bischovia

Tom, Bischofia, also known as Bishopwood, is a common landscape tree in south Florida. It grows very large and is usually planted in the homeowners front yard. It proiduces very nice shade but gets too large for most home sites. When cut the tree emits a red colored sap that looks very much like blood. The wood is a reddish brown color when first cut but later turns a medium to dark brown, sometimes with lighter colored streaks. It makes very nice turned bowls but because it "moves" so much during the drying process, it should be twice turned. Use a good quality end coating such as "Anchorseal" to coat the end grain. It is prone to check badly so cut it to lengths that are twice the diameter as you will lose several inches on the ends due to the checking. Leave the bark on and store in a shaded area,under cover, if possible. When properly dried after turning, the results can be well worth the effort.

I hope this helps- If you have the storage space take as much as you can turn in a years time.

Regards, Bill Sullivan Fort Myers, FL