Myrtlewood story

[6ShotsOr5?]

Like this? I’m learning to love Mesquite.View attachment 1327178View attachment 1327179

None of the mesquite I’ve had to cut down to clear somebody’s land had turquoise in it. That came from some very special trees!

 

[butchlambert]

None of the mesquite I’ve had to cut down to clear somebody’s land had turquoise in it. That came from some very special trees!

Colored filler.

 

[Rednexx]

How about Osage-orange? Another native wood traditionally used for tool handles and fenceposts. Also for bows by plains Indians, and hedgerows before the introduction of barbed wire.
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When I was a kid in Missouri we burnt a lot of old Hedge Apple wood aka Osage Orange , it was harder than a rock and at times actually gave off a blue hint in the flame.

 

[joshb]

None of the mesquite I’ve had to cut down to clear somebody’s land had turquoise in it. That came from some very special trees!

Years ago, my wife bought a small Mesquite cutting board with turquoise filler. When she asked me to build her that table, she said to make it look like that cutting board. I had to find real turquoise dust and chunks to use with the epoxy. It was a steep learning curve.

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

Years ago, my wife bought a small Mesquite cutting board with turquoise filler. When she asked me to build her that table, she said to make it look like that cutting board. I had to find real turquoise dust and chunks to use with the epoxy. It was a steep learning curve.

I remember your post a few years or so back when you built that awesome table.

 

[joshb]

I remember your post a few years or so back when you built that awesome table.

Thank you. Good memory. We had a minor curfuffle about that table last fall.
When I built it, wifey was VERY specific about it’s dimensions. She wanted it 9 feet long and 52 inches wide. I spent quite a bit of diplomatic energy trying to tell her that 52” was too wide, but she would have none of it.
One day last fall, I came in the house and found her looking at the table. She looked at me and said: “ I think it’s too big. Can you make me a smaller one.”
I told her I was calling a lawyer.

 

[Oso]

"Bodark" is anglicization of the French bois d’arc, meaning “wood of the bow". Native to E. Texas and small portions of Oklahoma and Arkansas, Maclura pomifera has been widely planted and naturalized in the eastern and northwestern states.
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Thanks for the proper French Spelling... I just couldn't quite get it out of my memory bank.

Interesting tree fact... the last know creature whose diet consisted of Horse Apple was the Giant Ground Sloth (extinct). Must have been quite the sight in Texas a few thousands years ago with Giant Ground Sloths and Giant Armadillos (size of VW Beetle) wandering around.

 

[Oso]

Alright... got home and started digging around for some examples.

Pecan - Special


Osage Orange - this is what it will look like after UV (light) exposure.


Mulberry - after it has patina from light exposure

 

[Oso]

I really had to look in a few boxes to find samples... then I started chuckling about not finding an example of Mulberry. I harvested the old tree and brought it to the saw mill. Slabbed it 4" thick... it stands 4.5' long and 3' wide. I hand planed this slab (to most flat back in June 2016) and it has sat in my garage since then oxidizing even with minimal light exposure.



This is what the slab looked like when I initially flattened it after it had been air drying in garage for +5 years. The Mulberry's chartreuse yellow/green color is just below outer oxidized brown layer.

 

[Oso]

Not to resurrect an old thread... I was out in Austin visiting a friend, Stacey Hager, who is a master-class wood turner. I walked into a room in their house and there was a beautiful, giant platter turned from Pecan. This is the "fancy" pecan that I mentioned in past. It has some amazing marbling and color that is not common for Pecan. I would love a gun stock out of this.

 

[old_heli_logger]

The old mill is getting a little rough around the edges...

 

[old_heli_logger]

Myrtlewood grows very slowly...

 

[old_heli_logger]

Here's a big un