There is a pile of it on the curb down the street and was wondering if anyone had any ideas before I did a drive by and grabbed some. Thanks in advance!!
(http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx49/mebasser69/9F6B6D53-1EBE-48BC-A599-724D2922B31D-8688-00000C50B928D8EB_zps8006d32d.jpg)
looks like white oak
I would say Elm.
White oak for sure Basser!!! Free white oak!;)
Thanks guys! I appreciate it.
I personally wont use white oak for calls. Its pores are very tubular and coarse. Just doesnt work well for me. Anybody else here that doesnt like the way it works for t-calls?
I would say don't rule it out. I have a quarter-sawn white oak slate call in my vest that I have no intentions of replacing anytime soon. I have at least 25 different domestic and exotic woods on hand in my shop that I could build myself a call from... ;)
my question is how do you guys dry/cure the wood without it cracking and splitting?
Paint the ends of the blocks as soon as you cut them from the log. There is a commercial product called Anchor Seal, which is supposed to be very good... but expensive. You can rub them down with parafin wax, or, as I do, paint them with several coats of leftover latex paint. The wood will dry quickest through the end grain, which is what causes the cracks. The wood may still crack some after using the latex paint, but not to the extent it would have afterwards.
If you can "slab" the wood with a chainsaw, or if you have a bandsaw with a wide throat, that will help the wood to dry more quickly. Be sure to cut it thicker than what you will need to begin turning, as it will shrink as it dries.
oh ok i was just wondering. im in the landscaping biz and come across all sorts of wood at times. tried saving some before but it all split on my.
stuff i run across normally is
crepe myrtle
cherry
red oak
white oak
maple
sometimes get some cool stuff.
so just square it all up with a say and paint the end grains and hope for the best? how long do they need to dry? i dont make calls but i do have a buddy who is getting into it.
The general rule of thumb for air drying wood is 1 year per 1 inch of thickness in boards. I have found that when I cut "firewood blocks" into slabs, it dries a bit quicker, simply because there is less mass involved. I cut wood that I plan to use for pot blanks about 1 1/4" thick (eyeballed, generally not measured). I would still give that at least 6-8 months before trying to turn it.
Wet wood (green wood) turns easier, but also has more tendency to "move" (warp) as it dries. As mentioned, as wood dries, the cells of the wood contract, causing the wood to shrink. I found that out the hard way early on...