Hello all,
Well, it's the season for people to start doing DIY tree-trimming again.
For some reason, everyone I know seems to be cutting up apple trees this year- either topping them to make the fruit easier to reach, or knocking them down altogether.
Before I did any turning with it, I did a quick google image search to see what I might be getting out of the 4' piece of trunk I got from a guy at work, and there seemed to be a real lack of turnings made from the stuff.
I know fruit woods have a reputation for cracking, but I've turned a few bowls out of the stuff already from wet to finished (with translucent walls, to make sure it's dry) and it's superb to work with- it not only smells nice, but there was no cracking, and very little distortion. Surprisingly (to me, at least) it seems to be more stable than maple or birch, and almost similar to willow.
The guy who cut down the tree didn't eat the apples from it, so I am guessing that it was a random cider apple tree, and not one of the prized varieties you might find in an orchard- that may make a difference, though I don't know enough about fruit trees to know.
So, if any of you other folks get a chance to get your hands on some of this, it's worth giving it a spin- the stuff I've got has a nice dark star-shaped heart that contrasts really well with the creamy sapwood, and looks great finished. It's also easy to hollow- at least in the face grain. I think I'm going to make a nice big vase from it tomorrow... it's been a while since I made one of those. I'll see if it still is easy to hollow in the end-grain, or if that will be the thing that makes me curse it!