California pepper tree - experience?

Anyone ever tried turning Schinus molle (California pepper tree)? A big one is coming down in my yard this week. A trial branch I cut off yesterday (4 inch d.) is releasing a milky substance just below the bark. Time for sealing?

Reply to
Max63
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I turned a bunch of what we call "Fresno Pepper" last summer... might be the same?

Shaggy bark, non bearing, whitish brown wood??

I turned it very wet and was glad that I did... it got very hard and brittle later when I turned some dry..

Slight smell of pepper and a bit of nostril burn that I thought was my imagination until my wife walked into the shop and felt the same thing...

I went for thin and finished because the wood was letting me sand it to 600.. a big surprise for wet wood!

They warped wonderfully and sold very well..

BTW: the tree was taken down by the local power company and the homeowner wanted the wood out of her yard... I was expecting dry, cracked wood as it had been down for a month or so and cut into 2' sections...

I was really surprised when the chain saw found very wet wood with little or no cracking, especially in the Central Valley heat! Mac

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Reply to
mac davis

If you're talking about the one that usually develops a lumpy bumpy trunk, drops little pale yellow flowerettes and later pinkish red seed cases and has milky white sap - it starts out with a LOT of moisture and is somewhat elastic - the wood will squeeze under any pressure from the tool and bounces back immediately after. SHARP edges are a must. Dries very fast even in small diameter pieces since it all seems to be more porous sapwood - almost no discernable grain or color when "green" and not much different when dry -other than a crack or two.

Hell it's wood - it's free - turn it!

charlie b

Reply to
charlie b

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