Alder

Hi Tom

I've got a couple of links for you, saves my fingers and keyboard.

http://www.woodturn> I can't do much searching on this NG so I'll just ask the question..

Leave the bark on, provide warmth and keep moist.

Placing on end gets you to unusable rot on one end while the other may still be completely sound unless you rotate it periodically. I lay them down and rotate for more even development.

Tom, you know you have to be careful with splating Alder, right? It goes from spat to rot sooo fast that it can ruin it. I recently turned four bowls from very lightly spatted Alder that I rather like. But I (personally) never -try- to spat it. Our climate being what it is, rot can come on fast. (actually I was in Parksville on business last week)

Tom Alder is designed to rot fast, at least here on the east coast. When I was clearing blueberry and Christmas tree land of alders, I would cut them back with a bush saw and let them regrow (fast) to about 6" and then apply Roundup to kill the root. After a couple of months the roots would be so rotten that you could kick them from the ground. It will spalt in a hurry if it is left on the ground, but it will also rot fast. We do not try to spalt it here, we just turn it before it rots and hope the spalting is not too far gone.

Hello Tom,

It may be easier to walk through 2 year old logging slash with your saw and sample the alders laying on the ground. We certainly don't have a shortage of spalted alder.

regards...Ken (Qualicum Bay)

Left coast tree is a lot different.

That's probably a beter idea Ken. And, after our recent winds there will be a lot more to chose from :>)

Yup, trees down -everywhere-