My neighbor is taking down a huge (50' tall with 42" thick trunk) tree that he says is Bischofia and says I can have all I want. Has anybody worked with this before? and should I seal the whole piece of wood or just the end grain - the tree is dead and some pieces are partially dead. and would the leftover exterior paint I have work or should I use something else?
I am a verry verry newbie to turning - only 2 times but I like it.
TIA
tom
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
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.