# salt cedar



## qbilder

Anybody know much about it besides what can be found on google? I got a load of big burly stuff to cut this weekend, can't wait! Google says it's a soft white wood, but in tree form I found it's very hard & red heart. Gonna cut some big burls this weekend and will post pics. 

Here's a couple slabs from a small one I cut locally. Cool stuff. The brown slab is a type of scrub oak that grows in the mountains here.


----------



## qbilder

So I got 7 medium size logs & am about to mill the last one now. They range from 12" up to 24" ish, and all are burly & colorful. Will post pics after dark when i'm done. There's plenty more where I got these and much bigger ones but I couldn't handle them alone. There was also something else there that was very hard & heavy. I thought it was mesquite at first but once I cut the end off a log I realized it wasn't mesquite. Crossing my fingers but I think it's desert ironwood. It was dark chocolate brown with irregular grain & red streaks. It smelled like ironwood, too. I'll need help to get it but will indeed get it. Never seen ironwood this far east or high altitude. I know it's not native, so i'm not 100% convinced it's ironwood yet. Will find out soon enough. Anyway, pics to come. Got a few dozen 2" slabs so far.


----------



## qbilder

Last log. Got 38 slabs in total out of the load. Going back for more. Some is very burly, some not as burly. But all is very nicely figured & colorful with wavy grain. Color ranges from soft pink to deep red to olive drab. This tree is considered a threat to native habitat & attempts are being made to eradicate it. I got these from a state park where the rangers had cut them & piled them up to rot. They were thrilled that I was interested in taking some. Here's a pic of the last log:


























The hearing protection was all I had for size reference. Not a giant log, but certainly a pretty one & worthy of an array of projects.


----------



## aardvark

Very nice.
It's amazing what God makes and we have the opportunity to expose and use.
Looks like coffee tables to me.

Are you selling these?


----------



## qbilder

Never thought of selling them before. Just couldn't pass up a pile of logs left to decay.


----------



## qbilder

More pics:


























































oak: 









maple:


----------



## Tennessee Tim

WOW......That's all I can say.... You done GOOD:thumbsup:

Have a Blessed and Prosperous day in Jesus's Awesome Love,
Tim


----------



## RedArrow

That's some great lookin wood! I love seeing new species of wood, thanks for the pics!


----------



## aardvark

Here I'm paying ~$4.oo a bd ft for walnut, undried. I only choose gnarly twisted grains, and it's a select few that want them, or knows how to play with them. The wild grains are like bad frizzy hair. Hard to control. Drying the wood(hair) is a real trouble because they want to crack/split/cup warp and even get frissies. But the end products can be wonderful.
I don't know cedar pricing but those pieces rival what I'm using.

http://gnarlywooddesigns.weebly.com/


----------



## qbilder

aardvark said:


> Here I'm paying ~$4.oo a bd ft for walnut, undried. I only choose gnarly twisted grains, and it's a select few that want them, or knows how to play with them. The wild grains are like bad frizzy hair. Hard to control. Drying the wood(hair) is a real trouble because they want to crack/split/cup warp and even get frissies. But the end products can be wonderful.
> I don't know cedar pricing but those pieces rival what I'm using.
> 
> http://gnarlywooddesigns.weebly.com/


It's not actually cedar, or anything even close. This stuff is native to Europe & Asia, not an evergreen. I think they call it salt cedar because of the color, and it emits a lot of salt that prevents anything else from growing near & competing with it. 

I have no idea what it's worth as lumber. It's trash trees around here simply because of it's nature. It kills everything and consumes tremendous amounts of water. Ironically, it's never really all that wet, even when freshly harvested. If you like, I have a couple slabs I milled & dried, you can have just pay shipping. They are flat & stable & strong. There are some minor cracks but it's nothing severe or tough to work.


----------



## aardvark

qbilder
I thank you for the offer but I'm trying to deplete stock at this time since we are in the beginning processes of moving next year.


----------



## kpantherpro

quik someone call the doc, i think aardvark is sick, turning down free wood, that he hasn't even played with before, but those are some great pics thanks for sharing, what are your plans with what you keep?


----------



## qbilder

kpantherpro said:


> quik someone call the doc, i think aardvark is sick, turning down free wood, that he hasn't even played with before, but those are some great pics thanks for sharing, what are your plans with what you keep?


I'll cut it into 1.5"x1.5"x18" squares & use it in billiard cues. A couple slabs might be left as is for a table or something.


----------



## Ibangwood

Amazing pieces super jealous


----------



## aardvark

I know .kpantherpro
I'm having DT's. The shakes are getting to me.


----------



## awise

*nice find*

Salt cedar is an ignored useful wood. most people pay someone to come and cut down trees that have become a neusance on their property. all over the southwestern united states you can come across this wood and take it fairly easily with little to no cost to you. this species is a very invasive species that has taken over most of the desert south west, but yet it has a beautiful grain pattern and a broad range of light browns to dark brown/red wood in the heart. you can also find many that have a ton of burl to them like what you have gotten your hands on. Most people will usually beg you to take the wood primarily because they want the tree gone, they shed salt which sterylizes the ground and rob large amounts of water from other plants. I also have some that i will most likely harvest sometime this spring or summer. The BLM here in Arizona will most likely let you cut down any tree that you wish to harvest in a safe manner if you ask permission. They want these things gone. These trees also have a surprisingly high hardness to the wood similar to that of walnut. I have looked up some stats on the wood for you. Good to see someone making use of these trees, you have inspired me. Great find.

*Table 1.​*​​​​Selected wood properties of saltcedar (_Tamarix aphylla _[L.] Karst.) as measured by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory
during 1939–1940 and reported by Gerry (1954).​
[kPa, kilopascals; MPa, megapascals; kJ/m​​​​3, kilojoules per cubic meter; mm, millimeter; N, newtons of force required for a test hammer to penetrate a wood
sample to a standard depth]​
*Property Green Air dry​*Moisture content (percent) 86.9 12.0
Specific gravity 0.62 0.67
Static bending properties
Modulus of rupture (kPa) 59,000 91,000
Modulus of elasticity (MPa) 7,000 9,500
Work to maximum load (kJ/m​​​​3) 79 93
Impact bending to complete failure (mm) 960 1,010
Compression parallel to grain–maximum crushing strength (kPa) 26,600 42,700
Compression perpendicular to grain–fiber stress at proportional limit (kPa) 4,800 5,900
Shear parallel to grain–maximum shearing strength (kPa) 10,900 15,600
Tension perpendicular to grain–maximum tensile strength (kPa) 6,800 7,900​
Side hardness (N) 5,800 6,400


----------



## shopgirl

*Want to buy Salt cedar wood*

For Awise. Could you tell me if you're selling any of the salt cedar wood? I currently live in Colorado.


----------



## shopgirl

awise said:


> Salt cedar is an ignored useful wood. most people pay someone to come and cut down trees that have become a neusance on their property. all over the southwestern united states you can come across this wood and take it fairly easily with little to no cost to you. this species is a very invasive species that has taken over most of the desert south west, but yet it has a beautiful grain pattern and a broad range of light browns to dark brown/red wood in the heart. you can also find many that have a ton of burl to them like what you have gotten your hands on. Most people will usually beg you to take the wood primarily because they want the tree gone, they shed salt which sterylizes the ground and rob large amounts of water from other plants. I also have some that i will most likely harvest sometime this spring or summer. The BLM here in Arizona will most likely let you cut down any tree that you wish to harvest in a safe manner if you ask permission. They want these things gone. These trees also have a surprisingly high hardness to the wood similar to that of walnut. I have looked up some stats on the wood for you. Good to see someone making use of these trees, you have inspired me. Great find.
> 
> *Table 1.​*​​​​Selected wood properties of saltcedar (_Tamarix aphylla _[L.] Karst.) as measured by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory
> during 1939–1940 and reported by Gerry (1954).​
> [kPa, kilopascals; MPa, megapascals; kJ/m​​​​3, kilojoules per cubic meter; mm, millimeter; N, newtons of force required for a test hammer to penetrate a wood
> sample to a standard depth]​
> *Property Green Air dry​*Moisture content (percent) 86.9 12.0
> Specific gravity 0.62 0.67
> Static bending properties
> Modulus of rupture (kPa) 59,000 91,000
> Modulus of elasticity (MPa) 7,000 9,500
> Work to maximum load (kJ/m​​​​3) 79 93
> Impact bending to complete failure (mm) 960 1,010
> Compression parallel to grain–maximum crushing strength (kPa) 26,600 42,700
> Compression perpendicular to grain–fiber stress at proportional limit (kPa) 4,800 5,900
> Shear parallel to grain–maximum shearing strength (kPa) 10,900 15,600
> Tension perpendicular to grain–maximum tensile strength (kPa) 6,800 7,900​
> Side hardness (N) 5,800 6,400


Hi, I'm new to this forum. Could you tell me if you're at all interested in selling in of the Salt Cedar wood?


----------



## awise

*buy*

Shopgirl,

I will have plenty once i cut the trees down and mill it up so if you are looking to purchase some that shouldn't be a problem. like i said it will probably be this late spring or early summer, maybe sooner but doubtful. if you would like you can email me at [email protected] and let me know about how much you are looking to buy and what thickness and length you want the planks/boards cut to. they will be a little rough, not too skilled at the whole milling process yet, but I am planning on posting pics of the lumber on this thread after i mill it. Or if you ever travel close to the lower Colorado river chances are that you may be able to harvest some yourself. i would get in touch with arizona's BLM and ask them some questions about getting some if you would rather not wait on me. I know for a fact they hate these trees, everyone around here does.


----------



## awise

*also*

Shopgirl,

Just to let you know, there are Tamarisk (salt Cedar) in Colorado. if you would like to get your hands on some locally i would talk to someone who speacializes in tree removal. they would likely have some on hand, know of a job in the future where they would be removing some or know of a place where they have dumped some. If there is no joy there then i would talk to someone who sells fire wood, and a lot of it (most likely a tree removal service) and sift through their "crappy wood" pile. chances are they will have a pile of wood that is not safe to cook on or burn such as mulberry, salt cedar should be in that pile. also talk with Colorado's public land management office. I have attached some photos to help you distinguish the species. They like to grow in sandy soil.


----------



## shopgirl

Thanks again awise. I will contact the local tree removal services and the folks selling firewood. If hit a dead end I will certainly let you know. I'm not looking for too much. Just a small bundle for now. :thumbsup:


----------



## surfing813

much prettier on the inside...


----------



## mikeswoods

Shopgirl---you have gotten some great advise on locating exotic local woods----

Do check with tree services--also ask if they drop wood at a local sawyer---and get the phone number of the wood cutter----local mills are an amazing source for unusual wood for projects---


----------



## shopgirl

*Exhausted resources*



awise said:


> Shopgirl,
> 
> Just to let you know, there are Tamarisk (salt Cedar) in Colorado. if you would like to get your hands on some locally i would talk to someone who speacializes in tree removal. they would likely have some on hand, know of a job in the future where they would be removing some or know of a place where they have dumped some. If there is no joy there then i would talk to someone who sells fire wood, and a lot of it (most likely a tree removal service) and sift through their "crappy wood" pile. chances are they will have a pile of wood that is not safe to cook on or burn such as mulberry, salt cedar should be in that pile. also talk with Colorado's public land management office. I have attached some photos to help you distinguish the species. They like to grow in sandy soil.


Hello again, awise. Unfortunately, I've run into several roadblocks in finding salt cedar wood. So, if your offer still stands I would like to buy some from you once you've milled it. I'm not quite sure how much I need though. Maybe a few firewood bundles I'm guessing. 

Thank you again in advance.:smile:


----------



## shopgirl

*Buying salt cedar wood*



awise said:


> Shopgirl,
> 
> I will have plenty once i cut the trees down and mill it up so if you are looking to purchase some that shouldn't be a problem. like i said it will probably be this late spring or early summer, maybe sooner but doubtful. if you would like you can email me at [email protected] and let me know about how much you are looking to buy and what thickness and length you want the planks/boards cut to. they will be a little rough, not too skilled at the whole milling process yet, but I am planning on posting pics of the lumber on this thread after i mill it. Or if you ever travel close to the lower Colorado river chances are that you may be able to harvest some yourself. i would get in touch with arizona's BLM and ask them some questions about getting some if you would rather not wait on me. I know for a fact they hate these trees, everyone around here does.


 
Hello again, awise. Unfortunately, I've run into several roadblocks in finding salt cedar wood here in Colorado. So, if your offer still stands I would like to buy me from you once you've milled it. I'm not quite sure how much I need though. Maybe a few firewood bundles I'm guessing. 

Thank you again in advance.:smile:


----------



## Ibangwood

Hey if you if you find some I have a portable mill here in Colorado now


----------



## brown

Saw an old post. Do you ever have more salt cedar milled? I live in Roswell, but can't get salt cedar into usable form, just have logs available. [email protected]


----------



## Naturalneophyte

I've got a whole bunch of Salt Cedar (Tamarisk) and I'm wondering if its any good for small projects like jewelry boxes...etc. Is it tough on blades? Thanks.


----------



## Steve Neul

Naturalneophyte said:


> I've got a whole bunch of Salt Cedar (Tamarisk) and I'm wondering if its any good for small projects like jewelry boxes...etc. Is it tough on blades? Thanks.


I've never used it. If you google it they say the wood is very hard and hard on blades.


----------



## 35015

Naturalneophyte said:


> I've got a whole bunch of Salt Cedar (Tamarisk) and I'm wondering if its any good for small projects like jewelry boxes...etc. Is it tough on blades? Thanks.


Yes...

I have a number of colleges over the years in Tucson area that like using it because it is an invasive...

No harder than other woods of similar growth characteristics and biome orgin...

Try it, and see what you think?

Good Luck,

j


----------



## Naturalneophyte

Thanks for the replies. I'll give it a shot. If it turns out I'll post some pix.


----------



## Brian T.

Search for regional wood carving and wood turning clubs. Might be a welcome outlet.

I usually buy fresh and clean western red cedar blocks and posts from local sawmills ( 20 minutes from my house).
I carve some.
The rest, I give away to agencies for art therapy. 
Some for native Indian carving school classes.


----------

