Log on fire after 1st board

[T Welsh]

OK Guys, Got your attention now









Anybody know what type of wood this is. I never encountered one that was big enough to saw,till we did a storm damage clean up for a canoe company and this guy had to be winched from the river. good guessing! Tim

[GAmillworker]

WOW

Havent seen anything like that.

Looking foward to someone telling us what it is.

Thanks for sharing.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Nice looking board.

I spy a Case IH tractor there... What model is it? Looks just like my dads 695 only smaller.

[Magicman]

Box Elder.

[metalspinner]

Magic beat me to it!

I'm always on the lookout for box elder.  The same beetle that turns soft maple green (Ambrosia) turns box red.  You will notice a little pin hole in the center of each of the red streaks.

[WDH]

Good old Acer negundo!

[Magicman]

Kinda like this, if you want fire.   
 

[ARKANSAWYER]

  OOOHHH! nice box elder.
  Magic them is some nice boards.

[Banjo picker]

I know where there is a couple of those on the state ROW...they better not start leaning towards the road...Tim

[5quarter]

   All box elder has that red in it. The larger the tree, generally, the more red. too bad most of it fades with time and exposure. last couple years Ive been cutting and burning as much as I can, but it grows fast! I've read somewhere that you can tap boxelder for syrup-making, though I recall that it should never be mixed with other maples, as the taste is distinctive.

[paul case]

WOW

 


PC

[Bandmill Bandit]

Can you ship me a load of them. I have a Canadian buyer for fireplace mantals that would die to have those in their inventory.

[mrcaptainbob]

Does immediately sealing the surfaces hold those colors? Or do they fade regardless?

[thechknhwk]

Does immediately sealing the surfaces hold those colors? Or do they fade regardless?

On sawmill creek they recommend sealing it with some sort of UV protectant or it is susceptible to fade.  I cannot recall what it is off the top of my head.

[5quarter]

Finishes will slow the fading, but won't stop it. The trick is to dry it fast and in the dark. after about 3 months, 4/4 lumber will be at about 12% mc. There will be some boards where the red has faded to light orange. pull those and plane them both sides and you'll see some of the red come back. Spray them with a coat of clear sealer and leave them in the shop and forget about them for 6-8 months. after that you can use them. you guys can pm me for some other tricks I use to keep the color.

   Tim...great looking log, btw.

[thechknhwk]

The ones I have in my garage have faded to pink, but I splashed some water on them to show my cousin and it came right back to as bright as it was the day I sawed it.  I assumed it would do the same when applying a clear coat like polyurethane?

[Kansas]

The ceiling in my house is box elder. It was sprayed with a couple of coats of sealer. After two years, the red is starting to dissapear.

[T Welsh]

chevytaHOE5674,Its a Case 385 4wd /2250 loader. That didnt take long. MM hit it right on the nose. It was a poor quality log and you guys are right it started to fade almost right away. has shake in it and I dont think I will keep it the owner of the canoe co saw the end grain while we where winching it from the launch area and made a comment about sawing it up. so I got around to playing with stuff(did it right after 1/4 sawn sycamore)I also put a small walnut on the mill for a gun club and hit 2 nails after 2 cuts. I stopped playing around and called it a day and yes it was a new blade Tim

[SwampDonkey]

Water based varathane with UV protectant will hold the color from the point that it gets finished. It's a very hard finish to. But the air and light will change it some before the finish is applied.

[metalspinner]

Part of the fun is the contrast between the white and red.  Using a water borne finish or lacquer will keep the white from becomng yellow, at least initially.