Sawing an ugly box elder log to find hidden treasure

Тәжірибелік нұсқаулар және стиль

I got my hands on some box elder logs from an unhealthy tree that was going to come down eventually. Fortunately, that's the best kind of box elder for woodworkers. In this video, I'll saw open some ugly firewood-sized logs on the bandsaw to reveal some beautifully figured and colored flame-figured wood.
The first project I made with this wood, after drying and testing the stability, was a banana holder. I top-coated with satin polyurethane, but strengthened the wood first by thinning some epoxy 50% with alcohol and letting it soak in. That was probably an unnecessary step, but it's an option if you even think a piece of wood is too soft.
Here are a few links for more information about box elder:
www.wood-database.com/box-elder/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Elder
This is the moisture meter I used: amzn.to/3hnlYvC
You can buy Pentacryl here: www.preservation-solutions.co...
Here are some more pictures of the banana hanger: / ctliiv1ldxe
You can see pictures of other things I've built on Instagram:
/ thesnekkershow
This video is not sponsored. I paid for everything, and used my own time.

Пікірлер: 26

  • @denniscampbell8240
    @denniscampbell82402 жыл бұрын

    I work with box elder ,,,,it's a beautiful wood and my wood art items sell for big prices ,,,,,,awsome ,,,,I love it

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    2 жыл бұрын

    Feel free to post a link. Does it grow local to your area?

  • @denniscampbell8240

    @denniscampbell8240

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheSnekkerShow yes here in Alabama it grow a every were ,,,,,I have 80 acres in a valley that has lots of big trees on it ,,,,,my wood art items are on my personal page of Dennis Campbell ,,,,,or Campbell creations n wood ,,,,,I don't have a web page

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@denniscampbell8240 I found your Facebook page. Your work is very impressive.

  • @denniscampbell8240

    @denniscampbell8240

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheSnekkerShow thank you for the kind words

  • @rodpotts2666
    @rodpotts26662 жыл бұрын

    Great video. Getting close to winter seams like I cut up more logs this time of year. Very cool wood.

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    2 жыл бұрын

    I know the feeling. I just got my hands on a little bit of Bradford pear that I don't need, but couldn't pass up.

  • @appliedmartialsciences5201
    @appliedmartialsciences52012 жыл бұрын

    That was very educational.

  • @TheFalconJetDriver
    @TheFalconJetDriver2 жыл бұрын

    Pretty wood! And I like your sled! 😁🛫

  • @thebobloblawshow8832
    @thebobloblawshow88322 жыл бұрын

    I fell in love right after that first cut. Great channel and thanks for the heads up on that Pentacryl.

  • @Isen502
    @Isen502 Жыл бұрын

    I grew up with two big box elder trees in my childhood yard. Absolutely nightmare to split the twisted grain but was a pleasant surprise to see the beautiful red spalting.

  • @denniscampbell8240
    @denniscampbell82402 жыл бұрын

    If you dry the wood in a dark dry place the wood will not fade ,,,,that's how I dry mine ,,,,,,then plan it when dry ,,,,add a sealer coat to project item ,,,,I use lacqure ,,,,and it seals in the color ,,,,,that's my tip

  • @hockeydoodooshitface
    @hockeydoodooshitface2 жыл бұрын

    The thinner 'cookie' you shown resembles a rooster/chicken head. It all looks great!

  • @sassafrasvalley1939
    @sassafrasvalley19392 жыл бұрын

    I have made a few small projects with boxelder… Keepsake Boxes, salt & pepper sets and a child’s chair. My favorite was turning tops from it. The wood had a swirled pattern around an embedded limb base. The three tops that I made came out cool! Thanks for showcasing this oft forgotten wood.

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    2 жыл бұрын

    I saved a couple blocks for turning. I kind of wish I'd saved a few more, but I saw turning blanks much faster than I actually turn them.

  • @TigerCarpenter
    @TigerCarpenter2 жыл бұрын

    Good bunch of tips again I scavenged a 70cm diameter log by the roadside and chainsawed it into 2-3 inch cookies. I'm a total blank in tree recognition but the wood is extremely hard, much harder than white oak or hickory. I live in tropics and it's rare to find nearly white colored wood). 3hp router struggles to flatten it. Hand planing takes hours just to scratch the surface. Milwaukee 18V Fuel chainsaw can normally cut tens of slices per battery. On this species you need 2 batteries per cut or more. I wish I knew what species of the tree it was

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    2 жыл бұрын

    That sounds interesting. You might try www.wood-database.com/. There are also some artificial intelligence powered apps that can identify wood, with varying success rates. I've been using one called LeafSnap, but it tends to be more accurate with leaves than with bark.

  • @TigerCarpenter

    @TigerCarpenter

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheSnekkerShow that is one good piece of advice. I haven't thought about that. I do have access to these trees, I will get some leaves and bark I have still on the cookies. despite I am in the tropical country, it is also possible some people sharing our DNA pool came here 250 years ago with the seeds and planted it. I counted the yearly rings on the 70 cm cookies, and there are 220. So the tree is either 220 or 110 years old. in tropic the "yearly" rings often occur every six months. anyway the tree is nearly as hard as the iron wood, which is my favorite. and I will either charge the client an arm and a leg for the mini side tables, or they will become my own decoration.

  • @VinceEspositoJr
    @VinceEspositoJr2 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

  • @FranksDIY
    @FranksDIY2 жыл бұрын

    I've done that a few times seems more satisfying when you cut it from a log yourself. need to check the pile to see if the logs I have are ready

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    2 жыл бұрын

    Very true. For me, I think it's a combination of knowing that my tools were a good investment, and the simple satisfaction of knowing that I was involved with the entire process.

  • @denniscampbell8240
    @denniscampbell82402 жыл бұрын

    The coloration comes from both ,,,,,flams beat. Solid red streaks ,,,,,,stress on the tree ,,,,,,

  • @denniscampbell8240
    @denniscampbell82402 жыл бұрын

    On all my cookies I paint tight bond 2 wood glue on both sides to prevent checking ,,,,,works for me. ,,,gotta plan them down anyways

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    2 жыл бұрын

    Sounds like a good technique. Just for kicks, I covered the ends of some of the turning blanks with painters tape. We'll see how it works out.

  • @ricardosotil5055
    @ricardosotil5055 Жыл бұрын

    I find that after a make a table with box elder the color fades to a point that’s you will not see any red

  • @TheSnekkerShow

    @TheSnekkerShow

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm seeing some of my boards fading as well. The ones with water based finishes seem to fade faster.

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