Soaking Walnut

[WDH]

Fishpharmer,

You might be in the wrong business  .

[Ole CB]

 Thanks Everyone for helping me with this.

  The weather has dampened (snowed on our parade) any hope of getting the smaller logs worked up for now!

  ed

[boardum]

After the stick bait, who can keep up..

A friend who mills lots of oversize walut, buries them in sawdust for at least a year.

This accomplishes two things, they don't crack and the sap wood darkens to match the heart wood. He has great results.

Here on the Oregon coast we don't have to bury them, it rains enough, they might as well be in a pond. Still age them a year or so for the sap to change.

Boiling wood is usually done with difficult or impossible woods to dry. Like Madrone Burl.
Takes all the fight out of the wood, it will lay flat and not be destroyed by cell collapse.

[Ole CB]

  I've been talking to the mill operator that bought my bigger logs. He has a coustomer that wants 4/4 walnut blocks 6" square. It seems to me that the boiling process would give us more pieces without that much splitting.

  They tell me that before brick pavers they used hardwood blocks abt 16/4 X 6" for road ways. Anyone ever hear of this?? I'm old.. just don't guess I'm that old!!

[Den Socling]

I am having trouble drying black walnut from South America. North American is as easy as rolling off a log. At any rate, a guy tells me the other day that they soak their walnut in ponds before they dry it. Must be something to it.

I have dried some very hardwood from Australia called jarrah. I read that it is so hard that it was used for pavers only. It said that jarrah pavers still lay under some streets in Europe.

And those are the odd facts for the day. 

[Ole CB]

I am having trouble drying black walnut from South America. North American is as easy as rolling off a log. At any rate, a guy tells me the other day that they soak their walnut in ponds before they dry it. Must be something to it.

I have dried some very hardwood from Australia called jarrah. I read that it is so hard that it was used for pavers only. It said that jarrah pavers still lay under some streets in Europe.

And those are the odd facts for the day. 

  They told me at the mill that someone wants like 100K of these 4/4 X 6" square blocks from walnut and that they are similar to what they used as pavers in Europe. Seems like this is a new or coming deal (fad) for driveways and patios.

[boardum]

The block pavers are an interesting item.  Haven't seen those in use but would like to.

The South American Walnut sounds alot like our Claro Walnut. Best to leave on sticks a couple of years before finish drying to avoid Cell  Collapse.

Here in the NW they used a 4" x12" x 14' plank for the original roads. A friend of mine used to work for the county in the Portland area said they still from time to time find these under the existing roads. It makes a small job a large problem due to the length. Most he reported were in great shape being at or near 150 years old. Most also was Western Red Cedar.

[Ole CB]

  I have found some pics at flickr com of some wooden pavers. I cannot seem to post the link to them here.

 Those pictures shows the alley, "Behind the residence of the archbishop of Chicago. "

  Here are a couple from somewhere in Chicago.
 

[boardum]

Are the Pavers all End Grain? Are they always end Grain?

Thanks for the Photos

Boardum

[Ole CB]

Are the Pavers all End Grain? Are they always end Grain?

Thanks for the Photos

Boardum

  Boardum,

  Yes, the way I understood it, that is what they want. We were talking about making 24/4 cants and cutting the 1" blocks from them then somehow drying. It seems to me that boiling those blocks would keep the splitting to a minimum.

[boardum]

Ole,
I'd try a couple of things. As you described boiling the cuts may work great.

Also keep in mind that this was old world tech so it may be as simple as cutting everything green and using them before they dry out. In which case cutting green and dipping both ends in wax to keep them till they get to the ground may also do the trick.

I have several friends who travel and buy wood in Europe, I'll ask around for insight.

Best of luck.

[Ole CB]

Ole,
I'd try a couple of things. As you described boiling the cuts may work great.

Also keep in mind that this was old world tech so it may be as simple as cutting everything green and using them before they dry out. In which case cutting green and dipping both ends in wax to keep them till they get to the ground may also do the trick.

I have several friends who travel and buy wood in Europe, I'll ask around for insight.

Best of luck.

  Boardum,

  I had not thought about that at all..  Thanks, and let me know if you find out anything!!

ed