# A little evening milling . . .



## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Haven't posted any pics in a while & Tim's crotch pics reminded me of one I've been denim-ing for a customer. It turned out pretty nice and I'm going to keep one of them for myself since he only wanted two flitches. 

This first pair is a couple flitches I cut a few weeks ago. 









This is the crotch I just cut this evening. The light was terrible. the yellowy pics are when the sun was just above the horizon. The less yellowy but still not accurate in color are after the sun was below the horizon. These pics don't really show just how much figure this crotch has. 

































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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I started to do the Bora Care penetration test on these turning blocks this weekend but was not happy with the early results on these wet turning blocks so I abandoned the test for more fruitful endeavors. My bride & I watched a movie instead. :smile:










You can see the pooled liquid standing on the end grain. It hadn't soaked in within a couple minutes - and that was end grain. I never noticed before because I never pooled it, just brushed or sprayed it on. 










I'll probably go through with it at a later date. 






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## woodtick greg (Sep 12, 2011)

thats the fun of box elder, you never know what your going to get, sometimes it's not much and sometimes it's wow, that stuff is HOLY WOW ! :thumbsup:


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Gorgeous stuff as always, TT


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Ok.
Help me out here. What am I looking at?

Is this coloring the actual wood grain color, or are you both performing a process to these pix's?
They are absolutely beautiful and the coloring is very unique.
Box Elder? Got plenty of that around here. Never seen reds like that inside of em, but must admit I haven't cut much of it.

Thanks in advance.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Hey Bikeshooter....where you at in here:laughing::laughing:. This is what we were discussing the other day. WOW:thumbsup::thumbsup:, TT that's a trash pile tree around here, not even fit to burn...But won't happen NO more. Totally awesome. Aardvark, I'm with you here.....is there anything special about the log you cut TT??? or is it a trial and TREASURE hunt:laughing:???

The Lord was good to you and we:notworthy: (we got to see this beauty). It's just AMAZING what the Lord has hidden in them... it's like the Bible..a lot of treasure within but we don't know which nugget we'll find until we OPEN :yes::notworthy:.

Again TT you were Blessed, thanks for the pics, will accept more:laughing::shifty:.

Have a Blessed day in Jesus's Love,
Tim


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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

That is disgustingly awesome lumber TT, nice work


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

aardvark said:


> Ok.
> Help me out here. What am I looking at?
> 
> Is this coloring the actual wood grain color, or are you both performing a process to these pix's?


No not doing anything to them. The color is natural but you cannot see the accurate color of them in that pic. I'm fixing to wax them and after they dry I'll snap a few more pics to show you in a better light. 



Tennessee Tim said:


> .....is there anything special about the log you cut TT??? . . . . Have a Blessed day in Jesus's Love,
> Tim


Yes, the log is very special as you can see.  

I know what you're asking, but my patch of boxelder is just highly unusual, and as far as I can tell unparalleled in the number of flamed trees in the stand. As far as I can remember I've never cut one down that didn't have some amount of flame, and 90% of them are flamed to a high degree. 

Have a blessed day yourself, Tim. 





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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Pretty stuff, just like a lot of the specialty woods pictures hardly do it justice I know, they always look better in person (still good pictures though)

Since you brought up denim, I tried to denim some pine and spruce this summer...didn't turn out this time, too hot and dry I guess. I got a little denim pine from a standing dead, but the ones I purposely were cooking for that were a failure. Oh well.

Anyway, nice boxelder-as usual 


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## bond3737 (Nov 13, 2009)

HOLEEEEEE MOLEEEE I just, I, with the, and the, its so, I mean ahflagledum, prettiest thing ive seen wood do in terms of color. Ive read a bit about this and it seems there are two theories about where the color comes from, bug doo or simply stress in the tree, anybody have clarification on this?


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Okay, Kevin, it's official. I need some of this box elder. Check your messages and let's make this happen!


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## qbilder (Dec 19, 2010)

I'm interested in anything figured, colorful (red and blue & grey), and dry that's not all cracked. I use 1.5"x1.5"x18" turning squares. That wood is stunning. If interested in selling some, let me know. Worm holes are just fine.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Daren said:


> ...didn't turn out this time, too hot and dry I guess. . . .


I was afraid this last batch wouldn't either because we had a little dry spell ourselves - to put it lightly. So I ran the sprinkler on them during the day and off at night. That kept them moist plus kept them from checking too bad. This one checked pretty bad because it was in direct sunlight more than not. Most others were under the tree shade most of the day. 



bond3737 said:


> . . . . two theories about where the color comes from, bug doo or simply stress in the tree . . .


I think it's stress based on my observations with it. If it was the excretion itself, no way could these have the amount of red they do. The bugs excretion is not 1/100th as prevalent as the red, and I don't believe there's enough of it to "spread" like a virus to make an analogy. 

The bugs cause stress in the tree as does barbed wire etc so the tree responds by making this pretty red color, hoping that whatever is attacking it will say "Hey Bubba look at how pretty this tree is we're eating. I feel bad about this let's go eat some Ash or Walnut." And that's why the Ash & Walnut trees are dying now, because boxelder is too pretty to eat. :blink:



frankp said:


> Okay, Kevin, it's official. I need some of this box elder. Check your messages and let's make this happen!


Sorry man I am fresh out. 

















Haha. :no:

This camera really does suck though or else I'm just not as smart as it is. It's a Canon SD1400 IS. It was supposed to be a decent pocket cam but I am sorely disappointed with it. Anyone have one? 


I debarked, skip-planed, and waxed my two pieces just after lunch. Here they are. 


































I'm off to saw a few more into pieces. 





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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks for the info.
I'll be looking at these junk tree Box Elders here a bit differently now.
They don't fare (stress)well over winters and are hard to dry straight.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

TT, it's simply amazing that your stand of Boxelder is all flamed. You're lucky to have it and your customers are lucky, too. It's a beautiful, natural creation.


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

I've been meaning to ask, is the gray in the crotches, the effect of bugs, some sort of surface oxidation or spalting? Maybe none of the above.


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## fast firewood (Oct 7, 2011)

awh this is seriously nice wood. would love to see sum furniture or sumthing made from it :thumbsup:


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