Author Topic: Couple questions on a tree  (Read 3586 times)

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Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Couple questions on a tree
« on: March 12, 2016, 06:15:10 pm »
I spent yesterday with the crosscut saw and axe cutting some stave wood. I got 4 trees downed and 12 logs from them all. I ended up with one large black locust giving me about 40 staves, a smaller locust that is questionable quality,  a very straight black cherry for this area giving me about 20 staves, and what I think is a white oak but am not positive that I got 20 staves from. I'd like a second opinion or two bases of the stump end grain and the bark. But 90 percent of the staves are very straight with no twist or wiggle and several of each that have no visible knots. I got a little over ambitious with my cutting and it got dark before I could get it all out. I got all the locust out in one truck load but the cherry and oak I left as logs And got them off the ground with some saplings. It ended up raining last night and made it so I couldn't drive back and get them as easy. So I spent 1.5 hours splitting out the 7 logs this morning and 3.5 hours packing the approximately 40 staves 2 at a time 1/4 mile of the half mile back to the barn. With the rain I'm not too worried about them drying and cracking as much as I am them taking on rot. I'll have them back at the house tomorrow by around noon. I was hoping I would have them back before I had to be at work at 4 but the mud makes it a little more difficult. Do you all think there will be any damage to then for taking this long getting them sealed and under cover? One picture is of the tree I'm curious about and the other is the larger of the black locust trees.

Thanks,
Kyle

Offline wapiti1997

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2016, 06:31:17 pm »
The top pic is locust, bottom looks more like persimmon than anything to me.. Not black cherry or white oak

Offline Dances with squirrels

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2016, 06:45:14 pm »
I agree the top picture looks like a black locust. I'm not familiar with the tree in the second picture.

An easy, foolproof way to identify black locust is to hold a black light near freshly exposed wood in the dark. Black locust is fluorescent and will glow like it's radioactive. You won't mistake it once you see it.

Congrats on the wood aquisition.
Straight wood may make a better bow, but crooked wood makes a better bowyer

Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2016, 07:06:56 pm »
I'm gonna have to try that with the black locust, I'd never heard of that before. That one I know for sure its a black locust. That's 90 percent of what's in the area and I mess with it a lot. The cherry I never took a picture of but it had the langest straightest trunk of any cherry I have seen in the are. I got three 6 foot logs before it twisted at all with no branches. The log in question was very similar except I got 4 logs out of it before the branches started, so it had about 25' of straight trunk if that helps with the Id at all.

Kyle

Offline wapiti1997

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2016, 08:06:18 pm »
persimmon would have had some black spots throughout as you split it..  Really hard wood and nearly all i've tried to split had prop twist..  But it does grow straight and in the woods now lower limbs, tall and straight

Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2016, 08:35:19 pm »
It migt be a persimmon then. It did have a black streak close to the pith and a little here and there. After splitting the wood had no distinctive scent to it like many other woods do. This stuff was hard to get the split atarted then just shy of popped apart. It was growing in the middle of a wood lot towards the top of a small ridge by an old mining road. Worst part is that I love persimmons, though I've never seen any fruits in that area.

Kyle

Offline crooketarrow

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2016, 09:03:51 pm »
  I've cut lots of persimmon (thats what it it) as well as dozzens of locust trees. I sinewed my first 2 bows from black locust fence posts.  I don't know about MO. HERE IN WV LIKE LOTS OF STATES HAVE WOOD BOARERS.

 I build a lot of bows and sell a lot of staves so I spray with pestiside as soon as I get logs to the barn (same day).  I'll respray again in a few weeks,month. But if your storeing your logs or staves inside after that first spraying. No need for the second time.
DEAD IS DEAD NO MATTER HOW FAST YOUR ARROW GETS THERE
20 YEARS OF DOING 20 YEARS OF LEARNING 20 YEARS OF TEACHING

Offline Lumberman

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2016, 10:56:45 pm »
Worst danger they'll have from being left out there would be stain if it's out there for only a week or two. That would probably only come in about a foot at the most from the end; you are not running risk of rot. Know how to cut moisture samples?

Offline wapiti1997

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2016, 06:29:19 am »
It migt be a persimmon then. It did have a black streak close to the pith and a little here and there. After splitting the wood had no distinctive scent to it like many other woods do. This stuff was hard to get the split atarted then just shy of popped apart. It was growing in the middle of a wood lot towards the top of a small ridge by an old mining road. Worst part is that I love persimmons, though I've never seen any fruits in that area.

Kyle

Persimmon is like osage in that trees are either male or female, males never have fruit.

Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2016, 08:53:43 am »
I'm learning a lot today. Any tips on how to handle the persimmon. Such as how does it like to dry, should I leave the bark on or peel and seal? And can it be worked down to bow dimensions and quickly dried once the initial largest quantity of moisture leaves? What would be a comparable wood it acts like? And how does it take to heat treating? The wood will all be stored in an old barn with lots of ventilation and will be sprayed with insecticide. I'm excited to play with it after looking at some pictures of the wood.

Kyle

Offline ---GUTSHOT--->

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2016, 09:53:13 am »
I cut a percimon tree 3 weeks ago and was told to leave the bark on.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2016, 12:24:00 pm »
Will you take a pic of the twigs and leaf buds for better ID? I'm not completely sure that is persimmon.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2016, 03:23:46 pm by Pat B »
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2016, 12:43:26 pm »
I can get you some pictures here's in a bit once I get the staves all sealed and in the barn. It might be this evening or tomorrow morning before I can get them up. But here's a picture of this weekends haul. For now I'll just deal the ends and apply a good healthy coating of insecticide and will probably peal the bark at a later date. I don't think it turned out too bad. Though a good chunk of the cherry decided to do some wandering after being split. A good part of it is still straight though. The wood in question is still holding very straight, very heavy, and the pith and near pith areas are a dark black if that helps any.

Kyle

Offline wapiti1997

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2016, 12:58:15 pm »
Persimmon is in the ebony family, the black is characteristic.  i agree the bark looks a little off, almost "pear" ish... But does have the blocky persimmon look, although not as deeply furrowed as I'm used to seeing

Offline John Scifres

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Re: Couple questions on a tree
« Reply #14 on: March 13, 2016, 01:49:42 pm »
... Do you all think there will be any damage to then for taking this long getting them sealed and under cover? ...

Thanks,
Kyle

No.