hourglass. I don't know if the big ones are worse than the little ones, but I decided to leave that log - one of the ones I couldn't lift anyway - and in the morning I'm going to call the guy and warn him.

Lifting the logs was a major chore. These have been sitting out for 2 years, according to his notes, and one was hollowed out pretty well, so they were lighter than fresh stuff. I wouldn't have been able to lift them when they were wet. As it was, there were 4 or 5 I simply could not lift, and that's saying something. I'm 6', 250lbs, and just a few years ago I was maxing around 320lbs on bench, and a little over 800lbs squats. I've lost quite a bit of that since then, as I stopped working out in late '04, but the guy wasn't kidding in his note when he said "You'll need 2 people and a trailer." All of my friends are skinny computer nerds, and they wouldn't have been able to pick up any of these  I just barely could pick up the ones I did, and I had to try a few times with some, comically getting to within an inch of the tailgate, and then slowly sinking back down, veins bulging in my neck and forehead. All the tendons in my wrists, fingers, and elbows - and my biceps - are telling me right now that I'm going to be locked up tomorrow like an NFL player the morning after a game. The last 5 that I couldn't budge from the ground wouldn't have fit in the bed with the rest of the logs anyway, unless I put them unsafely on top of the other logs, but I didn't want to take the 405 and 101 again, with all their hills and swerving turns with anything not on the bed floor - not at this size.

They all featured significant checking, as I've come to expect from eucalyptus, but I think there's a ton of useful stuff in there. I managed to tile the floor with them like a game of Tetris, really packing in all that I could. The scraping sounds as I slid them on the bed liner sent the dogs into screaming wails. The guy wrote "They're in the alley, so you can pick them up any time," but he didn't mention I'd be waking the town if I came by late. I had to push the last one up on its corner so I could shut the tailgate, and then I was off. The truck, normally a bit bouncy on the textured, cracked highways out here rode like a dream on the way back. All that weight in the back dampened all movements to a smooth glide. It was like being in a luxury sedan. My big, bouncing belly appreciated it 

I'm leaving the logs in there when I go to work in the morning. I can show them off to my coworkers, which will mask the real reason, which is that I need some time to heal up before I go at them again. And of course, my 16" Homelite electric chainsaw is going to be severely inadequate, both in power, and in length. I probably need something 3 foot long, and gas powered. I think I'm going to have a go at just taking my time, chipping away at them when I can, manually. Of course, now I need an old-timey whip saw  Once I thin them down by cutting off their edges, I can slab the remainder with the chainsaw. I'd like to free some bowl blanks, too. Regardless, hooray for lots more to play with!

I'll post some pics soon.

I also restacked all the juniper branches today so the gardeners could get into the back yard, folded up the tarp, which is exactly the size of my yard, and laid it over them, cleaned out a ton of branch piles, cutting up pieces I could use, throwing the rest in the green waste recycling bin, swept and raked things, cut and routed some panels for my next project - a simple shelving unit for an open spot on the garage wall - wired a switch-operated outlet combo box, and redid some lighting for another project, which I will also post about pretty soon. This was a great day, all-in-all, and it's after 5:30AM, and I have work today. TGIF. I'm going to go sleep the sleep of the dead. Goodnight.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *HUGE Eucalyptus score*
> 
> Sheesh. Good thing I have a truck now.
> 
> ...


Great blog. Congrats on the wood. Wish I were closer, I'd loan you a couple of chain saws. Might even help cut it up…


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *HUGE Eucalyptus score*
> 
> Sheesh. Good thing I have a truck now.
> 
> ...


What!!! You didn't want to take the 101 with a load of logs! Where is you sense of adventure? Why, I'll bet you could sell tickets for that ride- especially on the down side :^)

Nice score, Gary!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *HUGE Eucalyptus score*
> 
> Sheesh. Good thing I have a truck now.
> 
> ...


That is a nice haul that you made but, at 3 in the morning, I am glad that you made it out of there without getting shot!!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *HUGE Eucalyptus score*
> 
> Sheesh. Good thing I have a truck now.
> 
> ...


Gary - thanks! I wish you were closer, too 

lew - seriously! Coming down the hills felt a little harrowing. I had to turn a bit earlier than usual into them.

Scott - me too! Thankfully, Canoga Hills is a pretty upscale area, but with all that dog barking at 3AM, I might have shot me after 20 minutes, too.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *HUGE Eucalyptus score*
> 
> Sheesh. Good thing I have a truck now.
> 
> ...


Gary nice catch. I hope that there is some useful wood in there or you spend a lot of effort for firewood.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*

Here are some pics of the haul!







This one shows a ton of Eucalyptus Longhorn Borer activity, just like the much tinier tree I found awhile ago:



with raked lighting here:


This log has something like quilting on two faces:



Unfortunate checking going on here. I'll have to see how deep it goes, and if it's all the way through, I'll have to learn a little something about filling and stabilizing. It would be a shame to have to turn all of these into several hundred stabilized pen blanks 



Here's one from a branched section of the tree:



And here are my feet for some scale. Them's some big logs. My biceps are just now returning to normal 



I will be moving these around the back of the house soon, and by soon, I mean when I'm finished healing up from loading them into the truck in the first place.


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## wildfire (May 3, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*
> 
> Here are some pics of the haul!
> 
> ...


GOODNESS SAKES what are you going to make with those a new HOUSE!!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*
> 
> Here are some pics of the haul!
> 
> ...


Some of those must weigh close to 100#s! :-(( I hope you know you can put that tail gate down!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*
> 
> Here are some pics of the haul!
> 
> ...


At least gravity will help getting them out of the truck.


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## CSlabon (Jun 5, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*
> 
> Here are some pics of the haul!
> 
> ...


put your blood *sweat* and tears into it!


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## StevenAntonucci (Aug 14, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*
> 
> Here are some pics of the haul!
> 
> ...


The pattern in your log is known as beeswing, and is pretty common in Eucalyptus. Those pieces should be put away until your skill and artistic talent are ready. I wouldn't cut the checking out, since it will only encourage the fresh surface to check…


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*
> 
> Here are some pics of the haul!
> 
> ...


Quite a find, very unusual looking wood, looks like a great haul.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *large Eucalyptus log pics - I wasn't kidding when I said big!*
> 
> Here are some pics of the haul!
> 
> ...


wildfire - 2 houses!

Topamax - yeah, at least that much. I log is a lot harder to lift than a person, but I've carried around my 2 buddies at the same time, and they were about 160-180lbs each. Some of these logs seemed almost as heavy!

Karson - it did indeed! Way easier out than in.

CSlabon - I haven't sweat as much as I did tonight dollying these things around the back of the house in ages.

rob - Many different ways. I'm going to try to cut one thinner manually, with a big, fast-cut rip saw. That will get it narrow enough to used a chainsaw the opposite direction to halve it. Then I can consider a heavy-duty jig on the band saw. I might use the router technique on a sled to flatten one face of some of the boards, then flip them to run them through the planer, if they're under 13" to parallel the faces. It'll be awhile before I get to it. I think especially for the one with the really cool patterning running through it, I'll take a bunch of pics and draw some lines in all the directions I can imagine resawing it, and then ask on here for thoughts about the best way to slab, and where the best bowl blanks will be hiding, then use the replies as a guide.

Steven - thanks for the info! You're right in that I don't feel quite worthy yet, especially of the beeswing piece. I've got the meticulousness, and I've made some very detailed things in my life in other areas, like extremely tiny custom circuit boards and soldering work, and even a ~4mm long origami crane that could flap its wings when you pulled the tail. These days I lack the free time, and a lot of the patience and perseverance that I once had. I'm working most on trying to reclaim those things, as they're as important as the rest when it comes to finer woodworking. Truth is, I consider myself an inventor and designer more than a woodworker, but the woodworking bug is infecting me more and more.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*When it rains... found some more logs ON MY BLOCK!*

My bones haven't finished knitting back together, and the gum tree chunks are still in the bed, but on the way back from a fast food run tonight, I saw a log pile on the grass in front of the sidewalk, right on my block! I backed up in front of the driveway there, and loaded one very large trunk piece, and a bunch of other large branch pieces in right on top of the eucalyptus. I have a feeling they were out all day, and people picked through the little stuff for firewood, leaving the large, unruly bits for me.



I'm pretty sure it's a Ficus, and in this area, it's probably a Ficus microcarpa 'Nitida' (microcarpa meaning "small fruit") known commonly as the Indian Laurel Fig, AKA Cuban Laurel, AKA Green Island Fig, AKA Chinese Banyan, and it's also had many taxonomic renamings over the years, adding lots of confusion to identifying it. The other contender was the Benjamin Fig, or Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina), the plant people across America have in pots in their offices. However, looking that up more closely, the leaves have long, pointy, acuminate tips. The leaves on my haul tonight were shorter, stubbier, and rounded, just like those on the F. m. nitida closeups I've tracked down online. There's a good comparison here (read the description above the photo). Mine are just like those on the right in that shot - F. microcarpa.

The vertical log right of center in this shot was the biggest piece, with a diameter ranging from 13" to 14".



The one with the round face a bit high and left of center here is a bit over 8" in diameter.



This has the look of Ficus trunks in my area:



Finally, the little one, with some spindly branchy bits, and some more leaves to help me identify it as most likely the Ficus microcarpa.



Now I can practice some resawing techniques on something a bit less pretty than the eucalyptus will likely be. I was disappointed when the telephone line repairmen cut free and spirited away a 4" diameter branch from the neighbor's fig trees that was overhanging the space behind my lot, tempting me this past year. I was eventually going to cut it off to keep it from destroying my garage, and as a bonus I'd have a new species to machine that I'd not experienced yet. I was crestfallen when I came home from work to find that branch - and the linemen - gone. "Where and when am I ever going to find Ficus to play with now?" I wondered. I just got my answer. These things seem to go in waves.

I've read that fig tree wood is pretty weak, and decays rapidly, but I'm a major proponent of researching, then trying things out anyway. There's just nothing like empirical evidence. I've surprised myself sometimes, learned a lot more than if I'd simply said "oh well nevermind then", and it's fun, regardless.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *When it rains... found some more logs ON MY BLOCK!*
> 
> My bones haven't finished knitting back together, and the gum tree chunks are still in the bed, but on the way back from a fast food run tonight, I saw a log pile on the grass in front of the sidewalk, right on my block! I backed up in front of the driveway there, and loaded one very large trunk piece, and a bunch of other large branch pieces in right on top of the eucalyptus. I have a feeling they were out all day, and people picked through the little stuff for firewood, leaving the large, unruly bits for me.
> 
> ...


fun is what it's all about - and as you mentioned -it'll give you plenty of experience and training resawing without worrying about that $500 board… urban harvesting - what a great concept. do you have a place to let resaws boards dry properly?


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *When it rains... found some more logs ON MY BLOCK!*
> 
> My bones haven't finished knitting back together, and the gum tree chunks are still in the bed, but on the way back from a fast food run tonight, I saw a log pile on the grass in front of the sidewalk, right on my block! I backed up in front of the driveway there, and loaded one very large trunk piece, and a bunch of other large branch pieces in right on top of the eucalyptus. I have a feeling they were out all day, and people picked through the little stuff for firewood, leaving the large, unruly bits for me.
> 
> ...


Gary
Your a found wood magnet.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*quick and dirty homemade dolly (for moving huge logs)*

If you recall the enormous gum tree logs I rescued recently, you might have wondered how I was going to move them all. Crushing manly strength alone? Nah, I was still pretty shot after lifting them into the truck in the first place. I slapped together a dolly out of scrap 2×4s (left over from the log rack shelves) with deck screws and some pocket holes (and screws), and a pair of rubber wheels and matching axle bolts that I ended up not needing for another project about a month back.





It was the work of about 20 minutes, plus another 15 trying to find the other wheel (next to the clothes dryer, of course!), and about 30 minutes of talking to mom on the phone after calling to see if she saw it while cleaning up my place on her yearly visit recently (she's too good to me, but had no idea where a wheel might be 



I added a cross bar after trying to move the first log, because at about 2' wide, some logs would fall through:



The one thing I'd change is the wheel placements. I made it so they would be flush with the bottom, so it would sit flat when tipped forward. Tipping it back was supposed to allow it to roll on the now bottomed-out wheels, but the lumpiness of the grass and cement around my house meant I was too often dragging it on the back of the bottom 2×4. I flipped it over and ran a sharp chisel along that edge to relieve it substantially, and it got better, but I still wish I'd swapped the location of the bottom frame and wheels. Wheel bolts should have been on the bottom, frame floor just above them.

Other than that, it performed quite admirably, not even bending under the weight of the huge gum logs. It saved me at the very least $30, though I imagine some day I'll just cave and get a proper dolly anyway.

Here's a time-lapse video of moving the euc logs a few days after I found them. As the sun sets, the lights in my log racks - recently blogged about - light the way.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

The video is hosted by flickr. I'd just do that with everything, keeping the videos with their related photos, not to mention it being negligibly easier to grab embed codes from Flickr. However, they have a cap of 90 seconds. A lot of my videos run over that, so YouTube must remain an option.

Now I'm thinking of just undoing the screws, moving the wheels and frames where I want them, making some 'tailgate ramps' (Do they have a name - the 2x~6 deals that gardeners use to load and unload lawnmowers and tractors?), and seeing if I can go grab the rest of those even bigger logs, if they aren't gone yet.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *quick and dirty homemade dolly (for moving huge logs)*
> 
> If you recall the enormous gum tree logs I rescued recently, you might have wondered how I was going to move them all. Crushing manly strength alone? Nah, I was still pretty shot after lifting them into the truck in the first place. I slapped together a dolly out of scrap 2×4s (left over from the log rack shelves) with deck screws and some pocket holes (and screws), and a pair of rubber wheels and matching axle bolts that I ended up not needing for another project about a month back.
> 
> ...


Gary, your ingenuity and resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me. The dolly looks pretty solid and constructing it out of re-purposed material is a great cost saving idea. I guess you could use a few more logs in there but, at the rate you are going, it won't take long to fill up the rack. Then it is either build another or start cranking out projects to make some room in there for more wood.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *quick and dirty homemade dolly (for moving huge logs)*
> 
> If you recall the enormous gum tree logs I rescued recently, you might have wondered how I was going to move them all. Crushing manly strength alone? Nah, I was still pretty shot after lifting them into the truck in the first place. I slapped together a dolly out of scrap 2×4s (left over from the log rack shelves) with deck screws and some pocket holes (and screws), and a pair of rubber wheels and matching axle bolts that I ended up not needing for another project about a month back.
> 
> ...


If this wood stash gets any larger, your going to have to employ the neighbors cat to stand guard at nite!!

Great Job, Gary!!

Lew


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## clieb91 (Aug 17, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *quick and dirty homemade dolly (for moving huge logs)*
> 
> If you recall the enormous gum tree logs I rescued recently, you might have wondered how I was going to move them all. Crushing manly strength alone? Nah, I was still pretty shot after lifting them into the truck in the first place. I slapped together a dolly out of scrap 2×4s (left over from the log rack shelves) with deck screws and some pocket holes (and screws), and a pair of rubber wheels and matching axle bolts that I ended up not needing for another project about a month back.
> 
> ...


Great solution. I may have to think about making one of those for various projects around here. 
That log rack is looking pretty full these days, the lights are a nice touch.

CtL


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *quick and dirty homemade dolly (for moving huge logs)*
> 
> If you recall the enormous gum tree logs I rescued recently, you might have wondered how I was going to move them all. Crushing manly strength alone? Nah, I was still pretty shot after lifting them into the truck in the first place. I slapped together a dolly out of scrap 2×4s (left over from the log rack shelves) with deck screws and some pocket holes (and screws), and a pair of rubber wheels and matching axle bolts that I ended up not needing for another project about a month back.
> 
> ...


Scott - thanks very much! I feel the same way about everyone here. I'm going to go with "crank out projects" if I have the option.

Lew - she was with me tonight, helping out again with another big log haul (more on that later).

Chris - thank you. Just make sure you let the wheels stick under enough so it rolls well. It's pretty important for dollies and hand trucks, and it's the biggest oversight in my project


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## Loogaroo (Jul 30, 2012)

gfixler said:


> *quick and dirty homemade dolly (for moving huge logs)*
> 
> If you recall the enormous gum tree logs I rescued recently, you might have wondered how I was going to move them all. Crushing manly strength alone? Nah, I was still pretty shot after lifting them into the truck in the first place. I slapped together a dolly out of scrap 2×4s (left over from the log rack shelves) with deck screws and some pocket holes (and screws), and a pair of rubber wheels and matching axle bolts that I ended up not needing for another project about a month back.
> 
> ...


I like the simple and sturdy design. Moves much better than the 4 wheel flatbed model I made.


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## SlimPickins (Feb 27, 2013)

gfixler said:


> *quick and dirty homemade dolly (for moving huge logs)*
> 
> If you recall the enormous gum tree logs I rescued recently, you might have wondered how I was going to move them all. Crushing manly strength alone? Nah, I was still pretty shot after lifting them into the truck in the first place. I slapped together a dolly out of scrap 2×4s (left over from the log rack shelves) with deck screws and some pocket holes (and screws), and a pair of rubber wheels and matching axle bolts that I ended up not needing for another project about a month back.
> 
> ...


I like the dolly - especially the wheels through the wood in a hurry - if it was a ladder, it would be a "fireman's ladder" so this is a "lumberjack's dolly".


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*more Ficus microcarpa*

Remember that haul last week of fig logs? I used the new dolly to move them around back:



Here's the load by the light of day:



Exactly one week later, running home on my lunch break, I found ANOTHER PILE of them in the same spot, from the same tree likely. Of course, I had to back up, pull over, and load those in, too 





Pretty big!



This rooty section had wood chunks that didn't match. I think they're Douglas fir, from a fence or garden something-or-other, which the fig tree wrapped around and tore up.



I remembered to get some leaf shots this time. The stubby tips match with F. microcarpa. F. benjamina - the common houseplant fig everyone in the US seems to have somewhere - has a longer, pointier tip. Most of the other figs I've looked up have vastly different leaves than either of these. For example, these from the common fig. Note the edible figs. Ficus microcarpa gets little berry-like fruits which are either not edible, no good to eat, or just not worth it. "Microcarpa" means "small fruit."



Everyone ready for another Benny Hill time-lapse log-moving video? Great! Here I'm dragging load #2 back to the patio, which I just swept off and cleared a bit for the fig logs, and adding load #1 from last week to it. Glad to have them up on the cement, where I don't need to worry too much about killing grass, or bugs pouring into the logs from the soil. All of this log hauling work is starting to build up the muscles.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

And there's the pile, with me for some scale (6' tall).



Of course, they're still monumentally dwarfed by those Eucalyptus logs. I need to get those up on the patio soon, too.



I feel a bit like I should be living, say, in Montana, and not the 'burbs of Los Angeles.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more Ficus microcarpa*
> 
> Remember that haul last week of fig logs? I used the new dolly to move them around back:
> 
> ...


You must have smooth ground for those small wheels ) You have me all enthoused now. I'm working on some maple, cherry and maybe some plum. Geez, that soulnds liuke a lot of work ;-(( Looks like yio uhave a pretty good system worked out.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more Ficus microcarpa*
> 
> Remember that haul last week of fig logs? I used the new dolly to move them around back:
> 
> ...


The ground here is extremely hard, packed, sticky, horrible adobe clay. It's an absolute nightmare to dig. I had a hard time driving a round shovel into it, even standing on it, and at that time, I was about 270lbs!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more Ficus microcarpa*
> 
> Remember that haul last week of fig logs? I used the new dolly to move them around back:
> 
> ...


Good thing it is smooth, youi'd never get it leveled if it weren't!! I thought you looked pretty husky in the shows you produce. You're on my side if a fight breaks out )


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## bowyer (Feb 6, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more Ficus microcarpa*
> 
> Remember that haul last week of fig logs? I used the new dolly to move them around back:
> 
> ...


You ARE the Urban Logger! I really enjoy your Benny Hill videos. Nice score on the fig. So when do we get to peek at the re-saw video!

Rick


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more Ficus microcarpa*
> 
> Remember that haul last week of fig logs? I used the new dolly to move them around back:
> 
> ...


great finds! and in 'burbs of LA of all places … lol - touche!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*

A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.



These are some very large pieces.



I got some more rooty sections:



It's incredible how heavy these things were.

On the way home that night, happy with the score, THEY HAD PUT OUT MORE. Knock it off already! You know I'm a hoarder  Here's a shot of where I've been finding these things. The Bass sign was laying on them, but I didn't want it, and carefully placed it aside.





Now that's a load.



Their place is one of the prettiest in the area. Mine is a simple little box built in the early '20s, and barely updated since. What's funny is that the lots are all the same size in the entire large neighborhood, meaning that people with large houses like this have very little in the way of yards. I think this one has a mostly-enclosed courtyard, though, which is pretty awesome.



So here's the final 3rd and 4th hauls all together after work today:



And here I am (6ft. tall) for some scale:



Hand scale against the largest one:



I made another time-lapse of the unloading, this time at the truck. If I get another load, I'll have to attach my camera to the dolly itself, and film the journeys of the logs. Then the set will be complete.






The best part of that time lapse is going back through it to grab the 12 frames wherein I've just removed another log. Setting them up to ping-pong back and forth in a GIF image, you can see the truck raise up and down on the suspension care of the tremendous weight of the logs:










Here's the full pile on my back patio. This is all 4 loads stacked into an impenetrable wall:



From a distance, patio in view here:



I had to shove things to the other side a bit and sweep out the left half for the new fig logs. I definitely need to start cutting some things up, stacking and stickering them on the log racks, and making a bunch of green wood turnings to rid myself of some stock, if the wood can handle it. This is a really great opportunity - if the wood is of any use - to enable me to try out everything: stains, dyes, varnishes, wipe vs. brush, layerings, BLO, thinned topcoats, and the list goes on and on. I love having a lot of material against which to test everything, as it removes one of the variables by keeping the testing ground the same each time.



Here's me for some scale again. It's time to put this whole tree back together!



But for now I'm done. And it's naptime. Goodnight.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Quite a haul Gary, and easier to get that having to cut it down yourself. Intelligent woodworking. I Like it. If I knew about this I might have stayed in L.A. Have fun with your find.


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Gary, Gary, Gary,

At this rate, the new lumber rack will need expanding!


----------



## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


you are a GREAT blogger. thanks for posting all this stuff. i don't know how you are ever going to use all this, but I'm looking forward to watching you try!


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Now you can make a Sectionall tote em pole.


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


great score , gary !

now quit stopping at that BAR and having just ONE ,

and get to work , and having fun with all that wood !


----------



## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


I see all this wood, and a fancy rack for it, but where's the fruits of your labor? Let's see some projects!


----------



## BarryW (Sep 15, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Paint the ends of the wood soon….and get some rest…the time lapses were hysterical.


----------



## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


That's some beard you got young fella you should change your name to Blackbeard I wish mine was so good.I have to glue mine on when I get a haircut so I am jealous even my three sons have more and better beards than me.Still good find with the wood.LOL Alistair


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Mike - Indeed. I'm also a kind of 'green' hippie. I love trees. If I lived back home in our endless forest, I might occasionally go out and choose a tree to fell, but I personally just love cleaning up the stuff that falls itself. I don't like to cut things down before their time. I also accept picking up stuff other people cut without influence from me for whatever be their reasons.

Lew - It's too late. No rack system will ever be enough for me 

Hokie - Thanks! I sure hope it was worth it, and that I have it in me to push through and make these things into something besides firewood. I've heard that fig tree wood isn't all that great, and deteriorates readily, but I need to learn that first hand before I'll believe it entirely.

Jim - funny you should mention that. I wrote to my friends recently about an idea I had for a large lawn chess game - pieces maybe 12" wide. The pieces would be tiki themed, and would all feature something in the top and bottom that allowed them to stack into totem poles. This way, you could have luaus with cool tiki totem decorations scattered around, or framing in the party, and say "Who's up for a round of giant chess?" and just lift each piece off and bring it over to set it up. It would be fun. Guests could surround the board to watch you battle it out. I guess I don't go to very exciting parties 

david - Seriously! Now I have my hands, and my log racks full!

Julian - Ha! Now you want projects, too!? Alright then, I'll get cracking on it soon, after a nap 

Barry - Will do, and thank you very much!

Alistair - The beard is definitely a defining characteristic. I shave it off entirely every few months, but it just comes back with a vengeance. Wish there was a use for it. I'm 1/4 Scottish myself, with the other 3 parts being Irish, Austrian, and Russian. Because of these particular European influences, my beard is actually somewhat reddish.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


I have been thinking about your wood storage a little Gary. Those are pretty short logs and you live in a pretty dry climate there. Have you thought about the possibility that you might get some serious checking or even major splitting ? I'm no wood expert and I don't want to alarm you, but from experience I know that short pieces like you have there can really dry out fast and crack before you know it. If you are not sure about this, I would suggest you look into it. It would be a shame to waste all that wood you have collected.


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Yeah, Mike. Things do dry out very fast, and nearly everything I've stored on my log racks has checked already, some terribly. The Eucalyptus is a real fight, but the winner is olive. I have logs of olive that are around the 1' diameter mark, and they've split to the core in something like 10 places around the outside. I'll be lucky to squeeze pen blanks out of them. Those weren't sealed. I took way too long getting around to sealing them. I still haven't, because what's the point now?

This is why I want to get things resawn soon. A resawing jig is top on my list right now. Getting all that radial influence away from things should help with checking, though the boards may still split and warp. At least I can work with that a bit more easily.


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


GARY, If it were me, which it ain't, I would at least paint the ends with some cheap oil base paint. I pickup up a maple log about a year ago just to see what was going to happen when it dried. I just noticed today that it was cracked almost all the way across one end!! Didn't look at teh other. It is about 4 feet long and 14-16" in diameter. All I could do to put it in the back of my pickup by myself.

Nice haul! Too bad I know where the secret spot is now ) ) ) )


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Topamax - I actually have a 2-gallon pail of Anchorseal, supposedly the best (or one of the best) at sealing wood end grain for drying. I'll have to get out there this weekend and paint everything up. Really, though, I want to get my resawing jig finally made (still have lots of design work left to figure out). The sooner I can slab these things, the sooner they'll be free of the radial checking pull. Still can split, of course, but it'll be a lot less forces acting on them.

And as to maple, I know all about it. I gathered up a bunch of maple branches and some logs from my folks' home in NJ, shipped them back to me in LA, and let them dry in the living room in their boxes. They're all checked to the center, and along their entire lengths. I took a small piece out of a 1.5" limb, cut out past the checking, and turned it. It popped open along its length while I was turning it. What a pain.


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


I just thought it would be better to seal now, rather than wait for the jig. Minimize the checking as much as possible. I have some alder for carving blocks I thought was sealed, but it wasn't ;-(( Tehy were in 1/2 and 1/3 rounds. Carvings will be a little smaller ;-))


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


You're right, of course. I'm just being lazy. I'll paint 'em up tomorrow!


----------



## bowyer (Feb 6, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Well young stallion, once again I had to take a break after watching another one of your videos! Another benefit of your wood rescue missions is you don't have to waste money on a gym membership!! Enjoy your much deserved nap

Rick


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Hope you will let us see your resaw jig when it is finished. I'm always looking for the ultimate resaw jig.


----------



## cosmicturner (Feb 7, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Ficus microcarpa - MAKE IT STOP - 3rd and 4th hauls*
> 
> A bit over a week ago I found some logs outside a neighbor's place down the street while on my way home from work on a Friday night. They were Ficus microcarpa (AKA Chinese banyan, AKA Indian Laurel, AKA curtain fig, AKA etc…). Almost a week later - a few days ago - I found another load of the same logs in the same spot on my way home for lunch. This morning while heading into work, I passed the same spot, and the biggest haul yet was sitting there. I was running a few minutes late, but did a U-turn, and loaded them up, getting pretty dirty and sweaty in the process.
> 
> ...


Gary I would do the same thing….I can't drive by a pile of curb wood without stopping either…its FREE why not! and should it split or whatever it will always make firewood at the very least, just beware of poison ivy


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*

I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.

That night after work I headed up. I'd wanted to find metal brackets that turn 2×8 or 2×10 planks into ramps that lay on the tailgate, so I could dolly the logs right up into the bed, but no one sells them around here, and I didn't have time to wait for shipping. I went with nothing - no gloves, hand truck, head lamp… just me and the truck this time, so I raced a bit to beat the sunset. It's really dark in that alleyway, and there was that huge black widow spider on the logs last time. I wanted to be able to see well.

Here's what awaited my return:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3634019792_8b6d7db400.jpg?v=0" title="huge Eucalyptus logs by
fence" alt="huge Eucalyptus logs by
fence

You get a sense of how big they are when you realize that's a full-size doorway to their right. This was one of the pieces there last time:



It's hard to tell how big it is, so here's my shoe for scale:



I was barely able to budge it, let alone lift it into my truck, so there it stayed. I'm sure it's still there. Here are some smaller pieces at the other end of the row:



That round one on the right with the rags stuck to it - that exists at the absolute limit of my being able to move something. Anything even a pound heavier than that is beyond me. Here's just after I hoisted it into the truck:



That was a heck of an ordeal getting it in there. If you're interested in the short battle-tale, click the image above and read about it at flickr. I'm too traumatized to repeat it.

I mentioned that it was kind of a junkyard of a home, so I snagged a picture this time. I wasn't kidding! But who am I to judge? My place is all logs and branches now 



For 3 days this is what went on in the back of my truck as I drove around the neighborhoods of West LA, until I could find time and motivation to unload them finally. Every time they slid a little too hard, I'd feel a jolt in the truck. I'd made sure to avoid any head-on collisions.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

Here's the haul at home by daylight, awaiting the final unloading:









And here's my favorite part of the haul - the first time I've picked up any bruises since childhood!



I take some pretty hard bumps every now and then, but I simply don't bruise. I can never prove I'm hurt to anyone  I was surprised when I found these, and believe it or not, pleased. Now I know I'm definitely human, and can go back to being extremely cautious around my tools.

On the drive home the night before, soaked in the sweat of lifting the largest log, I guessed that it must be 2' in diameter, and 16" tall. I was pretty much dead on. Go me!

16" tall:


An average of 24" diameter (this direction is 25.5"): 

Here's the big unloading. I particularly love the shockwaves picked up by the camera whenever the logs hit the ground:






Oh, and I mentioned in a prior post that I should next attach the camera to the dolly for a dolly's-eye view of how it works. It's more boring and seizure-inducing than I hoped, but here it is anyway.








Even though the dolly helps a lot, it was a really hot day, and they're still a lot of work to maneuver around. I was spent.



I'm currently considering an Alaskan Mill to slab some of these. They're pretty cheap.


----------



## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Gary: So how did your benafactor move the logs into the alley.

Great haul.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Big wood….Big work out


----------



## oldwoodman (Feb 4, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Gary,

Let me say first of all, that I love to read your posts. Secondly, I think it's great that you can pick up this free "wood" and are thinking of ways to put it to good use.

However, what I am concerned about is your back. I am not a doctor, but I know it cannot be good for your long-term health to continue lifting these heavy logs. You have got to find a way to build a ramp for your pickup!! With your ingenuity and skills, this should not be a hard task. Please put "building a truck ramp" on the top of your priority list. Your back will thank you, and you will make some of your fans very relieved.


----------



## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


reruns already? I saw this on toughman 2006.

If you take Rob up on his offer, take some pictures! thanks for more great blogging. Your posts are one of the highlights of my day.


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


I get a kick out of your escapades too ) I ran some quickie calcs, assuming that block is 50# ft^3, it is about 188#. I'll agree with the other guys about lifting like that, I used to show off lifting a #100 over head with 1 hand. One day I felt a little pop in my shoulder. It never bothered me, but I decided that was a fool thing to do. That was about the time that old guy did the one armed pushup at the actor awards of some kind. Physical trainers don't let their storngest guys do that because it can blow all the tendons and everythhing else out!! 15 years later, they told me I had a rotary cuff tear and needed surgery. Most electricians, pipe fitters and sheet metal workers have it from working overhead all day everyday, but I know that little pop was the beginning of the tear:-((


----------



## DaleM (Feb 18, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Gary, don't listen to them. They are trying to turn you into a big sissy. Keep on lifting brother. Okay, just kidding, get a ramp. Seriously though, worrying about a spider being on the wood? I would be worried too, but I damn sure wouldn't tell everyone. (or maybe I just did? Damn, maybe I should have sent you this in a PM) Okay, really, nice haul. BTW, really serious, do you know the weight capacity of your band saw table because you need to consider that if you plan on putting some big slabs on there. I am trying to figure that out myself for a Steel City 14" with the cast iron top. I may have to build a separate table/sled that lays directly over my table top to support some of the longer logs I plan on sawing and was wondering if you had considered that. I would sure hate to find out the weight limit the hard way.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


I too am enjoying your forays into wood collecting and new developments in your shop. I agree with the others that you should take your back seriously. This is good advice. I have a lot of firsthand experience with that subject.


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## spanky46 (Feb 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


*You Da Man!*


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## Elaine (Jun 24, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Have you thought about mounting one of those motorized winches to the inside bed of your truck, instead of the front bumper??? With maybe an A frame hoist on the sides that can come together when you need it and stow when you don't?

Can I just say loco en cabasa, muy loco; or as they would say here -Boy, ya gonna strain that baby maker.


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## cmaxnavy (Dec 23, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Another year of this and you'll be in terrific shape! Keep charging!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


You can get a small portable winch to put in the back of the truck. Just make sure you use #2 or bigger wire to the battery. Better yet, just get a deep cycle battery and set it right by the winch.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Karson - my benefactor is Superman 

rob - Is my mom trying to get you to keep me from spending money?  It's too late. I'm practically giddy with excitement about getting my hands on that little mill at last. For me, it's all about the processes. Slabbing my own logs in my own back yard will be a pure joy. That said, I'd love to meet you, check out your operations, and see how you'd go about slabbing a couple of these logs if you wouldn't mind. I'd even give you a stack of slabs for the trouble, and so we could all see what you'd do with them. We should set it up one of these weeks. Thanks! Oh, btw… how far from west LA are you? Hours drive-time is a fine measurement.

oldwoodman - I think you're right. I'm built like a bull, so I tend to neglect that kind of stuff, because I almost never get hurt, or notice it if I do. Still, I do have future me, say, 60-year old me to think about. That's my life over again before I'm there, but I bet I'll be cursing current-me if I continue abusing my body this way. Thanks for the concern!

Hokie - I'll definitely get some shots of me and Rob at his place if/when I make it down there!

Topamax - good warnings! Thanks! If you check my latest post, you'll see you were a bit off. That's one crazy heavy log!

Dale - I've been meaning to post about it at some point, but I just noticed a few days ago that my band saw table is anything but stable, and it can't be made stable without additions. I might actually need to weld something in there, or replace the table somehow. The whole thing feels 'adequate,' if a bit cheap. It was a $1300 saw, but a lot of that cost went into the fact that it can do metal, too. You can move the belt from front to back of the machine, and pull a lever to engage a different pulley set. If I had it to do over, I'd probably get a much smaller benchtop bandsaw dedicated to metal, and a really nice (e.g. Laguna) 18" bandsaw strictly for wood. It's a pain switching blades, belts, and settings, and it's a pain cleaning up all that metal soot after sawing through metal. I really just use it for wood these days, and try to find a way around cutting metal on it wherever possible. Also, I'm never going to be sawing through 12" of metal. Metal stuff is always more in the <2>m not excited about wiring things into my pristine engine. Thank you!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


I was just over there, left you a little story) You really should think seriously about all these precautions. Dr told me my left knee being totally worn out started when I pulled some ligaments kicking a ball when I was 12 yrs old. I was always too strong for my own good. Pulliing wire when it was too tough for the other guy to get it. Broke my wrist turning a screw driver trying to loosen a screw. I didn't know it until they x-rayed my wrist for another matter years later. Dr asked me when I broke my wrist. I told him I hadn't. He said this is a broken wrist on the x-ray. After I though about it a bit, I knew when it happened. Stil gives me trouble if I get too much torque on it using a screw gun all day long.


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## christopherpalmer (Aug 23, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


gday everyone… the most valuable tool i own is a trolley with inflatable wheels - heavy duty.. i wouldnt recommend it but i have had a half ton of wood on the trolley.. for smaller wood in the bush i attach the trolley to my towing hitch and tow the wood …

another tool is a flatbed trailer which makes it easier to get wood from ground to trailer… if you have trolley and trailer and ramps, you are set…

another tool is an old car bonnet for: dragging heavy loads: jacking up heavy loads to desired height; and also for rolling loads..

the other tool i can recommend is a hand winch or load puller or an electric winch in the bed of your pickup..

this is my first post, i came across your article as i am interesting in eucalypt sapling fences and furniture etc… ... this looks like a great site


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *No, not MORE huge Eucalyptus logs!*
> 
> I tried to get in touch with the guy who put the logs out in Canoga Hills to see if there were any of the 5 I had left on my last/first trip remaining, and if it would be worth the 30 minute drive. He never got back to me, but I noticed he reposted on craigslist a few days later that he put 15 more logs out there.
> 
> ...


Christopher - welcome to LJs! If you happen to notice this reply, I see you're from the banks of the Warragamba. I'm curious, aside from endless gum/mallee trees over there, which kinds of woods do you have in good supply? Which are common?

I should probably just post this on your page.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Largest Eucalyptus log - I knew it was over 200lbs!*

In a comment by Topamax in this post he made some assumptions, and ran some numbers, and got 188lbs for the largest Eucalyptus log I managed to lift into the truck and bring home from Canoga Hills. I really felt it was over 200lbs, so today I set this up:



It's just some scrap weathered pine stacked up into a makeshift ramp to my bathroom scale out on the patio, with some 2×4s on the scale to keep the log from pressing its central buttons, or marking up its face. The 2×4s also made a platform into which the log would sit, I hoped.

Here's a video of the weigh-in:

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

That's right, it's a heavyweight champ, clocking in at 231.4lbs! Not bad! No wonder it literally slid me across the pavement when it got rolling on me. I'm no featherweight myself.



In the video I weigh it 2x, and both times it was 231.4lbs, so I'm inclined to believe it. Oh, and if you're wondering if the 2×4s added anything, it sets a tare weight when you press the button, so it zeroed itself to their weight first.


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Largest Eucalyptus log - I knew it was over 200lbs!*
> 
> In a comment by Topamax in this post he made some assumptions, and ran some numbers, and got 188lbs for the largest Eucalyptus log I managed to lift into the truck and bring home from Canoga Hills. I really felt it was over 200lbs, so today I set this up:
> 
> ...


Yup, you ain't no light weight  My first calc I made came in at over 200, I decided it might be a bit dryer, so I modified the #/ ft^3 a bit. Guess I should have left it alone.

This reminds me of a fellow I knew who was moving his shop. It was a welding and auto spring shop. He had a 100# anvil. He hired a high school kid who was probably over 6' and well built. Matt told the kid to load the anvil. He said that on the way back into the shop. As he turned back towards the truck, he was just in time to see the kid set it over the tail gate. Matt told him that tail gates open) Gary, I don't know if you remember me making a comment about the tail gate would open right after you got your new truck and had a load of wood in it with some big pieces, but this kid is what made me think of it. There is no doubt about it, you are "Strongest Lumber Jock" on this site!!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Largest Eucalyptus log - I knew it was over 200lbs!*
> 
> In a comment by Topamax in this post he made some assumptions, and ran some numbers, and got 188lbs for the largest Eucalyptus log I managed to lift into the truck and bring home from Canoga Hills. I really felt it was over 200lbs, so today I set this up:
> 
> ...


Haha! I bet there's someone way stronger lurking here. That anvil reminds me of when I used to hit the local gym with a personal trainer. He had me do calf exercises by repeatedly going up on my toes and back down, and I had to do them while holding a 90lbs dumbbell in each hand. They were solid metal, in this style. Whenever I'd do that, I'd think of two things: my friend, a girl who weighed just a bit over 90lbs, and I was carrying one of her in each hand, basically, and "OWWW, my fingers!" They were really rough on the hands. I started making callouses really fast with that exercise, even with gloves on. I couldn't curl my arm up while holding them, but there were some guys at the gym who could. I was always waiting for their forearms to snap in half. Heavy weights start to get scary, and take on their own life.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Largest Eucalyptus log - I knew it was over 200lbs!*
> 
> In a comment by Topamax in this post he made some assumptions, and ran some numbers, and got 188lbs for the largest Eucalyptus log I managed to lift into the truck and bring home from Canoga Hills. I really felt it was over 200lbs, so today I set this up:
> 
> ...


gary ,
reading your posts is allways fun and rewarding .
just a word of caution ala topa .
any iritating exprerience you have today , will allways come back later when you hit 60 and remind you 
how sore you can be .
it never goes away , it just practices and waits !
the biggest strength you have is in your head !
you are fortunate to be a real " paul bunyan " ,
save some of your physical strength for trips to the bathroom later in life .
and if you get tired of holding a 90 lb. woman in each hand , send one to me !


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Largest Eucalyptus log - I knew it was over 200lbs!*
> 
> In a comment by Topamax in this post he made some assumptions, and ran some numbers, and got 188lbs for the largest Eucalyptus log I managed to lift into the truck and bring home from Canoga Hills. I really felt it was over 200lbs, so today I set this up:
> 
> ...


Hey Gary
Don't let David give you that tall story , he could lift it with one hand. LOL All kidding aside be careful out there
it's not free wood if you hospital bill goes into thousands.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*

As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!

Here's a video I edited together of how I spit out a bunch of 1"×1"×9" stickers on my band saw. I used the table pin as a stop for the right edge of the fence, which it turns out sets it to about exactly an inch away, and the table edge itself for cross cuts, which is about exactly 9" from the blade. With all of this built into the machine, it's all super repeatable later, with no thought or set up times. That'll encourage me to make more stickers any old time I have a minute, and I'm going to need a lot more,








This is what I've been wanting to avoid. See all the mismatched 2×2s, plywood scraps, poplar pieces, and whatever else I had lying in piles being used here as stickers? The new pile on the front of the saw is the big stack of new, uniform, glue-free, totally dry stickers, ready to go.

Btw, these are European olive (Olea europaea) at back left, Indian laurel fig, AKA Green Bay laurel, AKA Cuban laurel, AKA Chinese banyan (Ficus microcarpa "nitida") in the center, and a little log of Australian cheesewood, AKA Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum) in the front left. The stickers, of course, are kiln-dried Douglas fir, and maybe some ancient pine.



I watched for screws, and found 1, and staples, and found many in the ends where the price stickers were stapled in, and got all of them out as I went. Here are the crappy, hole-ridden or finger-jointed ends from a bunch on the band saw table, and on the floor behind it.



And here's all the new scrap I made cutting all the 2×2 scraps down to 1×1. As 2×2 in the US really means 1.5×1.5, and the saw kerf is about 1/16", these are all in the 7/16" thick range. Firewood, I'm guessing. Check out my right shoe, only a few hours before it got covered in Anchorseal. Oh, now I've made myself sad again.



This is what I've been wanting to see - my log racks filling up with stacked and stickered lumber. It's even less room than I'd hoped, unfortunately.



I can put about 6 of these setups in one section (of 4 shelves), on one shelf. That means roughly 24 logs per section, with 2 sections currently open, or 48 logs total. The bottom shelf is the tallest, probably good for the thicker logs, and they get smaller going up, so these won't fit on the next shelf up, nor the top one. Not a whole lot of room!



Of course, I won't slab everything. I'm going to be making pen, bottle stopper, dish, bowl, and other size turning blanks. I think I'm going to end up with some tall stacks out on the patio, though I'll need to set up to block the rain, and to guard against earthquakes with something to stabilize them from above. For now, I can slab nearly 50 logs, which is a good start.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


Gary,

Here in south central PA there are lots of sawers. Everyone I have visited uses 3/4" thick stickers for all of their air drying. Might save you a little room in your new drying shed.

Lew


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


Very interesting, Lew. That would also open up non-2-by material. I have an awful lot of 3/4" poplar lying around, and it's pretty bone dry, too.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


These stickers must be around the saw mills forever. I was at one place and they were just piled up- out in the open. Some of the stickers looked like they were many years old- all worn, ragged and weather aged. The sawers don't seem to be too concerned about them. I guess as long as they are all the same thickness and long enough to reach thru a layer of wood…


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## jlsmith5963 (Mar 26, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


From USDA Forest Service Pg 44
Sticker Size
For piling hardwoods, the stickers are usually made from 1-in. thick lumber, either rough or dressed to about 0.75 in., and from 1 to 2 in. wide, usually 1.25 in. wide. For piling softwoods, the 1-in. thick stickers are generally wider, as much as 4 in. Sticker length is determined by the width of the package or pile being constructed. ..... All stickers should be of uniform thickness to minimize warping. Miscut lumber from which stickers are being ripped should be surfaced on one or both sides prior to ripping in order to produce stickers of uniform thickness.


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## jlsmith5963 (Mar 26, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


also….
Gary are you concerned about warping? Typically the weight of the lumber in the stack acts to resist the tendency for the boards to warp/cup as they dry. I have also seen examples of homemade stacks (where the stack is small) use concrete blocks on top of the stack to resist warping. Given the size of the pieces you are drying I am not sure what the solution is but I believe warping could be a problem given the growth rings and the thinness of the planks in your photos


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, jlsmith. I am concerned about the warping, actually. Olive warps pretty badly, and checks terribly. I've not seen wood check as badly yet. 9" logs would open up with 3/4" splits in multiple places along the entire logs, and rounds from small logs in the 4" range would split and open sometimes a full inch, like Pac Man.

I've read extensively on the drying process, and have come across the idea of weight holding them flat, putting the heaviest timbers on top, the cinder block method, and even wrapping straps around the stickered areas to pull them down tightly, but there's not really any room in my racks for it. I've been thinking of making some kind of wedge system where I could put 2 more stickers on top, then wedge something in against the bottom of the next shelf up. I'm not sure at such short lengths it will make much difference, though.

One thing to know about what I'm doing is that I'm not a professional, nor making much at all for money. I'm very much a hobbyist, learning by discovery. I'm playing, really, and such, not looking at any particular slabs with future ideas in mind. I'm more a 'take things as they come' kinda guy, so if something warps, I'll cut it in half to get rid of most of the cupping, then plane each half down to flat, and just make a project with the smaller pieces instead. That's no excuse for shoddy processes, though, so I'll still keep thinking about it. I think I'm going to move to 3/4" stickers to give me more room - perhaps enough to stick some of those 2" thick rectangular pavers on top.

Edit: Another thing… I was actually planning to quarter saw some things soon, which should help avoid that, though the slabs will be much smaller.


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## Elaine (Jun 24, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


Gary, At the lumber yard I used to work at we used 1×2's When they broke we used them to keep warm, or sold them for tomato stakes. some woods will stain on others so you have to be careful with the stickers. The thing we had to be most careful about was to put the stickers at the same location and to ensure the ends were stickered as well. The process went something like this - lumber would come in and run through the green line which was then measured and graded, stickers between the layers, marked and out to the yard for a few weeks of drying. The bundles then went into the kilns, came out and went into the covered bays. When the order came in, the bundles were put on another machine, stickers taken off, regraded and banded tight.

There is a knot that you can use with string that can keep wood tight. It's like an emergency quick knot for horses, if you want to release you just pull one end. If you want it locked tight, you simply circle the shortest end around the half bow.

I also have a friend that uses long carriage bolts with oak on top and bottom. He tightens them down to keep his boards straight with stickers between layers. Rotates the boards every month or so.

I just had my cedar tree taken down three months ago, stickered with heavy boards on top and then the "junk" on top of that.


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## jlsmith5963 (Mar 26, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *kiln-dried Douglas fir stickers*
> 
> As a home hobbyist in a big city, not working as much in BF as in "oh look, a log!" I decided to keep things simple on myself and go with KD DF for stickering my slabs. I have a bunch of really old, really dry stuff, and in fact tried to build some finger-jointed frames for another project I'd like to post about someday, but dropping one only a foot to the ground caused all 4 corners to shatter. It's that dry. I figure that means it'll be fairly inert, though who knows what the moisture in the slabs will reactivate. Only one way to find out!
> 
> ...


Gary- I have picked up on the notion that this was all part of a (grand) 'experiment' on your part. I just thought I would raise the issue to make sure you had considered it. It would be painful to read a year from now how disappointed you were with all the boards that had turned into half cylinders. So, carry on my friend. Oh and before you go loading up that new truck again get a back support Back Support Belts will ya.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*

I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.



I knocked on the door and a nice lady answered, holding back her dog. We talked for a half hour, but she had an endless stream of concerns, all of which I tried to answer:

she: It's rotten, though. It fell over from a fungal infection.
me: That's only at the base, and even sections near that may only be spalted, and even prettier because of it.

she: But it won't be structurally sound.
me: Most of it will be, but I won't be using most or any of this wood in structural ways - more for carving and panel work.

she: You carve?
me: Well, not so much, but I turn things on my lathe, etc.

she: I can't cover the costs if you get hurt.
me: I won't expect you to. I'll be careful, and not hold you liable for anything. (I know, hearsay, but still true)

she: Well, what if any of it hits that car?
me: We can have the lady next door move it while I work.

she: Do you think it could hit the house?
me: No, it's too far away, and I'll trim all the small, long limbs with a pole saw first so it has no long reach.

she: Well, I'm afraid it will fall in the street.
me: Again, I'll trim all the small bits that overhang the street first, but if the long branch falls in the street, I'll just drag it back out - it's not too big.

she: What if it falls on a passing car.
me: (looks around at the road which has had no cars for the last 20 minutes) I'll only cut that limb when no cars are on the street.

she: I'm still just too concerned.

Argh! If it had been a grumpy old man more mad at the mess on his lawn than worried about everything else under the sun, I'd already have it all cleared out. Anyway, she did take my numbers, and told me she'd call the moment the city tree guys showed up so I could come ask for the pieces. They were supposed to come by, but I took a work break and drove by at 5:30 - still there. She was leaving for the day tomorrow, and wanted it gone before then, and said she'd call if they didn't show up by 5PM, but at 6:45PM, still no word.

This is a full tree with all kinds of play areas - burls, branches of every kind, a thick trunk (~18"), and even possible spalting (there are mushroom halves sticking out the sides at the bottom) - not close to anything that could get hurt, and literally one block from my house (one street over). I've been itching to try Jacaranda all year, but I may be blocked an overly concerned homeowner.

Wish me luck!


----------



## dustbunny (May 18, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Listen for chainsaws, then get yourself over there. Maybe you could sneak over there while she is at work?
Well, I hope you get some of this tree, looks like it may have some interesting grains towards the base.
Good Luck,

Lisa


----------



## tenhoeda (Jun 27, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Good luck. Looks like it might produce some nice pieces with some interesting grain.


----------



## Durnik150 (Apr 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Wow!! Good luck. It looks like that tree could yield quite a bit of good wood. That would keep you busy for a while.

If you do get the opportunity to take the wood, keep us up to date on what you find when you open it up.


----------



## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Yes Good Luck. This might be the time to invest in your tree cutting business cards.


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Good luck Gary. Hope you get the tree and your emails )


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


No luck so far. I stopped by Home Depot on the way home and picked up an $80 pole saw, figuring I could show her how I'd trim all the small stuff so it fell straight down, and wouldn't whip toward cars, or the street when I cut the bigger stuff. The tree was stil there, and she was outside watering her flowers. I had my chainsaw and bar and chain oil, hard hat and goggles, extension cord (for chainsaw), and coarse-cut carpenter's saw. She still didn't want to risk anything, mostly clinging to the fear of hitting cars passing on the street. She's going to stick a note on the tree for the tree people in case they come by tomorrow while I'm at work, asking them to call me. She'll be away for the day. I kind of doubt they'll bother. No one owes me anything. It's just frustrating to have every last thing align, save one person's concerns.

Hopefully I luckily run into the tree cutters on the way to work, on the way home or back to work at lunchtime, or on the way home at night. I have a feeling those are the times they won't be working, though. I might be losing this one, when it's oh so close.


----------



## jim1953 (Nov 18, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Nice fine


----------



## scrappy (Jan 3, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Good luck on this tree.

Hope you get it.

Scrappy


----------



## spanky46 (Feb 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Good luck pal! Stay after it!


----------



## BarryW (Sep 15, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


Found wood…the only way to make a mess.


----------



## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


If only she'd been as concerned about the sick tree - that looks as though it could have been nasty.


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Full, fallen Jacaranda mimosifolia tree - wish me luck!*
> 
> I take different routes on my daily commutes to see if any limbs or trees have come down. Today, taking a road I never take, I hit the jackpot - a full, large, old Jacaranda tree with fungus rot through its base fell over on its own this morning, on a windless, quake-free day, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
> 
> ...


im hoping by now ,
you are getting it done ,
she should be gone .
i guess she could still sue you for 
" breach of branch " or something .
but if it was gone …..........?


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*

In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.

This morning, after waiting a whole day for the street crew to come by as promised, she'd had enough. Her gardener told her "Just let that guy cut it. He knows what he's doing" That was kind, if wrong, of him. I'm very green with a chainsaw, but at least it's only a 16" electric with an anti-kickback chain, and I know a little something about gravity, and where things want to fall. I've also read everything I can find on proper use, stance, grip, and methodology of felling, bucking, pruning, and whatever else I could find, and watched dozens of YouTube videos of people using chainsaws, and talking about proper care, usage, and maintenace. That's no substitute for experience, but there's also no experience without just getting out there and taking some risk.

I'm happy to report that after a bit over an hour of trimming, I am uninjured, and I damaged nothing in the area. It is rather hard to tell sometimes what a limb will do, so I did get half a dozen binds, some that I had to fight pretty hard to unstick, but it's all part of experience. I also broke my new $80 limb saw. What a flimsy thing that was. I'm disappointed in Fiskars, and the thin plastic that gave out immediately on about the 4th cut. I'll need to return it tonight.

I wore a hard hat, safety goggles, and tight clothing that wouldn't fall into the saw, kept my eyes on where the cord was, keeping it untangled, with enough slack in case I had to move, and so limbs wouldn't catch it and pull the thing out of my hand. I also kept areas around me clear in case I needed to jump back, or do a dive roll to get out of the way of anything big, but all of my guesses turned out pretty well, and there were no crazy snapbacks, or rollovers. Everything fell basically where and how I wanted. The reading and video watching paid off. Still it's a bit nerve-wracking when you're new, and in someone else's lawn, right out by the road.

Here's what I left behind:



My truck was pretty full, but moreover, I needed to get to work, and coming off a powerful headache and low sleep last night, waking up earlier than usual, and not eating or drinking anything, I got a case of mild heat stroke by the end, and had to sit in the car and wait for the blood to return to my head. I thought I would vomit. I've had that a few times in my life when I've, say, jogged too hard in the hot sun after a long period of non-exercise. It's never fun. I still feel a little weak, but a quick shower before work, and slowly sipping on water all morning is restoring me to normal. Boy am I out of shape!

I couldn't cut through the big stuff with a 16" chainsaw, but I gave it the old college try. I'm considering renting a 2' gas-powered saw just for a few cuts, and will be properly nervous using it if I do so.



I did get a truck bed mostly full of some thick branches, though. They are really heavy for their size. This stuff must be incredibly wet:



After a quick shower, putting the saws away, I headed into work with what I'm calling an "arboreal flush." I'm still feeling pretty beat up here. This sinks it. I'm getting back in shape. I'm tired of being too old at 31 to do things like cutting up a tree and loading a truck once.



At lunch I'm going to drag these out onto my driveway, and head back over to saw up a bunch more of the less-than-3", greater-than-5" pieces in 6' lengths to throw into the back of the truck. I think these will be great for small turnings on the lathe.



Hopefully the tree guys don't show up and haul it all away while I'm at work today! If they do, no big deal. I did get quite a bit of free stuff to play with already.


----------



## Ottis (Apr 17, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


Great find…looks like you got some good wood there.


----------



## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


Nice haul


----------



## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


Nice job…and good attitude….better safe then sorry…

Looking forward to seeing the projects you make from this.


----------



## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


great Gary: I hope that someone comes and cut it up, but that you get the wood.


----------



## spanky46 (Feb 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


Persistence pays off!


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


And I thought you had just about run out of room!!! Nice haul, Gary. And you did get a good workout out of it.


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


Gary,

That tree crotch should yield some interesting pieces.

Lew


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


hang in there, you'll be a faller pretty soon ) !!


----------



## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


No wonder Camille was uncomfortable - you reminded her of "Toecutter" from "Mad Max"! (It's the eyes!)



Kidding! I don't have any projects going right now (other than building a ClearVue), so this is all I have!


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *O frabjous day! Free Jacaranda!*
> 
> In yesterday's dramatic episode, Camille - the homeowner who's Jacaranda mimosifolia street tree fell over due to fungal rot at the base - was very concerned about a whole host of things that might happen if she allowed me to cut up the tree and take a bunch with me. She was rather justified about some of it, perhaps much of it, but that didn't help eager me, of course.
> 
> ...


LOL! OMG. That is me. Well, I have Halloween this year sorted now. Thanks!


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*

In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:





With the truck empty, and saws loaded back in, I rushed back over to Camille's (nice that she's one street over). Here I post 2 pics from the previous entries on this tree just for comparison. Here's the tree as I found it:



Here's what I left behind after a bit more than an hour of cutting and loading things this morning:



And here's how I left it after another ~45 minutes of cutting and loading through my lunch break (though I snagged the pic later, on the way home after work):



Chamille was home, and extremely pleased when she came out to see what I'd done. I was glad to repay her a bit with a pretty clean lawn for kindly letting me use her electricity (behind the couch in the living room) for my saw, and for letting me onto her property for a couple of hours of cutting.

I snipped all the sub-2-inch branches with the chainsaw and threw them in a pile by the road, picking up everything but tiny twigs. This gave me great access to get to each branch as I progressed through the limbs, without tripping over piles. It was pleasant, easy work. I also cleared out her Agapanthus bed so she could assess the damage and get her flowers sorted out again. I felt like an urban lumberjack.



No way I was getting through the trunk. If I were a gambling man, I'd lay good money on that thing being over 1000lbs. Note where the caution tape is, and follow the branch stub across the ground to the right. I cut a chunk off the end of that that unrolled is probably 3.5' long, and it had to be 150lbs. It's less than half the diameter of the trunk, which is probably 12' long. That it tapers to a much narrower end matters little in my estimate. That thing would flatten a car.

And here's the second load, back home:



There's a big burl in the front there, by the driver-side cab glass, though Jacaranda being notably uniform and rather texture-free, it might not yield anything but a larger, pre-globular chunk ready to be turned into some uniform, boring bowls. If that's the case, I'm counting on some cool effects with layered dyes. Here's hoping.



I met another neighbor while unloading the second load, and moving it with the first load behind my tarped fence here:



I have a cat who visits me all the time. She's really pretty as cats go, and almost as friendly as a dog, always rushing over to see me, even when I'm throwing huge logs around, meowing loudly to announce her presence. She once sat directly under a log I was sawing, letting dust pile up on her head as I laughed, until I finally coaxed her out of harm's way. I have to strain not to drop anything on her, as she likes to attack the ends of logs I'm carrying, and sniff them as I lower their ends to the ground.

Today, she went behind the gate, and emerged limping badly for reasons unknown. There was nothing behind the gate, no logs fell on her, and a quick check showed no embedded objects. Still, she hopped about on just the front and back left legs, and cried in pain whenever she tried to put that back right foot down. I couldn't take much of it, so I picked her up for the first time, which she calmly allowed, and carried her in the direction whence she always appears. The neighbor there was indeed the owner, and apparently her name is Abby. He thanked me for bringing her home and said he'd get her to the vet. Relief! Hope she's okay. I love her visits.

So here's the larger wood pile, with a sweaty me for some scale:



And opposite that is the smaller log pile, great for smaller turnings:



This piece is deceptively heavy, and I'm putting it close to 150lbs. It was a major hassle to hoist it into the truck bed, and I have a rash of burst blood vessels on my right shoulder to prove it. Check out what it did to my makeshift dolly:



Jacaranda must be mostly water. I think it's time to give in and get a proper furniture dolly for this stuff. This got me by for free for a few months.

Oh, and no worries, I rushed back out in the fading light with my pail of Anchorseal, and a 4" paint brush, which I use exclusively for sealing now, and hit every cross section I could see, applying a thick layer. Many logs were already showing narrow checks around the piths, usually in 2 opposing directions. I don't want to lose more logs to severe checking like I did with some of those European olives.



After sealing these up, I went in and took my 4th shower of the day, and did a full load of dirt and sweat caked laundry 

Camille said she'd call me if she spotted the tree men working on the large trunk, and if I felt like it at the time, maybe I could swing by and see if they'd section up some of the large pieces and help me hoist them into my truck. Not sure I really need any of it now, except that it might be nice to work with larger bowl and vase pieces that have a much larger, more subtle concentric grain. Too, having these logs for proper bowl work would mean I could quarter them and still probably be larger than the capacity of my 12" Jet lathe.

We'll see… if I've healed up, and have any room left at home.


----------



## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*
> 
> In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:
> 
> ...


My God Gary, you make bees look lazy!
Congrats on the lady finally letting you in on the wood.


----------



## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*
> 
> In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:
> 
> ...


wood wood wood I can hear the chat even up here… There can never be enough wood! Go Gary Go


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*
> 
> In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:
> 
> ...


good lord , gary ,
you are going to have to open 
a mill soon !
or get a camper shell ,
for the truck to live in ?
your place is going to be 
a landmark in l.a. soon ,
like the watts towers ,
" lax , we just passed garys woodpile ,
need final approach clearance , over . "


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*
> 
> In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:
> 
> ...


Go for the trunk Gary!!


----------



## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*
> 
> In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:
> 
> ...


You are blessed to have that oppurtunity. Doing the hard work doesn't hurt any either. I got a kick out of your homebuilt hand truck. Nice.


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*
> 
> In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing in the excitement with me everyone!


----------



## oldwoodman (Feb 4, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Is there such a thing as *too much* Jacaranda? Let's find out...*
> 
> In part 2 of this saga, I got a call from Camille who's lawn was coated in freshly fallen, fungally rotten Jacaranda mimosifolia. Her call awoke me with a start this morning, and soon I was at her house, borrowing her electricity for my electric chainsaw, and cutting up what I could. One heat stroke, or heat exhaustion later, and I drove away with a truck full of limbs. I ran home for my second shower and change, then off to work, then ran home at lunch (nice living 1.5 miles away) to dump the logs on my driveway:
> 
> ...


Once again, sir, a most enjoyable post. I hope someone is chronicling this saga. This is worthy of inclusion in some woodworking magazine. Somebody notify the LA Times!!!!!


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*

I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:

































The chop saw in there gives a sense of the size of this pile. The deal was "no picking and choosing, just take it all and sort it later." Deal! On my lunch break I headed down there, in El Segundo near LAX. Very close by. One of his workers helped me load up the entire truck bed:





I just had to let the pile sit in the truck after lunch at the office. I worked to sort it out before sunset back at home after work. Here's what I sorted out…

*Smaller, mostly straight pieces of alder:*





*Pieces of alder with bark inclusions:*



I'll enjoy finding weird uses for them. I like the look.

*Thicker chunks of alder:*



*Wedge-like cutoffs of alder:*



*Longer pieces of alder, some with knots and/or bark inclusions:*





Side note: the vines behind the trash can above gave me a pleasant surprise recently.

*Irregular and glued-up pieces of alder:*



*All manner of higher-grades of plywood, some glued up thick and/or beveled:*



*Misc, including Douglas fir, red oak, and many small pieces of walnut:*



I think there was a lot more walnut there that I wish I'd gotten, but I could only fit half of the pile, and the walnut was in the other half. We could have fit probably all of it if we stacked it all in neatly, but we had no time, and had to just throw handfuls into the back, wasting a lot of room to airspace. I did get a chunk of walnut 2×4, which I've never seen before.

*Taller, thin pieces of alder, and some other woods:*



me for some scale:



Everything to the right of the tallest piece is alder. Much else is DF, plywood, or red oak. IIRC, the tall piece is 2 pieces of ply, one junk, one walnut ply, glued together.

Here's all the smaller stuff, larger stuff out of view to the left:



He had mentioned several times in the ad that it was "Superior Alder." I didn't know what that meant, but while looking up alder online, learning that it has an unusually high number of grades in the lumber industry, then looking those up, I stumbled upon Cascade Hardwoods, whose logo matched the "ascade" I saw stamped partly across one of my pieces earlier. Now I knew where they were from, and I really like their site. They have a few other species, like birch, and IIRC maple, but clearly are known for their alder, which is even the title (in the titlebar) of their page when you visit. It just says "Alder" up there.

They have the greatest catalog I've yet seen that diagrams (with drawings) their drying techniques, and moreover, every grade of alder, the symbols they draw on the planks that indicate these grades (over 30 of them), and 5 pictures of full boards, front and back, per grade, in good detail, to show you exactly what you're getting, as well as full details about each grade (percentages clear and whatnot), and standard uses for each grade. So helpful! Download it for free in PDF form in high or low quality at their site. It's over 50 pages long, all of which are surprisingly interesting to flip through. The whole site is fun to explore, and much of the catalog info is there in the left sidebar. Oh, and "Superior" is just one of their grades (actually several with subtypes therein).

I learned a little Spanish sorting this stuff:



As night fell, I found a home for all the plywood on this shelf of my log drying racks:



And for all the smaller bits of alder on the bottom shelf, 2 down from there:



The shelves are nearly full, though with all the turning lately, I'm starting to chip slowly into this pile:



I've thought up lots of uses, but it'll be awhile before I can get to those projects. In the meantime, it was great to experience alder itself. I haven't worked any yet, but it was all covered pretty thickly in alder wood dust, which has such a nostalgic smell. I remember toys in my preschool and kindergarten smelling just like this, as well as things like children's painting easels and paint storage boxes and toy chests. Clearly there was a lot of stuff made from alder back in the day.

Here are the shelves (bottom, and 2 up from that) by the light of day:







I was going to go back for the other half, but I guess he'd already promised a shot to some other folks, and they cleaned the place out before I could return. When I called, he offered me some really beefy work tables (multiple laminated ply on sturdy 2x frames) instead, which I sadly had no room for. The taller stuff I fit in my wood shed, which one of these days I'll get around to documenting as well.

Superior alder is quite light, but pretty strong in feel, like a very high-grade pine (e.g. radiata pine). It has a smooth, pretty look to it, and a pleasing grain. I'll be happy to see it in some projects with some finish on it. I think I'm going to have to plan a few projects that make use of glued-up panels to combine a bunch of these pieces into larger ones to thin things down and regain some shelf space. What's nice is that if I manage to make anything saleable, it'll be 100% profit (minus my time, of course). If I could get a deal going with that guy to let me haul away his scraps a few times a year, maybe kicking him back a little for the opportunity, I could have a nearly 100% profit business model  Oh, if only I were so ambitious.

Okay, I'm done gloating for now


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## PKP (Dec 18, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


cool lumber storage, I love scraps.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


Great Score, Gary!!

Those kind of "scraps" come handy for sooooo many projects and jigs.

Lew


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


alder , the poor mans cherry .
good score gary .
it's good to see that someone in l.a. ,
can do something besides water and mow the lawn !
keep it up , and play safe .


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


great find… reminds me of my own fine of shorts… had to go back and forth 2 times to fit it all in, but is sure does give lots of good lumber for projects.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


great gloat.


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## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


Alder is easy to work. It also will accept stains so that it will fit in well with many more exotic woods.

Interesting you found the wood was from Cascade Hdwds. I am originally from the same community and my father was a part owner in another hardwood mill just 4 miles away.


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## RBWoodworker (Mar 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


Geez Gary… you can make tons of faceframes for cabinets out of all that wood.. Looking forward to seeing what cool creations you come up with..


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## Pete_Jud (Feb 15, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


I love to work with western red alder. The local mill will call me up when they are grading 5/4 or 6/4. They give me the mill ends that are up to 24 inches wide and 2-4 feet long. All that I can fit in my truck. It stains to almost any other wood. Nice find.


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## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


Do you realize that there's a show about people like you called "help i'm a hoarder".... What are you going to do with so many small scrap pieces?


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


patron - "the poor man's cherry" - ha! I like that. My landlady pays for a gardener, so watering and mowing the lawn are two things I never do!

PurpLev - what kind of shorts did you get in your haul? Alder?

Rustfever - I had heard about stainability. I haven't done much with stains, as I always have terrible results. Maybe I'll have to give it a try now that I have a wood that sounds designed for it. Cool that your dad was close by. Were they rivals?

Pete - those sound like huge pieces to me! Very cool! I don't know of any sawmills close by, except for socalwood's place, which I believe is still some hours away.

Julian - I plan to protect and care for it  I watched that show once, and did find many similarities, like how they cruise around looking in people's trash bins. I cruise around looking in green waste bins. I don't think I fully fit the profile, though. I have a bunch set aside - junkier stuff - that will be burned at my friends' outdoor parties soon. I'm trying to unload some of it on a friend who does some hobby woodworking. Also, I've actually passed up dozens of opportunities for free logs and wood very close by, if it wasn't good enough stuff, or if I just didn't feel like it. After the last 2 pallets I picked up (making 3 total now), I've sworn off of them. Not enough ROI on the work required to get them, saw them up, and work around the nails, and most of the pallets here are just too junky. I'm actually being somewhat selective in all this stuff. One thing I do, though, is scout out things no one - or few - ever use, like Jacaranda, Ficus, Paperbark, and Bottlebrush. I've learned a lot playing this way, like how different woods you never see or use, and which are rarely if ever for sale smell, feel, work, etc. I love that learning. Finally, I've been out to my piles recently on an almost daily basis to turn things in the lathe. I'm 'whittling' down my reserves slowly but surely. The true hoarders never use any of their stuff. They just collect.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


Good find Gary


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## palaswood (Aug 9, 2013)

gfixler said:


> *wood gloat: superior grade alder scraps*
> 
> I can't believe it's been just over 3 weeks already since I picked this stuff up. This year is cruising past me. I saw an ad one morning - only a few minutes old - for a very large pile of scrap wood, mostly superior-grade alder, but with a mix of some other things in there, like plywood, and walnut. I wrestled internally for a bit. Do I really need more wood? The answer, it turned out, was yes. I wrote, mentioned I was a budding woodworker, and would love to find uses for all of it, and he gave me preference over some folks who just wanted to burn it all. He does interior work and signage, and felt a kindred spirit, I suppose. Here's what he posted on craigslist:
> 
> ...


I'm blown away by your lumber rack setup. Its Bada$$!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Inside Jacaranda*

I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.

The piece is the large one front and center on top of the pile seen here (and blogged about here):



Here's me sawing it up on my little knocked-together bucking stand. This wood is extremely wet - nearly dripping - and that made it bite into the saw. I had to slather some Anchorseal, which is a paraffin wax-based sealer onto the blade on both sides to help ease the strokes. It seemed to color the wet wood inside purple until it would be all rubbed off by the middle of the log. You can see it in the cross sections as they fall away. The video cuts out a bit short as my camera battery died.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

The ends of the original log were a bit angled and jagged from the chainsaw, so I cut those off into smaller rounds to true-up the main log's ends. I'm hoping to make some end-grain bowls out them, leaving the bark on. I'm curious to see how that works with the one that's folded in on itself. These are already painted up with Anchorseal. I went over them with a second coat later on both sides:



You can see where I started the cut here - it's the purplish side. The Anchorseal (wax) I rubbed on the blade to ease the cuts rubbed the grain inside, turning it purple, until it was all rubbed off by about 1/3rd of the way in.



I stood the logs on end on the band saw and manually fed them through, following by eye a straight-edge line I drew on top of each. I got one good blank, and one with an interesting folded-in section that might be pretty when turned. Anyone have a name for pulled in and grown-around sections of bark like this? I feel I've seen a name somewhere before. Subsumed bark? Subducted inclusions? This log has been resawn in half:



And here's the inside of that log. Most of these were between 8" and 9" in diameter:



The middle seemed a little bit rotten, but not punky. I think that may translate to some interesting patterns in the eventual turning:



Note the fuzzies all over the top middle of this log. This is a very fuzzy wood. My band saw's 4" dust port screen was clogged by the end of this with a tangle of what felt like silk fibers. The 2TPI teeth on my blade shaved long, strong strings that were very limp, like thread:





Some different lighting - note the shine in the bottom left corner. This wood has a silky sheen to it:



I've begun to entirely Anchorseal everything I cut. I'm quite fed up with things checking on me:



There's some nice figure swirling about in this log half:



Again, note the sheen:



All kinds of stuff happening in and on the other half of that log:



And here they are, all sealed up and sitting on my wood storage/drying racks the same night:



These were cut up a week and a half ago. I've made some things out of these since, and I'll have those up soon.


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## Innovator (Jan 20, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


Nice photo-blog. I also like the drying rack you have.

Do you normally cut up logs to half and let them sit and if so have you had any problems with cracking or are they sitting for a very short time like this?


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


That stuff is really pretty. The battery on my handsaw would have worn out long before yours did.


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## CalUrbanLumber (Mar 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


You're right it is pretty on the inside. Can't wait to see the pieces you made from it. I like the pictures with each step too. Great blog, thanks for sharing.


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## cypresswoodworker (Mar 28, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


Gary you are an animal on the hand saw…Would have taken me three batteries and alot of editting. Nice blog


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


Innovator - Thanks. Normally I leave them whole. This Jacaranda has proven - especially with sealing - to be fairly resistant to checking. Too, I really just wanted to see my pile of logs diminish at least noticeably, and yes, I will be trying to get to these to turn them all ASAP. I've already used 2 or 3 of them, but I need to jump on the rest soon. I also need to track down a grease pencil so I can write on the wet tenons to mark when I turned them, as I'm starting to lose track with all the tests and roughs laying around my shop and house.

Gary and cypress - Yeah, the hand saw stuff can be pretty tiring. I've been doing it a lot these past few months, however, and I've finally rounded a corner. I manually resawed one huge Eucalyptus log - just one cut to split it in half - for an hour and 15 minutes one day, and finished the cut for another half hour the following day! I don't know where the energy was coming from. My arm should have burned out long before, but I guess I'm starting to get that lumberjack arm. My hand didn't feel to great by the end, though.

California - Pics of some turnings coming soon! Thank you.


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


Nice blog and workshop set up. Your drying rack is quite impressive. The pieces of wood look like slabs of meat ready for sale! Where did you get the Jacaranda? I've seen them growing in S. Africa but they are not indigenous to the area so they are allowing them to die off and not replanting them. They have a beautiful show of deep purple flowers in Sept/October there.

How hard is this wood to work with? Is it as hard as maple, oak or elm?

That swirled piece sure is a tease. When are you going to hand out samples during this presentation? Where's the coffee and donuts? ~


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## Broda (Oct 7, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


Gary, all that handsawing is making me tired even watching it, I know a woodworker that lives near me who has made a bandsaw jig that stops the log rolling about while you cutting them to lenght. It's just a big "V" attached to a thin lenght of wood that sits in the mitre slot of the table.
I can get you some pictures of it if you like; it would save alot of effort


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


mmh - Jacaranda is all over Los Angeles. The street I work on has more than 20. It's the only street tree on that double-length block. My neighborhood must have another 30 of them, and these aren't the areas particularly known for them. They're all pretty full-grown. You can see how big that is here, 3rd and 4th pics. That's the tree 1 block over from me that fell over. The lady who lived there let me cut it up and take what I could. I have probably a few hundred pics of the Jacarandas on my office's street in various states, from completely bare to fully covered in purple flowers. I'm going to post them (well, some of them, with a link to the rest) one of these days as part of my tree ID series here at LJs. The wood is nowhere near as hard as maple or oak. It's more like basswood, and is well-known for its use in carving. I just turned my first piece of red oak recently, and it felt like I could barely get my bowl gouge into its face. The Jacaranda on the other hand comes off in 1/4" thick layers with ease. It's a joy to turn. Oak was a big pain, and really hard to make smooth lines in. As for the blooms, they start appearing I'd say around April here, and by mid-May, the trees are entirely purple. This lasts until about July, and looks amazing. It's now mid-August, and most of the petals have fallen, but you can still see little wisps of purple in certain trees here and there. I believe they lose all of their leaves in the winter months, which is why I didn't know what they were all along my office street all through late last year and into early spring this year. Then the leaves started appearing, then seed pods, then in mid-late April they finally bloomed, and I said "Oh, Jacaranda."  Until that point, the really defining feature of them to me was how at each branching of the limbs, each time they get tinier, they get markedly smoother. The trunk is rough, the first branches much less so, then the branches off of those are smooth, but with the texture of the rougher limbs, and the tinier branches on those branches are completely smooth. Many trees do this to some extent, but it's really defined on the Jacarandas. The thing I'm noticing more recently about them is how they send out very long, very straight branches at nearly 90° from the limb they come from, and often up and at an angle. I've seen some that are probably 1" thick, but 6' long, sticking off of other, very twisty branches, which makes quite a neat geometric pattern of squiggles and straight lines to the trees.

Brody - Believe it or not, I actually crave using the hand saws. It's one of my favorite things. I look for opportunities to hand-saw through some logs whenever I get the chance. I feel really alive bucking large logs. The cuts I did in the time-lapse posted here were the light ones. You should have seen when I resawed a 12" thick Eucalyptus log that was about 20" long. Right down the middle. It took me 1hr-15min one night after work, and then I finished up over the course of a half hour the next morning (Saturday). One cut! That was one heck of a workout. I sawed continuously through all of that. I don't know where the energy was coming from, but it's gotten to the point now that I can kinda just keep on sawing for long periods of time. It's fun!


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you've found a productive way to get your cardiovascular excercise routine in your schedule! It's much more fun to work and sweat when there's an end product for your efforts, as opposed to just lifting weights repeatedly.

FYI I asked my wood scientist friend about your inquiry: "Anyone have a name for pulled in and grown-around sections of bark like this? I feel I've seen a name somewhere before. Subsumed bark? Subducted inclusions? "

"The bark is called "bark inclusions", or "included bark". Trees can not really "heal themselves" as animals can, so they grow over wounded areas, (or where two stems/limbs touch). "


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


You have a wood scientist friend!? How lucky are you? It's not R. Bruce Hoadley, is it?

Thanks for the info!


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


My wood scientist friend is Scotty Dryes. I made Cane #036 for him: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/10704 .

Are you a member of the International Wood Collectors Society? You may be interested in their journal that they publish for members "World of Wood" and they also have meetings to meet other wood collectors/woodworkers, etc. and trade/swap wood with. Check them out at www.woodcollectors.org .


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


some more great pictures Gary


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Inside Jacaranda*
> 
> I've done some smaller things in Jacaranda lately, but what does the larger stuff look like inside? I wanted to do some larger bowl work and other things, so I went to one my larger limbs and cut it into some pieces. They're simple, but pretty inside, so I thought I'd share. It's not very common a wood for most woodworkers, I think.
> 
> ...


mmh - I'm not a member, but the IWCS has still managed to get their hooks into me. I had been researching trees and wood for a bit, and stumbled into the IWCS's page on collecting it, and I even had the nerve to laugh at the concept. "Collect wood?" I hadn't even considered it, despite having collected everything from stamps to bottles in my time. A week later, I was warming to the idea, and then I was using the IWCS page to learn more about it, and soon I'd found Woodworker's Source (and a few since), and was ordering up my sample box  Talk about the power of suggestion. I'm still planning at some point to buy the samples they sell, possibly trade with folks in the group, and I have a lot more samples from WS I want to get (i.e. eventually all of the ones I don't have).


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*

This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.

I've probably heard every trick now to keeping wood from splitting - freezing, microwaving, alcohol dipping, Anchorseal, storing in a bag of shavings after turning, filling cracks with coffee grounds or wood dust and thin CA glue - I've tried many of them, and simply nothing keeps olive from cracking all throughout if it wants to, and too much of it wants to. The trimmers also threw every log over an ~8' tall iron fence onto a hard sidewalk when giving it to me - there was no other way to get it over the fence - so that may have also introduced micro-fractures all through the wood. I simply don't know. I just know this stuff splits like a shattered window. Oh, and I even tried cutting a round from a ~6" log and surrounding it with a band clamp tightened as hard as it would go. It bulged into a dome and still split open like Pac Man overnight 

Anyway… I got a bunch of smaller stuff in the bottle stopper blank range out of this log, but one larger, check-free length was just gorgeous. I thought I'd finally get around to sharing some pics:









I guess there is a tiny check here, but it's superficial:














You can see the rest of the less interesting blanks in this previous entry, or dominating the middle shelf here:



It'll probably be quite awhile before I figure out exactly what I want to turn out of it, and until then it'll be air drying through its Anchorseal up on the shelf, as it has been most of the past month.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


Were most of the trimmings branches?


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


This is a gorgeous piece of wood, Gary.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


one of my fav. and the smell it makes when cut/turned is incredible.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


Topamax - Probably. I had forgotten about that. I know branch wood not only grows under stresses that cause it to warp and crack later, but is actually chemically different from top to bottom. Good catch! The trunk was pretty massive - around 3' in diameter. I wanted it, but didn't know it was olive at the time, and I was driving a hatchback, too  I've since seen dozens of olives around the streets and neighborhoods of LA, so I'm always on the lookout for any trimmers, or damaged trees. This is far too beautiful a wood to chip or mulch. I'll know better how to take care of it this time, too. I'll Anchorseal it *immediately* upon getting home, maybe even on the drive home!

Sharon - I love the smell, too! It reminds me of pears, but a little spicy. Maybe a kind of warm, cinnamon-y applesauce. However, I'm apparently quite allergic to it. It makes my lungs swell up. I feel like someone's sitting on my chest and I have to lay down and breathe slowly through it for an hour or two until the tightness and labored wheezing subsides. The first time it happened was the worst, and I thought I'd have to get to a hospital. It was that bad. Definitely need to control the dust when I work with it, especially when sanding! This the only wood I've ever reacted to, and boy did I react. It's a shame, because it sure does smell nice


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


Beautiful piece of wood, Gary.

Made some pens from olive wood recently and the aroma is fantastic. I did not realize that this was a wood to which some folks have an allergic reaction. Luckily, I guess I'm not one of them!

Lew


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


Very nice wood.
Never have chance to see sawn olive wood, seen the tree once in Jordan.

I like to share this pic of olive tree I saved from a FWN KNOT member who lives in Israel.
http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee343/Masrol/Health%20Care/OlivetreefromRing.jpg


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


woodworn, that tree looks like me, short and stocky 

Lew, I think just about anything can cause allergic reactions in some people. My mother is an RN. she says they even change over time. You might get over one and get another. You get more susceptible as you age. When I was overdosed on Topamax, I became very reactive to most strong fragrances. I could not walk down the soap aisle in the grocery store or pass someone with strong perfume on without going off.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


woodworm - Yep! That's definitely a Euro olive. Big one, too. I don't often see such a big base to the olives around where I live, but they still have that distinctively gnarled appearance. There's a kind of powdery drab green to the leaves that also makes them an immediate ID, even at a distance for me now. One neat feature, which I found while still trying to ID the logs I picked up a year ago was that everything in the branches is opposite (as opposed to alternate) and rotates 90° from the previous node. Also, the stems of the smallest, leaf-carrying bits are square, so the leaves sprout oppositely from 2 faces, then switch which two faces, then switch back. Here's an example. Resting on my finger is a leaf, with one opposite it on the square stem. Climb the stem toward its tip and there's a pair of opposite leaves on the other faces, 90° to the first set. Climb higher and there's another opposite pairing on the original two faces. All of the stems do this up their entire lengths. The little flower buds do this, too. Note that it's a tiny square stem with stems coming off opposite sides, then turning 90° for the next opposite pair, then again. There's a single terminating bud to each, but even 2 of the buds are opposite in those with 3. The larger, woody branches are also alternatingly opposite. It finally falls apart at the highest levels and looks more wild and less structured from a distance.

Topamax - Yeah, allergies are rough, but I've moved on from some. I was allergic to some fruits (and mildly to all of them) when I was younger, but that's faded considerably. I was also incredibly allergic to ragweed pollen for all of my childhood, until about college. Now I seem unaffected by it. It was so bad that the allergist said he couldn't give me anything, and that mine were the strongest allergies to the stuff he'd seen in his career. I was a mess all through school in the spring and summer months. I'd go through a family-size box of tissues in a day, and each would be completely soaked. My eyes would also swell entirely shut so I could either see through tiny, blurry slits, or not at all. As for wood, many are known sensitizers, which means that the more you work with them, the more allergic you get. I've heard of woodworkers who simply can't go near woods they used to use anymore, because they've built up too much of a reaction to them.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


Makes my migraines sound pleasant ;-)) Sorry you had such a bad time. I have never heard of anyone having it that bad and nothing working to help them.


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *just showing off a pretty piece of olive wood*
> 
> This is from the olive haul I got almost a year ago for free from some tree trimmers. Early this month, in the mood for some more resawing, I cut up another of the logs into blanks around the insane amount of checking.
> 
> ...


Gary, thank you for more links to the images of "olive tree". During my short visit to Jordan last time, I did not have chance to see the tree with either flower or fruit. 
I was amazed with the remains of huge grinder bed made of granite stone. Is was once used for producing olive oil. According to the tour bus driver, the top part (the moving part also made of granite - no longer there) could olny be turned/rotated by the power of one camel.

Topamax,

*"woodworn, that tree looks like me, short and stocky " *LOL …you really made me chuckling….

Thanks everyone for sharing.

Thanks again for sharing.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*



Cora's, a local Mexican restaurant went out of business recently. On my way back from the bearing shop with the new bits for my planer this past week I noticed a crew tearing the insides out. I stopped in and asked if I could look through their scrap pile for free wood, and as happens pretty much always here in west LA, they looked at me, shrugged their shoulders, and said "sure."



There's wasn't much, and nothing great, but the wood looked old, and I thought it would be charming to build something out of wood salvaged from a local eating establishment that predated my move here:



I managed a small pile. The thin boards under the pile filling the bottom of the left half of the truck are from a cut-up pallet I got from the bearing place:



Some of it was too dry rotten, but most of it was solid and should be great utility wood for me. I have a rather specialized sawing rig I want to build that this should come in very handy for (outdoor thing - I'd rather use old wood than clean, new stuff):



I liked this brand on the end of an old 2×4:



While pulling out onto the side street from there, I noticed the place next door was moving crates of things around. It looked like it was another restaurant receiving a delivery of things like ovens and dishwashers. All the wood was bright, clean-looking pine. It could come in very handy, especially free, even though pine is pretty cheap. I crossed the side street and rolled slowly past the crews of movers and construction guys, sizing up the score, feeling a bit like HBO's Dexter trailing his next victim 

In the wee small hours of the next morning, up really early for some reason (5AM), I headed over to see if they'd piled it up in the trash. They'd broken up and piled most of it near the trash, and the rest was scattered around. I cleaned up their mess for them:





I set to work the next day with pliers and screwdriver, pulling the 2" staples that were scattered rather liberally through almost all of it at the ends and middle marks. Here's a finished pile (the 2×4s were clean, had 1 natural edge corner each, and were new and heavy):



And here's the pile of staples:



Because I'm mental, I piled them in groups of 10 - about 140 of them 



I know I'm mental, because an hour of laboriously pulling staples was really enjoyable for me. Maybe I've spent too many years sitting in the dark at computers, but I just love being outside on nice days, seeing and hearing neighbors pass by, and working hard with my hands. It's so relaxing.

I stacked the rest, and will go back another day to pull more staples and get these ready for use:



I'll probably end up cutting the destapled sections out anyway, but maybe not. I might end up jointing and planing the boards and gluing them up into thicker blocks, and the stapled sections can remain in that case.

Speaking of, I sorted out a bunch of the planks the bearing guys gave me from cut up palettes, all about 14"-16" in length, and a mix of 1×4 through 1×6 from about 1/2" to 3/4". I found a bunch of red and white oak, and something that sort of seemed like an oak, but was just a little off. I jointed them and used the newly repaired planer to get them parallel, then glued them into a block, jointed and planed that down, and circular sawed the ends off, then cleaned up a little saw burn on the ends with the belt sander. This is the result:



It's a perfectly squared-up chunk now, nice and heavy. The 4 lighter bands are the ones I'm not sure are oak or not:



I didn't have a reason to do this. I wanted to do something with the planer, and I love big composite blocks:



Any thoughts? It's almost 13.75" long, and slightly less than 3"x4" wide and deep:





The little crack in the middle of the end grain on this side is where I poured in some thin CA glue that leaked all the way out the other side, which I posted about earlier today:



If I can't think of anything to do with it, I can always stick it in my new wood cutoff racks and wait for inspiration:


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Stick it on the lathe, see what happens ;-))


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## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You have discovered that the true joy is working the wood if for no other reason than to have done so!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Topamax - I'm thinking about it. Oak is a tough one to fight on the lathe, but it might be pretty as something like a lamp base.

Dave - totally! I've been known to just run my little Buck Bros. 3" block plane over and over along a board edge, just enjoying passing the time that way. I'm really keen on smells. I love wood smells, and have always been into scents in general. The red oak is pungent, and acrid, a bit reminiscent of ammonia to me. The lighter pieces had a sweet smell. It was sort of along the lines of oak, red and white (though they're quite distinct from each other), but much sweeter. I couldn't get a beat on it, so I can't describe it, but when I planed the whole block together, the mix of scents was really nice. It mellowed the red oak out and I just kept wanting to smell it.


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## Ecocandle (Jan 2, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great story. I enjoyed it. I am going to get a small truck soon, so I can salvage stuff, should I happen upon something similar. I would enjoy sitting and pulling out staples and nails too.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You're whole life will change, Brian. You'll start seeing salvageable materials everywhere! Hope you have the room for it!

Btw, your blog is great! I really like your writing style.


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## PG_Zac (Feb 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Uh Oh - Gary is collecting again  but this time it isn't logs

You have to be running out of storage space. At least now you have planks to make more lumber shelves.

Good score.

*Edit* Can you imagine having to carry this lot in your old hatchback?


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


rebuilding Los Angeles ,

one board at a time !

a lofty goal .


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## Eagle1 (Jan 4, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm with Topamax


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Zac - even if I could imagine it, my old hatchback probably couldn't. I really abused that poor thing. As for collecting, I've made some new storage shelves that got little crap up out of my way, and I've turned a number of things, which converts a lot of the wood to shavings… and… um… okay, you're right. I'm getting low on space 

David - I like your thinking once again! I'm building my own Cora's in the back yard.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My kind of story Gary. I enjoy making things out of "nothing" or the pieces that people leave out for trash also. I don't have a mill but I have spent some time splitting logs down, planing a flat face, then resawing for craft wood. Friends and family think I am a little nuts but there is something that comes from building a small project out of just a chuck of wood what was laying around. My wife's neighbors already think I am homeless because I will eye any wood that is thrown in the dumpster over there. I found more than a few 2×6 and 2×8 boards just sitting in the trash. One time I pulled an oak table out of there, took the table apart, and scraped, sanded, and planed the boards down.

And you are right, the work is soothing. Preparing stock is woodwork without the measuring, intensely careful planning, and diagrams. You can just work the board, reconnect to the passion, in almost a zen like "no mind" way.

As far as the block of wood goes. You can always make a bat with it and stand menacingly over the morning glories and dare them to grow… 

Good haul and thank you for sharing,

David


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hey Gary, a very enjoyable story.

Just about the opposite happened here yesterday. I now live in the suburbs and we just had Dumpster Day! The community got together and ordered 6 full size dumpsters that they placed in a common parking lot for anyone to fill. I think it took about 7 hours. And you were not allowed to throw in construction or yard trash. Just old stuff. Kinda sad. They repeat this in all the communities every spring and every fall.

Steve


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## lwoodt (Dec 22, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


free wood is fun wood.


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the story. I am gonna start looking around this spring and summer. Pretty difficult in the winter here, but then again there isn't much construction going on in the winter. Stories like this open your mind to different things…......


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## clieb91 (Aug 17, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As always Gary a great story and a really good score. I have a pallet that I need to break down, nice red oak and it was just being thrown away. 
I can agree with the breakdown process being enjoyable and something to really get lost in. As to the block of wood, I forget f you have a bandsaw but if so a bandsaw box would be a good thing to try with that.

CtL


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## RichClark (Jan 3, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Gary… but it into thirds and edge glue it up… clean it up with a plane and you have a nice 12×13'ish OAK cutting board. Oil it and your done.


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## whitedog (Dec 7, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Make a base for it and it would make a nice lamp. I'm also addicted to reclaimed wood.


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## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Cora's Mexican restaurant wood*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Gary;
Great Story! I fell a kindred spirit as I have loads of wood at home but still feel drawn to the curbside freebie. 
Your laminated blocks would make great bandsaw boxes.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*more restaurant remodeling wood*

Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):



There's some nicer grade 3/4" birch ply about 7' long and more than a foot wide - handy for jigs and secondary structures. There was a plank of 1×10 pine about 8' long and clean. There was a good, long 2×4, and a few bits of molding and smaller pine, all long lengths.

There was a mix of smaller boards piled up at the trash that looked to be full 4/4 pine and maybe some alder:







But the real find were these, and they were actually IN the dumpster, with a bunch of gritty construction trash on top of them. I just barely caught a peek of some end grain sticking out. My eyes are really trained to lock onto that stuff now. The world looks gray, save for bright, colorful spots wherever there's wood grain 



These look to be something like ipe decking boards, clean, solid, dense, and very heavy. They have rounded edges - all 4 - but none of the stuff normal flooring and some decking can have, like the grooves running the length. These will be fantastic sources of good, dark hardwood. Very pretty, all between about 28-32 inches:





Here's the beveled end grain from some of the flat boards - they were all beveled on both sides:





This one's a 2×2 (1.5×1.5), about 3' long:



I had another big find this morning that I'll post about soon. I'm rather excited about it.


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## Broda (Oct 7, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


no idea on the wood but good find though!


----------



## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


The boards look like Merbau or Kwila… comes from the south Pacific and New Guninea and Indonesia… used a lot for decking. Very dense and resistant to rotting.


----------



## Dyidawg (Feb 24, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


I got to start hunting out these places. I'm in Ventura County


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


nothing is better than FREE-BEE
niice score
congrat´s

Dennis


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Larry - You got me curious, as I don't know much about these really dense, darker hardwoods from exotic locales. As usual, Hobbit House had some good info. It looks like kwila/merbau (apparently names for the same thing) is a bit more chocolaty in color with much larger pores and a pretty open grain. Some of the open grain reminds me of oak, while at other times it looks a lot like the odd slits you see in surfaced wenge. Here's a link. It does have that tropical hardwood look, though, kind of like bamboo. I always like that. The long grain surfaces actually look a lot like Mangaris to me, which is a trade name sold locally here for a tree known as red balau. Actually, I stumbled upon some sad info too, about how kwila is all but depleted, and is actually in danger of going extinct.

I typed ipe in my post without really knowing much about it. I've seen a few decks made of it in photos online, but I've never seen any in real life before, nor looked for detailed grain pics online. Here's a link to ipe over at Hobbit's. It's a bit closer to what I found, and some of the boards look awfully similar, but I'm still not convinced that's it, either. I had a look through a few related woods (according to Google), like jarrah and cumaru, but those were well off the mark. I would love to package up about a dozen samples of things I've tried to ID here and send them off to one of those labs that IDs woods for historians and lawyers.


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Nice Score!

By the looks of some of those boards, Gary, you may want to invest in a metal detector before planning them- after all that hard work you did with the bearings!

Lew


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Lew - I've actually had one of these for about a year or so now. I used it on the pallet pieces that I turned into that recent cutting board. I'll definitely be running it all around these things before I cut anything. I did a pretty good job tracking down everything visually, but there's always that rogue one just waiting to ruin the day.


----------



## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


gary,
I say ipe too. I got a small piece from my lumber retailer and it looks identical, especially the closeup shots. be careful when cutting. It has some pretty nasty dust. it also seems to splinter a bit so watch out if you drive screws or when chipout is a possibility. It will also dull non-carbide tips VERY fast.


----------



## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Nice Score

Free is always the way to go !


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


nice score once again gary ,

you might want to start looking for some place* BIG* ,
like paramount studios (LOL) !
to store all your finds .


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


I have the same detector. Really like it.

Don't do what I did. Checked all the surfaces and edges but forgot the end. There was a staple there holding the UPC sticker in place. Put a nick in a brand new set of jointer blades. Crap!!-or a similar word!!!


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Thanks, Hokie - sounds like a mixed blessing of a wood!

david - you know, I bet I could sneak in and find a very dusty storage area that clearly no one has been in for years. Might be a perfect drying locale 

lew - I feel your pain. Precisely the same thing happened to me, only I hadn't used the wand. I just looked all around a nice, clean piece of poplar from Home Depot, jointed it, then realized the UPC sticker on the end was held in by part of a staple. All of my cuts after that had a ridge down the middle. It's amazing, but that one staple-thick line really messes up the jointer's ability to flatten a board properly. It was near the end, so I could adjust the back guard forward to cover it, but those blades have been on there for a year since then. I'm afraid to bother changing them! It's brought me down from 6" capability to probably 4.5"-5"


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Hokie - I did some research, as it's looking like it might be ipe after all. What a pain in the neck wood it is! I thought it would make a really watertight end grain cutting board, but because it tends to be impregnated with silica particles, it dulls knives really fast. Too, end grain boards are tons of glue joints, and even with Titebond III the joints are terrible. Someone did tests between TIII and Gorilla Glue, the latter of which is supposed to be the better choice for the oily hardwood, and he said the joint was actually weaker with the GG. Other's said wipe it down with acetone to pull away the oils. Another guy said he's tried that, and the joints were again made weaker.

It dulls tools really fast, because of the silica. It's like taking fine-grit sandpaper to your nice, sharp edges. Everyone says the dust is toxic, too. From what I know, breathing in a cloud of silica particles = silicosis = no thanks! Also, you have to predrill any screw fasteners, or you split the wood. Seems like what it has going for it is beauty and extreme resistance to bugs and rot. That's about it. It's a perfect decking material, but not great for much else I can imagine.

I'll have to think long and hard about exactly what I'll be able to do with this. Definitely don't want to glue it up and turn it on the lathe. Not with weak glue joints, toxic dust, and my expensive lathe tools being worn down rapidly. I might use it as the deck for a sawing platform I want to build. One of my concerns for that has been rain and weather beating it up over the years. If I use pressure treated 4×4 risers, which I have laying around in 3' lengths or so, and this for the deck upon which to roll the huge logs I want to saw up, I might end up with rather nice, and somewhat attractive little deck. The wood's incredible weight will help hold it down sturdily, too.


----------



## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Decking like you said, but some people like it for their interior flooring too. I'm still thinking about whether this would make a good guitar pick when I eventually get back to this. It will do a number on my bandsaw blad though since it's not a carbide blade. I'll have to think about that one.


----------



## alexsutula (Jan 14, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


looks like brazilian cherry to me. I laid a couple floors out of it and it looks very similar


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## palaswood (Aug 9, 2013)

gfixler said:


> *more restaurant remodeling wood*
> 
> Another restaurant on the same street as the last one is being remodeled. I headed over one night to see if they threw anything good away and they sure had. The tall boards in the middle here were actually piled up on the dumpster (old boards to the right are from the other restaurant, pallet/crate wood to left from yet another!):
> 
> ...


Keep it on the shelf until it speaks to you, and tells you what its purpose is.

Great find though - I really love your comment about the world being gray except for the bright spots of wood grain. I couldnt have put it better myself.

When I'm digging through a pile, its funny how upset I get internally for a moment when a gorgeous grain turns out to be mdf/composite core  But oh when that tight endgrain shows up, its a great feeling. I love free…

Take a look, i work almost exclusively with found wood


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Chinese elm, finally!*

I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:



I took these pics on the way home from the bearing place recently, with the new bearings for my planer:



They're very twisty, and almost muscular in appearance. As LumberJock Demowen commented on my first Chinese elm post way back when, and as I've been saying ever since, they look like something out of Dr. Seuss' imagination. I've stated in the past my interest in trying out every wood I possibly can, from the junk to the treasures. Chinese elm is used by people occasionally, especially in turnings, and it's by all accounts a good wood. That elevated it above total junk, like ficus, to something I've been really interested to try out for a year now. I've even recently complained in a comment to trifern's Elm turning (I'm the last comment on the page currently) that I never see Chinese elm on offer or falling down by itself anywhere, after a year of looking.

Then, very early this morning - like 4:30AM early - I saw this post on craigslist:



It only mentioned "a tree," but I'd know that bark anywhere now, gray peeling to reveal orange-brown beneath. It was Chinese elm. It was also posted the previous afternoon, and it was a good 30 or so miles and 3 highways (the 401, the 10, and the 5) away. Was it even worth the big round trip? Would it still be there? The firewood crowd strikes hard and fast. Maybe the apparent size of these things would slow their pyro-fueled advance some.

I decided to be impulsive, printed out a google map, and jumped in the truck. It turned out I was a bit too impulsive, and left before properly considering what I might need, such as gloves, junkier clothing, my hand truck, and those ramps I built, and a towel to dry myself off and clean myself up with when I was done. In truth, I thought of them all, but thought "Meh, I'll be fine." Famous last words… I was nearly run off the highways the whole way there by the aggressive, early-bird types who populate the pre-sunrise roads (where's the fire, people!?), but I found the place without trouble, and on the grass strip behind a long row of parked cars, they sat waiting for me:



It's been awhile since those huge eucalyptus logs, so I forgot exactly how heavy green wood can be. I always have that feeling that I can just push a little more, and I'll get it. It's just a log. After almost throwing up in my mouth, I realized this one just wasn't coming home with me. Sometimes you really just can't push any more:



That's okay, though. It was cut from one side to the pith, with a wedge driven into it. It looks like someone gave up trying to split it in half. I'd just go for the smaller, unspoiled ones. At some point I realized I could roll Old Unliftable over near the curb/driveway corner and roll logs up onto it with less effort than lifting them entirely and carrying them. Then I was able to use the curvature of the road - built in for rain runoff, as evidenced by where the moisture was pooling - to back the tailgate right up to the stump. Normally my tailgate is way up by my waist, but here it was dipped down right to the top of the stump. Perfect! I just tipped this log onto the tailgate and slid it home - substantially easier:



I left probably 1/3rd of the logs behind, including the few very largest ones. I had no intentions of making nor using huge slabs of this, though, and the logs I got will be ripped and crosscut into a number of large turning blanks, big enough to give my 12"x20" Jet lathe a healthy workout. I'm hoping in a month or three to just start churning out turnings, getting better and better as I make salable items all the while. In the meantime, I've much else in the way, such as jury duty, a diet (this is much more work than it sounds , a friend shipping his car to me from Texas to watch for him, taxes, moving boxes of stuff out of the old office (they're moving to a much smaller place soon), and of course the ever-present job hunt. I'm working currently on materials such as a demo reel to aid me in that effort. After much of this has subsided, I hope to be back out in the shop a lot more, making as much as time permits.

Anyway, here's the full haul, ready to pull out around 5:30AM or so, only about a half hour after I left home, and still well before sunrise. I was leaking sweat like a water fountain, and missing that towel I'd neglected to bring. Did the Hitchhiker's Guide teach me nothing? At any rate, the family will wake to find their log pile shrunk considerably since the previous night. The log ninja strikes again!



I hadn't emptied the haul from the restaurant, so I had to pile those up against the edge first to make room. I think this is the biggest log of the lot. Pretty big! I had visions of this guy in my head seeing this particular log. They're probably almost equal in weight, as the euc was a lot more dried out than this brand new, soaking wet elm log. I'd put the elm around 200lbs, a little less than the euc - the reigning champ of large logs I've dragged home.



I was really glad that it was pretty much all trunk pieces from a fairly vertical tree. Too often all I find are branch pieces with their inherent stresses from having grown horizontally, or at some angle off of vertical. So much of my wood has a pith way over by one side, evidence of reactionary growth. Wood changes to support such affected structures. In angiosperms (flowering plants, e.g. broadleaf/deciduous trees), reaction wood is called tension wood, and it forms above the branch, pulling up the wood beneath it like a rope stretched taut. In conifers, reaction wood is called compression wood, and it occurs below the wood, and acts to push up the wood above it, like a buttress. Each grouping has evolved to solve the issue of outside stresses in different ways.

That said, reaction wood is structurally, and even chemically different than the rest of the wood. Wood with a mix of regular and reaction structures loves to warp and bend, and will continue to do so as moisture levels change, because each kind of structure reacts differently to moisture levels. Reaction wood isn't only in branches, either. Trees growing on a slant (e.g. many Chinese elms I've seen - they grow every which way) will show it in one side of the main trunk, and even trees that are buffeted by winds or snows primarily from one direction, or have branches trimmed on one side only to protect a nearby building, and are thus lopsided will grow to brace against the asymmetrical force.

But enough of that. More pics!









This is one of the few small ones:



I love these amateur buckings. The guiding principal seems to be 'just keep hacking with the chainsaw until it comes apart':



Some interesting bark:



It's funny what relative scales do to your perception. This piece was just holding the front of the "FREE WOOD" sign against the large, unliftable piece. I almost left it there, before realizing it was actually a very large piece of wood, and would have to be trimmed down to fit on my lathe, yet is a really great size for making a large bowl on said lathe. I threw it in the truck:



Another large piece, showing some interesting curvy lines in the sapwood. There's a dry, powdery coating on all the logs from the chainsaw, perhaps evidence that this wood will turn more into powder than large chips? I can't say yet. It'll be interesting to see how it handles, though. The leaves are more evidence of elm…ness.



I had to get another dominance shot, reminiscent of this one from this post on some large eucalyptus logs:



And of course, I did not make it out entirely unscathed. Here's a mildly scratched up arm, reminiscent of this bruising from this post:



I went in, cleaned up, and took a long break. Later in the day I went back out and noticed these things were checking fast in the windy afternoon air!









I went out as the sun was setting, and in the dark with a headlamp strapped to my head, Anchorsealed all of the faces I could get to. It was too late at night, and I was too tired to try flipping them, or unloading the whole truck and finding somewhere to put these, but the bottoms should check more slowly, as the moisture is more trapped. Not ideal, but what can you do?

Then, naturally, it started raining. It's rained so much more in LA this year than I've ever experienced in my 7 years here. I can't be bothered to try to tarp my truck after midnight, so I'll survey things tomorrow and probably reapply some anchorseal. Mostly, I'd just like to get these cut into blanks very soon and sealed well, despite all else that's going on. The back of the truck was a puddle of Anchorseal, and the truck is dripping a white trail of wax behind it, running down the dirt driveway. This LumberJocking is tough business.

But hey, I have a bunch of Chinese elm now! My wishes have been granted


----------



## Broda (Oct 7, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Awesome score!
shame about the checking though, hopefully its not too deep


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Thanks, Broda! I'm still pretty excited, a day later. The checking has only just started, and I'm going to work to curb it ASAP. I think it'll be alright. There's so much wood here, I'll have a hard time getting to it all this year, even if I have to remove a few inches of checking from the faces.


----------



## WoodSparky (Nov 27, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Nice score. I am glad to see that I am not the only one that goes through hell and high water to gather wood for my turning obsession.

Tom


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


congrat´s with your lucky punch

Dennis


----------



## lwoodt (Dec 22, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Interesting stuff Gary.Have you tried cutting some of it into boards for box work.?Excellent report and pics also.Thanks


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Great Photo Blog, Gary.

This is the first I've seen Chinese Elm. It's bark is quite different than the American Elm we have here. Also the wood itself looks to be a little redder in color than the American variety.

Lew


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


something iv'e learned from your posts , gary ,

where there's a Fixler ,

there a way !

well done .


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Thanks, everybody.

lou - I just picked 'em up 24 hours ago, so I haven't done much of anything yet. They're still in the truck. That said, I probably won't bother much with boards, though I'm sure I'll have to try a few. Elm is pretty simple looking, like ash, or hickory. While they're all fine boards, the work of slabbing, stickering, and monitoring things for a year or two while they dry out is a lot greater than just turning green wood, and then using one of the many techniques to dry it out quickly before putting on the finish. Like I said, though, I'll still probably have to try a few boards with it, if I can figure out what to do about my super dull band saw blade.

Lew - Yeah, Chinese elm is like a completely different animal, though inside the wood is somewhat similar, and the leaves are definitely still elm leaves. We also have this elm out here, which I've not completely tracked down to the species yet:



It has incredible, thick, deep ridges in the bark:



There are several in my area, and they have quite an imposing figure. The leaves are just starting to come out, so I'm anxious to see how they look when not dead like this, as I've not noticed them before this year:



Of note, the other, much younger trees behind it and on the other side of the street are Chinese elms. They look like completely separate and unrelated beasts.


----------



## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Glad to see the presence of Chinese elms in such abundance. Where I live, the city removes 4,000 to 6,000 American Elms a year, due to DED. In our climate of -40 degree winters, the suitable replacement is the related Siberian Elm, which has the same characteristics you speak of in Chinese elms, only it has the rugged bark of the American species. I've been searching for the right word to describe the appearance of these trees; 'muscular' is perfectly apt to describe them. 
I am tracking down the name of the local contractor who peels and mills the affected trees. Rumor is, he retails elm lumber in a responsible way, using procedures that avoid the spread of DED. Probably there are other cities who handle the immense culling of diseased elms in a way that salvages the timber responsibly.
Congratulations on your haul!! I'm thinking 'forearm forklift', a device for lifting heavy objects like washing machines, etc, for getting those logs into your truck in the future. As seen on TV!
ps…Be careful about transporting these! There are laws that strictly control the handling of downed elms. those bugs hide in the bark and emerge later to lay their eggs in other trees. Where I live, for example, the campgrounds will NOT let you bring in your own firewood, for fear of beetles hitchhiking from your home with you. In fact, in the rest areas along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border, there are 'firewood drop-off bins'...and it's not good to be discovered at a campground with wood other than what is provided locally. In high enforcement areas, I bring cut-up 2X4s, to supplement what I buy locally.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Nice Haul !!


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


I'm surprised at the "firewood crowd", one, because of the mild climate there, and two, because of all the burning restrictions.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Gary,
I'm pretty sure the second set of pictures are of American Elm- the type that is susceptible to the Dutch Elm disease. It looks exactly like what we have in our back yard.

Lew


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Exciting times, adventures with Gary in LA!! What's next, a REdwood?? )


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## scrappy (Jan 3, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Fantastic score. Beautiful wood. Hopefully you got the checking under control. Should be some great projects coming out of these.

Keep it up.

Scrappy


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## Sman (Feb 15, 2011)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm, finally!*
> 
> I learned what a Chinese elm is 1 year and 10 days ago, and blogged about it here. A friend told me she had read about a very old one that had fallen on someone's car during high winds the day before. It turned out to be only a 10 minute drive from work, which is where I was reading the email. At lunch I headed over, found the crushed truck on the side of the road, but the tree was already gone. Since then I've seen Chinese elms all over my area, and they are wild looking, beautiful trees. Here are some creating a tree tunnel not far from where I live:
> 
> ...


Hey Gary, the one you have a few posts above mine looks alot like Siberian Elm. It was planted to replace all of the American Elm that died off from dutch elm disease. I use TONS of it, like 90% of my woodturning is from Siberian Elm. This summer there were logs of it on every other block just sitting on the curb calling my name and of course I now have piles of it in my back yard.

Happy turning!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Okay, too much wood now...*

I'd love to get these, but conifers don't really call to me like the angiosperms. The wood is usually soft and sappy, and I grew up surrounded by pine. It's what everything decorative and utilitarian was made from, so I'm a little burned out on it.

Now these, they call to me through sheer size. I think most of that is 3' diameter or better. I'd love to have a nice portable band mill and a flatbed, and an MS 880 STIHL Magnum™ Chain Saw with a 59 inch guide bar. I'd cut some rounds for circular table tops, then slab the rest for rectangular table tops, all natural edge wherever the bark wasn't screwed up, with decoratively rounded edging wherever it was. Any thoughts as to how many table tops could be made out of these 3 chunks, and what they might run if all sold? Obviously grain and other things will vary the price, but I'd love to hear any ballpark guesses.


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## Dyidawg (Feb 24, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Okay, too much wood now...*
> 
> I'd love to get these, but conifers don't really call to me like the angiosperms. The wood is usually soft and sappy, and I grew up surrounded by pine. It's what everything decorative and utilitarian was made from, so I'm a little burned out on it.
> 
> Now these, they call to me through sheer size. I think most of that is 3' diameter or better. I'd love to have a nice portable band mill and a flatbed, and an MS 880 STIHL Magnum™ Chain Saw with a 59 inch guide bar. I'd cut some rounds for circular table tops, then slab the rest for rectangular table tops, all natural edge wherever the bark wasn't screwed up, with decoratively rounded edging wherever it was. Any thoughts as to how many table tops could be made out of these 3 chunks, and what they might run if all sold? Obviously grain and other things will vary the price, but I'd love to hear any ballpark guesses.


I think you are going to need a hauling trailer too. BTW a second set of hands wouldn't hurt


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Okay, too much wood now...*
> 
> I'd love to get these, but conifers don't really call to me like the angiosperms. The wood is usually soft and sappy, and I grew up surrounded by pine. It's what everything decorative and utilitarian was made from, so I'm a little burned out on it.
> 
> Now these, they call to me through sheer size. I think most of that is 3' diameter or better. I'd love to have a nice portable band mill and a flatbed, and an MS 880 STIHL Magnum™ Chain Saw with a 59 inch guide bar. I'd cut some rounds for circular table tops, then slab the rest for rectangular table tops, all natural edge wherever the bark wasn't screwed up, with decoratively rounded edging wherever it was. Any thoughts as to how many table tops could be made out of these 3 chunks, and what they might run if all sold? Obviously grain and other things will vary the price, but I'd love to hear any ballpark guesses.


Tell me about it. I've been waiting for anyone at any of these places to come out and say "Oh, let me give you a hand loading that." It hasn't happened yet!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Okay, too much wood now...*
> 
> I'd love to get these, but conifers don't really call to me like the angiosperms. The wood is usually soft and sappy, and I grew up surrounded by pine. It's what everything decorative and utilitarian was made from, so I'm a little burned out on it.
> 
> Now these, they call to me through sheer size. I think most of that is 3' diameter or better. I'd love to have a nice portable band mill and a flatbed, and an MS 880 STIHL Magnum™ Chain Saw with a 59 inch guide bar. I'd cut some rounds for circular table tops, then slab the rest for rectangular table tops, all natural edge wherever the bark wasn't screwed up, with decoratively rounded edging wherever it was. Any thoughts as to how many table tops could be made out of these 3 chunks, and what they might run if all sold? Obviously grain and other things will vary the price, but I'd love to hear any ballpark guesses.


Gary, you need my tractor and trailer to load and haul!! Be a good place to park it for the winter too ;-))


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Okay, too much wood now...*
> 
> I'd love to get these, but conifers don't really call to me like the angiosperms. The wood is usually soft and sappy, and I grew up surrounded by pine. It's what everything decorative and utilitarian was made from, so I'm a little burned out on it.
> 
> Now these, they call to me through sheer size. I think most of that is 3' diameter or better. I'd love to have a nice portable band mill and a flatbed, and an MS 880 STIHL Magnum™ Chain Saw with a 59 inch guide bar. I'd cut some rounds for circular table tops, then slab the rest for rectangular table tops, all natural edge wherever the bark wasn't screwed up, with decoratively rounded edging wherever it was. Any thoughts as to how many table tops could be made out of these 3 chunks, and what they might run if all sold? Obviously grain and other things will vary the price, but I'd love to hear any ballpark guesses.


Everyone has big toys! The moving truck that helped me here couldn't get into my driveway. The iron fence just misses my pickup's mirrors by less than a foot on either side. The movers tried valiantly, but kept banging into it, and just parked on the street and carried everything across what is my street's largest front lawn. If I park on the street, I have to move it Mondays from my side of the street, and Tuesdays from the other side of the street for the street sweeper. I got a few tickets when I first moved here until I learned I don't have a good enough memory to leave it on the street. I'll get a ticket almost every time. Now I always back into the driveway through the narrow gate. I've gotten exceptionally good at it. There are only a few places you could park a trailer on this residential street, because there are ornamentals with wide crowns down much of it. If I have to pull over so a car can pass, because the roads are too narrow for the parked cars and two-way traffic, I always bang my antenna really hard on the purple orchid trees. It sounds like it's going to rip clean away. Ah, cramped city life.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Eucalyptus branch from Venice Blvd in west LA*

I had a meeting today with a friend who does pet portraits here in LA. He left the film effects business last year to focus on his two passions: pets, and photography. It's working out for him. He did portraits of all of Paris Hilton's dogs last year. He has a bunch of freelance work for me - website stuff - which will be great to tide me over as I continue to pursue full time employment again. In other financial news, looks like I'm getting a tax refund to the tune of $8 more than a month's rent. Keep in mind that rent in LA is astronomical. I could buy almost 5 of my RIDGID table saws for a month of my rent. Little by little I'm stumbling into just enough to squeak by 

Andy bought me lunch at a [for me] fancy place in Culver City (the tiny parking garage had 2 Maseratis and an Aston Martin), showed me his small, but feature-rich studio, talked shop and freelance with me for a couple of hours, and explained to me again how he'd love for me to be on his team full time one of these days. He wants someone on call to build all manner of props for photoshoots, and help build up and repair the studio as needs be. Sounds like fun, though I don't know if it would actually pay the bills, and I can't imagine he would have a benefits package for me (he has one part-time assistant currently). He isn't afraid to spend money, though. For the first few assignments, all identical, I quoted a price per that I thought was fair to high, and he said he had been thinking about 1.5x that, and added "Why don't we just go with my price." Sure!

But enough of that, because then I drove home, right past this big limb:



I only had a quick glance as I rushed by in traffic, and mistakenly thought it was bottlebrush. At 10:30PM, I headed back and found a wide apartment complex driveway to park in on Venice Blvd., which was otherwise completely tiled with cars on both sides. During a lull in the 3-lanes-each-way of traffic, I hurried up onto the raised median feeling a bit like I was doing theater-in-the-round for the cars that were soon rushing by me again 5' to either side.

I found it was actually some kind of Eucalyptus, forever unidentifiable to me with its >730 species. This was one of the kinds with very bendy limbs that somewhat easily snap clean away, so I spent a while cleaning off more than 50 1"-2" branches anywhere from 4' to 6'+ long, making 2 neat piles for the city workers, whenever they manage to show up again. What you see in the picture is just the main sections, but it was basically a dense shrub when I found it. At some point, a lady brought her dog out onto her fenced-in front yard, right next to the driveway where I'd parked, and watched me for a good 10 minutes as I worked.

I was just waiting to hear a voice over an electronic megaphone asking me what I was doing, but no cops showed up. I made sure not to accidentally roll any branch bits out into traffic. Soon it was cleaned up and able to fit in my truck, and with another large lapse in traffic, I walked it back across the street and made off with the treasure. I probably don't really need it  At its largest, it's about 8" in diameter. Not a huge log by the standards of this past year of hunting, but it's always fun to find new booty to try out.

I might head back some time tomorrow to grab some shots of the tree itself, its leaves, bark, seed pods, and anything else it has to help me one day identify it. I used to not want to make things out of woods I hadn't ID'd, but now I'm thinking that saying a piece is made of "some kind of Eucalyptus," or the more scientific "Eucalyptus spp." is fine for now, especially if I have good photographic documentation of the various tree parts so I can later sate my curiosity by tracking down the species. I can be a bit particular in that way.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Eucalyptus branch from Venice Blvd in west LA*
> 
> I had a meeting today with a friend who does pet portraits here in LA. He left the film effects business last year to focus on his two passions: pets, and photography. It's working out for him. He did portraits of all of Paris Hilton's dogs last year. He has a bunch of freelance work for me - website stuff - which will be great to tide me over as I continue to pursue full time employment again. In other financial news, looks like I'm getting a tax refund to the tune of $8 more than a month's rent. Keep in mind that rent in LA is astronomical. I could buy almost 5 of my RIDGID table saws for a month of my rent. Little by little I'm stumbling into just enough to squeak by
> 
> ...


Sounds like some good news all around!


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## BritBoxmaker (Feb 1, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Eucalyptus branch from Venice Blvd in west LA*
> 
> I had a meeting today with a friend who does pet portraits here in LA. He left the film effects business last year to focus on his two passions: pets, and photography. It's working out for him. He did portraits of all of Paris Hilton's dogs last year. He has a bunch of freelance work for me - website stuff - which will be great to tide me over as I continue to pursue full time employment again. In other financial news, looks like I'm getting a tax refund to the tune of $8 more than a month's rent. Keep in mind that rent in LA is astronomical. I could buy almost 5 of my RIDGID table saws for a month of my rent. Little by little I'm stumbling into just enough to squeak by
> 
> ...


This I would have love to have seen. Do you have CCTV footage. Seriously though I hope you are rewarded 
( by what you get out of it) for your keen eye and diligent work.

Martyn


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Eucalyptus branch from Venice Blvd in west LA*
> 
> I had a meeting today with a friend who does pet portraits here in LA. He left the film effects business last year to focus on his two passions: pets, and photography. It's working out for him. He did portraits of all of Paris Hilton's dogs last year. He has a bunch of freelance work for me - website stuff - which will be great to tide me over as I continue to pursue full time employment again. In other financial news, looks like I'm getting a tax refund to the tune of $8 more than a month's rent. Keep in mind that rent in LA is astronomical. I could buy almost 5 of my RIDGID table saws for a month of my rent. Little by little I'm stumbling into just enough to squeak by
> 
> ...


"...coming out smelling like a rose" kinda comes to mind!!

Great news, Gary.

Lew


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Eucalyptus branch from Venice Blvd in west LA*
> 
> I had a meeting today with a friend who does pet portraits here in LA. He left the film effects business last year to focus on his two passions: pets, and photography. It's working out for him. He did portraits of all of Paris Hilton's dogs last year. He has a bunch of freelance work for me - website stuff - which will be great to tide me over as I continue to pursue full time employment again. In other financial news, looks like I'm getting a tax refund to the tune of $8 more than a month's rent. Keep in mind that rent in LA is astronomical. I could buy almost 5 of my RIDGID table saws for a month of my rent. Little by little I'm stumbling into just enough to squeak by
> 
> ...


Gary, sounds like a nice score…especially for the LA area where there is more paving then trees. Be careful though as you know, some species of eucalyptus gets brittle when dry….if you are planning to turn this..get it sealed quickly. Also, good luck on the employment front…I have a lot of friends here in my area that have moved away from the LA Basin due to, as you stated, the very high cost of living.


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## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Eucalyptus branch from Venice Blvd in west LA*
> 
> I had a meeting today with a friend who does pet portraits here in LA. He left the film effects business last year to focus on his two passions: pets, and photography. It's working out for him. He did portraits of all of Paris Hilton's dogs last year. He has a bunch of freelance work for me - website stuff - which will be great to tide me over as I continue to pursue full time employment again. In other financial news, looks like I'm getting a tax refund to the tune of $8 more than a month's rent. Keep in mind that rent in LA is astronomical. I could buy almost 5 of my RIDGID table saws for a month of my rent. Little by little I'm stumbling into just enough to squeak by
> 
> ...


The harder you work the luckier you get…


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## baller (Nov 14, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Eucalyptus branch from Venice Blvd in west LA*
> 
> I had a meeting today with a friend who does pet portraits here in LA. He left the film effects business last year to focus on his two passions: pets, and photography. It's working out for him. He did portraits of all of Paris Hilton's dogs last year. He has a bunch of freelance work for me - website stuff - which will be great to tide me over as I continue to pursue full time employment again. In other financial news, looks like I'm getting a tax refund to the tune of $8 more than a month's rent. Keep in mind that rent in LA is astronomical. I could buy almost 5 of my RIDGID table saws for a month of my rent. Little by little I'm stumbling into just enough to squeak by
> 
> ...


lol gary, the more i read your stories the more it inspires me to start blogging my process as well….we have similar styles in the way we go about acquiring our wood, it's fun and i definitely think most people who see us in public doing these things think we're crazy…hey, i don't mind being call crazy…give me ur free money, thank you lol


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