# The Walnut tree



## Paul Chapman (21 Dec 2008)

I used to have two Walnut trees in my garden but, unfortunately, one of them died earlier this year. On Monday I had it taken down by a local tree surgeon and this is what it amounted to

















Quite a few branches and lots of sapwood but also some useful-looking larger pieces with some reasonable heartwood.

I had a word with Paul (Chisel) who is into converting wood mainly for wood turning, Rob (Woodbloke) and Pete (Newt) who's advice I always respect, and Richard Jones who gave me some good advice about the useability of various parts of a tree. Following that, Paul (Chisel) came around today and we started converting the timber with a view to, hopefully, using it one day to make something nice.

Here's Paul getting stuck in with his chainsaw






Thirsty work






Some nice-looking stuff






It's very heavy lifting it into the trailer






The next stage is to pop down to Paul's place and start putting it through the bandsaw.

I'll let you know how we get on......

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## wizer (21 Dec 2008)

wow! Something I never thought of when looking for a new house:

1. Workshop Space.
2. Usable Trees.

:lol: 

Look forward to seeing them in plank form. How and How long are you going to dry them for?


----------



## Paul Chapman (21 Dec 2008)

Hi Wizer,

Never done anything like this before so it's all a bit of an experiment. I'll follow the usual advice about one year per inch for air drying and then bring it in somewhere warmer to lower the MC further - although I'm letting Chisel have some for turning, so he might do some of that green.

Sort of suck-it-and-see  

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## woodbloke (21 Dec 2008)

Paul - looks like there's some nice stuff inside that log. Sizes will be on the small size but I reckon with care in selection and drying of the timber there's a half decent project or four in there. I'd put it in stick outside somewhere (under cover) with a good circulation of air for a year or two and then move it into your unheated 'shop for a bit longer - Rob :ho2


----------



## Paul Chapman (21 Dec 2008)

Yes, that sounds about right, Rob. We didn't manage to get it all cut up today, so there's more to do, but it's looking promising  Chisel worked really hard but I kept him going with pork pies :lol: 

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## MikeG. (21 Dec 2008)

Damn you greedy people with spinny things!!!!!  You should be taking just the twigs and the nuts and be grateful, and leaving the proper wood for planking for furniture!! :wink: 

English walnut is worth a fortune! You lucky people.......

Mike

(I hope the irony and jealousy comes across as it was meant to...)


----------



## paulm (21 Dec 2008)

I only do so many logs to the pork pie before I need refuelling :lol: 

It's an interesting dilemma with the tree. Not really large enough and enough useable clean heartwood to make it worthwhile hiring a portable saw mill and having it milled through and through on site, but the pieces were too large and waaaay to heavy to handle safely even for a couple of fit young guys like us :lol: 

So the pragmatic solution was to compromise on length of the pieces and reduce it to a size where we have a figthing chance of getting it through the bandsaw which can manage 10" to 12" under the guides, assuming we can lift it on there in the first place !!! :shock: 

Ian at Dragon Saws managed to send some new heavy duty ripping blades for the bandsaw before he shut for Xmas, and the 1" 1.3tpi ripping blade is mounted and ready for action. It's a bit of a beast and will be interesting to see how it and the machine copy with some more heavy duty action, though I have used in this way before and quite successfully.

The plan (tentative !) is to cut along the length of the logs at 90 degrees to the long cut face using the chainsaw again, to remove some of the sapwood on both sides, create a flat surface and reduce the height to safely fit the bandsaw, then cut through and through for some decent width planks of varying thickness and around 3' in length. 

Bit of a compromise, but we're having to live with the equipment available, and I think there will be plenty of decent material for smaller projects, boxes, panels, and of course maybe the odd bowl and other spinny type thing :wink: 

Hopefully we'll be able to do justice to the timber, the heartwood looks beautiful close up, and not end up with a couple of knackered backs in the process :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Digit (21 Dec 2008)

> (I hope the irony and jealousy comes across as it was meant to...)



Oh yes Mike, we got it! :lol: 

Roy.


----------



## Nick Gibbs (21 Dec 2008)

That looks like gorgeous walnut. My favourite wood. Anything made for timber you've felled and processed yourself takes on a different meaning, I think. I'd love to see what you make of it.

Cheers

Nick


----------



## wills-mill (21 Dec 2008)

Lovely stuff.....

If you're struggling to get it on the bandsaw table and want to have a play over the holidays with a mobile mill you're welcome to bring it down to me, I'm about 20 mins from Dorking.

Walnut is always a treat 8)


----------



## Mattty (21 Dec 2008)

MMMM that looks like it will be very nice. As someone already said, projects made from timber harvested yourself are even more rewarding. :mrgreen:


----------



## woodbloke (22 Dec 2008)

Mike Garnham":26rmzeed said:


> (I hope the irony and jealousy comes across as it was meant to...)



Noted :lol: 

Fwiw, I once bought a complete butt of English Walnut (2.5m x 600 x 60mm) and transported each board one at a time back to college in a Hillman Imp (the rear window lifted so I could put the front on the dash and have the back end sticking out of the window). The butt cost me the princely sum of £75...but it was in 1977. Happy days - Rob :ho2


----------



## mahking51 (22 Dec 2008)

> I only do so many logs to the pork pie before I need refuelling


Good job it wasn't me.... :lol: :lol: 
From the first pic of Chisel I thought it was interesting where his ears grow, assuming they are under the ear defenders!  
Lovely wood Paul, I had a look a a huge tree near me that just fell down but it was as rotten as could be and could not see any mileage in it.
Cheers,
Martin


----------



## OPJ (22 Dec 2008)

Great work, guys!  English walnut is hard to come by in many parts of the country. I've now seen what the English stuff can look like at college and all I can say is that the American stuff doesn't compare!  :wink: 

Did you not take any photo's of the resawing???  If you're after "inch" boards, how thick did you actually cut them? 30mm?

Getting rid of the sapwood sounds like a great idea as it leaves those nasty little insects with a lot less to feed on! :wink:


----------



## woodbloke (22 Dec 2008)

OPJ":62sce3lb said:


> Great work, guys!  English walnut is hard to come by in many parts of the country. I've now seen what the English stuff can look like at college and all I can say is that the American stuff doesn't compare!  :wink:



Have a look at Barnsley furniture to really see what can be done with English Walnut - Rob


----------



## paulm (22 Dec 2008)

Had a busy old morning this morning, Paul arrived mid-morning and we unloaded the trailer, some pieces into the shed/woodstore and some into the workshop, hadn't got any lighter overnight unfortunately :lol: 

We successfully planked one of the half logs on the bandsaw, ran it through to take most of the sapwood off both sides to reduce the overall height and make it fit the 12" saw capacity, then took off the top plank of sapwood off the top, cutting the heartwood into two 60mm planks about 900mm long.

Took a long time as the saw cuts slowly at that depth, and a lot of waste wood for suprisingly little end product, but the figuring was fantastic and I think Paul was well chuffed !

It's gone back in the boot of his car to dry off some more at his home, and I reckon will cut down further later into some beautiful figured panels for a small cabinet or similar.

By the time we had done that and emptied the trailer and had some lunch it was time for Paul to head back.

I'll try a couple more pieces (the lighter ones!) myself in the workshop, probably tomorrow now, and see how I get on, the heavier ones are probably a two man job to do safely so Paul will be round again soon sometime probably after Xmas and see what more we can get done.

Long slow job and hard work, but the results are stunning, albeit with a high sapwood to heart ratio, but that should be fine in smaller work pieces hopefully.

Think Paul has another photo or two to post later when he gets back.

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Paul Chapman (22 Dec 2008)

Well, I've just arrived back home. Here's a picture of what we found when we cut the log \/ 






I think I like this log conversion lark    

Let's hope the drying goes well........

Thanks for all your help, Paul - and be careful lifting those logs :wink: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## paulm (23 Dec 2008)

Fantastic figuring Paul, looks terrific  

Cheers, Paul


----------



## OPJ (23 Dec 2008)

Even with around 40% sapwood, the figuring does indeed look stunning! You could certainly get some nice book-matched panels or similar in a year's time. :wink: 

Will you be sealing the ends to try and prevent them from splitting as the wood dries?


----------



## Paul Chapman (23 Dec 2008)

OPJ":3syrv6qm said:


> Will you be sealing the ends to try and prevent them from splitting as the wood dries?



Hi OPJ,

Yes, the ends are sealed, the panels are 'in stick' and my fingers are crossed  

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## paulm (23 Dec 2008)

Managed to do a couple more logs this morning Paul, straightforwards now the saw and run-off arrangement is set-up, took about an hour to sort these two, nice and easy is best with 12" thick wet timber like this







Same as the last ones 60 to 70mm thick, have moved them out of the workshop and back to the unheated shed for safety, keep those fingers crossed  

Will try one of the bigger logs a bit later when I've had a breather :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## wizer (23 Dec 2008)

It's so beautiful. Can't wait to see what Chisel can do with it on the lathe.


----------



## Paul Chapman (23 Dec 2008)

chisel":2jj5zwxw said:


> Managed to do a couple more logs this morning Paul



Looking good, Paul \/ :deer 

Cheers :ho2 

Paul

PS. I like your new avatar 8) 8)


----------



## HeathRobinson (23 Dec 2008)

Hehe. I like the new avatar Chisel! Looks like you guys have been having a lot of fun.

A walnut tree eh? I've heard that they can be tapped and the sap boiled into something like maple syrup but with a slightly different flavour. I've never seen walnut syrup sold so I'm guessing that people have decided it's not worth the trouble but I'd like to give it a try some time. I'm a major maple syrup fan and the flavour is reportedly similar. 

Suppose that the act of tapping the tree would ruin the wood in the area of the tap for future woodworking. Still it'd be interesting to try. Give the wood a lick for me please Chisel and report back your flavorsome findings. Mind the bandsaw blade as you go though :lol: 

Simon


----------



## paulm (23 Dec 2008)

HeathRobinson":15ec8sd8 said:


> Hehe. I like the new avatar Chisel!
> Give the wood a lick for me please Chisel and report back your flavorsome findings. Mind the bandsaw blade as you go though :lol:
> 
> Simon



Had a bit of trouble sizing the new avatar, pic' courtesy of Paul C :lol: Hopefully about the right size now ?

I can imagine the sap tastes nice actually, the wet wood when just cut smells quite sweet :shock: 

Of course you get walnut oil but I imagine thats from the pressed nuts ?

Don't think I'll be doing any tasting though Simon, but I'll save you an offcut to try for yourself and you can let me know how you get on :lol: 

Cheers, Paul :ho2


----------



## Paul Chapman (23 Dec 2008)

chisel":2q98dr7t said:


> I imagine thats from the pressed nuts ?



Yes.....be careful where you drop those logs :shock: :shock: :lol: 

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## Chems (23 Dec 2008)

Hoping I don't sound really stupid, but is the sap wood the lighter colour the wood?


----------



## Paul Chapman (23 Dec 2008)

Chems":8kfrfsko said:


> Hoping I don't sound really stupid, but is the sap wood the lighter colour the wood?



No, you don't sound stupid and yes, the lighter wood is the sap wood.

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## Chems (23 Dec 2008)




----------



## dickm (23 Dec 2008)

HeathRobinson":2ji9uh3a said:


> I've heard that they can be tapped and the sap boiled into something like maple syrup but with a slightly different flavour. I've never seen walnut syrup sold so I'm guessing that people have decided it's not worth the trouble but I'd like to give it a try some time. I'm a major maple syrup fan and the flavour is reportedly similar.



Interesting. I had to prune a branch out of our walnut tree at the last house, and followed the advice to do it in winter, but sap still <poured> out of the cut for a day or more. I'd assumed the sap was possibly toxic, given the herbicidal properties of walnuts, but maybe that's only a problem if you're a plant.


----------



## HeathRobinson (23 Dec 2008)

Yeap, walnut, birch, maple of course, and even grape vines are said to be tappable for syrup. I'm leading the thread astray though, back to the adventures of the two Pauls and their walnut. Must make a note to revisit this thread each year to keep an eye on the drying progress. This could turn out to be the longest running thread on UK workshop ever! :lol:


----------



## paulm (23 Dec 2008)

wizer":21h6cvfd said:


> It's so beautiful. Can't wait to see what Chisel can do with it on the lathe.



Cut a piece for turning this afternoon, should get a nice big bowl around 12" diameter by about 5" deep hopefully. Just a square blank at the moment, need to cut the corners and some waste off before I can rough it out, then leave oversize to dry out some more.

Makes me wish I had a bowl saver type tool to take the core out first rather than turning to shavings :shock:  Only problem is they are pretty expensive and hard to justify unless you are doing a lot of turning of expensive timbers rather than the ash, sycamore, beech etc I usually do.

Will hopefully be a nice simple shape to show off the timber to best effect, and something to get use at home for salads, fruit etc, but will take a few months to stabilise and finish after initial turning, so don't expect to see much anytime soon :lol: 

Cheers, Paul :ho2


----------



## Paul Chapman (23 Dec 2008)

dickm":mb2ka13n said:


> Interesting. I had to prune a branch out of our walnut tree at the last house, and followed the advice to do it in winter, but sap still <poured> out of the cut for a day or more.



Dick,

All the advice I have received says that, unlike other trees, Walnuts should be pruned in the summer after all the leaves have formed, otherwise they can bleed to death. As you found, when you do it in the winter, water pours out of the cut for ages.

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## paulm (24 Dec 2008)

Paul Chapman":3efyka26 said:


> dickm":3efyka26 said:
> 
> 
> > Interesting. I had to prune a branch out of our walnut tree at the last house, and followed the advice to do it in winter, but sap still <poured> out of the cut for a day or more.
> ...



Never knew that Paul, interesting that it's pretty much the opposite of what you are supposed to do for other trees.

Think I may take a break from the workshop today, too much to do getting ready for Xmas, at least that's what swmbo is telling me :lol: 

We'll see, might sneak in there later if all goes well....... and she's not looking :lol: 

Cheers, Paul :ho2


----------



## woodbloke (24 Dec 2008)

Chisel wrote:


> We'll see, might sneak in there later if all goes well....... and she's not looking



I've been banned from going out to the 'shop   - Rob


----------



## Lord Nibbo (24 Dec 2008)

Chems":3f6rzpc2 said:


> It didnt look darker like Lord Nimbo's whos design that is.


In some projects I think sapwood can look attractive. Chems do you have a shade already for the lamp? We have found it very expensive to buy shades that suit the lamp. At present we need to buy three new ones and the cheapest I can find are about £30 each :shock:


----------



## Paul Chapman (24 Dec 2008)

chisel":1wfrdt8f said:


> Never knew that Paul, interesting that it's pretty much the opposite of what you are supposed to do for other trees.



Yes, I was going to have mine cut back a bit this summer but then one of them died on me before I could get it done  Now that we've had it taken down the squirrels are wandering around looking a bit confused :? That'll teach 'em to eat all my nuts........

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


----------



## paulm (1 Jan 2009)

Off to Paul's again in the morning to sort out and bring back some more of his walnut tree \/ 

Oh, nearly forgot, and to take a few slabs of it back to his place  :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## paulm (1 Jan 2009)

Here's the first spinney thing from Paul's tree bieng roughed out

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... 1&start=15

Looking good  

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Paul Chapman (1 Jan 2009)

Smart move, Paul - so next time I meet Debbie, it will be me and my tree that get the blame for you buying even more tools :roll: :lol: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## paulm (1 Jan 2009)

Paul Chapman":1lq3mlt5 said:


> Smart move, Paul - so next time I meet Debbie, it will be me and my tree that get the blame for you buying even more tools :roll: :lol:
> 
> Cheers :wink:
> 
> Paul



Yep, absolutely Paul, it's _all_ your fault, surprised you're brave enough to venture back again :shock: 

If I were you I would just write off all the walnut slabs and keep your distance and good health in case swmbo catches you :wink: :lol: :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Paul Chapman (2 Jan 2009)

Paul popped round today with some of the Walnut which he had cut into planks on his bandsaw. Looks like some nice stuff












I'll be storing this in a sheltered spot in the garden to dry out.

We cut up the remaining good logs which had reasonable amounts of heartwood and Paul has taken these back to his place. I'll be popping down there tomorrow to help cut up the larger pieces on the bandsaw.

Overall we are really pleased with how much good stuff there was on this tree.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## paulm (2 Jan 2009)

Just back home having safely negotiated the M25 and M3 with a car and trailer load of finest walnut, amazing how boring it is driving all those miles at 50mph :lol: 

It was a heavy old load again though so safest taking it easy, legal limits for trailers aside. 

Haven't unloaded it yet, discovered I feel pretty knackered for some reason :roll: so will tackle it fresh in the morning.

It's a good looking haul you've got there Paul, I was sad to see it go, looked right at home in my woodshed :lol: 

I do have a fresh trailer load though as you say and much of that is destined to become turning blanks I suspect, and I'm not short of the odd bit of wood as it is, as you know  

Looking forwards to tomorrow.

Cheers, Paul


----------



## woodbloke (2 Jan 2009)

chisel":3hs5aqiw said:


> ...and I'm not short of the odd bit of wood as it is, as you know
> 
> Looking forwards to tomorrow.
> 
> Cheers, Paul


 
Now that's *gota* be the first understatement of '09...nice load Paul :wink: the merest hint of a gloat in there? - Rob


----------



## joesoap (2 Jan 2009)

What a great thread this has turned (pun not intended)out to be , but tell me , does two Pauls and a walnut = a Paulnut ??? 
Seriously though , as I have just recently started out on the tree trail and been reading about it I would say I have just gleaned some very practical and useful info on what it's about from , .let's say a 'hobbyist' situation .
What makes it feel more ''hands on like'' is the advice and points of view contained within the input of the more and the less experienced members if you get my drift***d . 
I'm still proud of my 4' x16 ''dia Birch log ,felled by my own hands , well almost my own , question is , will I hold out the required two year for dry or lose patience and lash out on a lathe and go green and whirly ??? only time will tell . 
But well done to the two Pauls and a wood new year to all for 2009 
Cheers !


----------



## paulm (2 Jan 2009)

woodbloke":1o7eyf83 said:


> chisel":1o7eyf83 said:
> 
> 
> > ...and I'm not short of the odd bit of wood as it is, as you know
> ...



No idea what you mean Rob  :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Paul Chapman (2 Jan 2009)

joesoap":2zz7sdt7 said:


> What a great thread this has turned (pun not intended)out to be



Thanks, Joe  This is all new stuff for me and only came about because the tree died on me  I've never tried converting timber before, so there's a big element of trial and error.

I'd like to publicly say a very big "thank you" to the other Paul for all his help - I really couldn't have done any of this without him :wink: 

Paul (the other one) and I hope to keep this thread going with stuff we eventually make from the wood, so watch this space.........

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## joesoap (2 Jan 2009)

Paul Chapman":mhud8099 said:


> joesoap":mhud8099 said:
> 
> 
> > What a great thread this has turned (pun not intended)out to be
> ...


I sure will Paul and look forward to each post on it . Cheers !


----------



## wizer (2 Jan 2009)

It's a waiting game now. We'll all be a bit older before it gets used


----------



## paulm (4 Jan 2009)

Some more of the walnut bieng used here

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... 122#327122

Lovely stuff  

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Mr Ed (4 Jan 2009)

Very interesting Paul.

The bowlsaver you have bought appears to be a higher tech version of this, which I enjyed watching the other day;

http://greenwood-carving.blogspot.com/2 ... bowls.html

Cheers, Ed


----------



## paulm (5 Jan 2009)

EdSutton":rmdeogdm said:


> Very interesting Paul.
> 
> The bowlsaver you have bought appears to be a higher tech version of this, which I enjyed watching the other day;
> 
> ...



Yes, saw that Ed, very interesting isn't it. Just goes to show there are few really new ideas around, and if you have the skills and ingenuity to design and make your own tools you can have a lot of fun and save a lot of money in the process !

Cheers, Paul


----------



## paulm (19 Feb 2012)

Thought I would post an update with a platter turned last week from a lovely piece of Paul C's walnut tree. 

This was the inside cored from a much larger bowl blank, and being one of my early attempts at coring I had managed to make it too shallow really for a bowl, so it had been languishing in my workshop for ages waiting for inspiration !

About 12" diameter, finished with several coats of danish oil and then a couple of wax.





















First platter I've done for a long time, quite pleased with it 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Paul Chapman (19 Feb 2012)

Very nice, Paul  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## woodbloke (19 Feb 2012)

Paul Chapman":2yvrbbxr said:


> Very nice, Paul
> 
> Cheers :wink:
> 
> Paul


...agreed, apart from the sap :lol: - Rob


----------



## monkeybiter (19 Feb 2012)

Just spent 3/4hr reading this old thread and it's offshoots, very interesting and glad I did. What beautiful wood! And that platter is very deceptive, I couldn't get any hint of the shape until I saw the profile, must be the nicely flowing curves.


----------



## woodbloke (19 Feb 2012)

I have one of Paul's platters as well:






...this one he kindly turned for me from a lump of lacewood around 35mm thick, so not much to play with. It now sits in the lounge and we use it as our second fruit bowl and arrived on Christmas Eve 2010, so a very nice extra Chrimbo present that year  - Rob


----------



## paulm (19 Feb 2012)

monkeybiter":2psc7hhi said:


> Just spent 3/4hr reading this old thread and it's offshoots, very interesting and glad I did. What beautiful wood! And that platter is very deceptive, I couldn't get any hint of the shape until I saw the profile, must be the nicely flowing curves.



The photo's aren't great and don't really give the depth and richness of colour, but wanted to avoid sharp transitions and edges in the shape so as not to detract from the figuring and colour. 

Could get hooked on this woodturning lark :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## woodbloke (19 Feb 2012)

paulm":l6dmipqb said:


> Could get hooked on this woodturning lark :lol:
> 
> Cheers, Paul


You already are Paul...that lathe of yours could give the Tirpitz a run for it's money! :lol: - Rob


----------



## paulm (19 Feb 2012)

You might be right there Rob :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## paulm (8 Jun 2012)

A follow on project from this old thread and another piece of PaulC's tree, yep, yet another bowl :roll: :lol: 

This had been cored and rough turned ages ago and I kept putting it off as it had developed a largish split in one side through the heartwood, but finally got around to giving it a go.

It's a large one ! 15" x 5 or 6", finished with four coats of danish and then a couple of coats of woodwax.

Pic's aren't great, just used the iphone as didn't have the camera to hand:-

















The next one isn't from PaulC's tree, but from a neighbours walnut tree I salvaged from them a couple of years ago and have been drying the timber out. Not as good as your's Paul unfortunately :wink: , not as much heartwood and some large areas of rot to contend with.











This one is a tiddly 6" x 2 1/2" and has had a couple of coats of oil so not yet fully finished.

Here it is beside the rest of the same blank that was cored out and has been drying in the rough and needs to be finish turned too, four decent bowls hopefully from the same piece, fingers crossed.






Only problem is that there was a very large area of rot through one side of the complete blank, I have filled that with superglue and dust/shavings and seems pretty solid, but not sure how will it will stand up to turning and how it will finish. Worst case I guess I can dremel it out and make a feature of it in the set of bowls :lol: 

You can see in the background some of the rest of the neighbours walnut that I have been converting, some into decent sized bowl blanks (not in pics) but some into 1" and 1 1/2" planks for other non-turning uses yet to be decided. Here's some more getting in the way !






Not the best walnut as it was summer felled unfortunately so the non-heartwood areas (or sap to you Rob :lol: ) are a bit discoloured and the heartwood areas are quite small, but there is some attractive figuring and colouring nonetheless that would look good in box lids or small cabinet doors or similar as "features" ! Better than using for firewood anyway :shock: :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## jimi43 (8 Jun 2012)

I'm not a huge fan of bowls Paul but that one is stunning! =D> 

But the best bit is the loo you are building on the right...that's going to be stunning! :mrgreen: :wink: 

Seriously....I am (not so) green with envy!

Jim


----------



## Paul Chapman (8 Jun 2012)

Very nice work, as always, Paul.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## paulm (8 Jun 2012)

jimi43":1br57kr0 said:


> But the best bit is the loo you are building on the right...that's going to be stunning! :mrgreen: :wink:
> Jim



Took me quite a while to figure that one out Jim before I could see it :lol: 

I ran out of spacers so resorted to balancing them on end temporarily to let the air flow, as still a bit damp inside despite having been left for a couple of years in the round, not surprising really I guess.

Cheers, Paul


----------



## jimi43 (8 Jun 2012)

paulm":278y8ibg said:


> jimi43":278y8ibg said:
> 
> 
> > But the best bit is the loo you are building on the right...that's going to be stunning! :mrgreen: :wink:
> ...



Sometimes I just see funny thinks Paul...thanks for the laugh!

Jim


----------



## woodbloke (8 Jun 2012)

paulm":wgt9knp9 said:


> ...unfortunately so the non-heartwood areas (or sap to you Rob :lol: )
> 
> Cheers, Paul


All looks good from this end Paul. Mind you, if any of that walnut is getting in the way, you could always lob a bit my way. Fat chance of that happening though :lol: :lol: - Rob, (who's just bought a load)


----------



## Saxwood (8 Jun 2012)

Very satisfying work indeed


----------



## paulm (10 Jun 2012)

Paul C turned up a small walnut bowl at my place a while back as his first introduction to bowl making on a lathe, and very successful it was too. Having given that one as a gift to his son Scott a while ago another was needed for Paul's daughter Amy, who asked for a deeper version if possible.

Not having his own Record DML24 lathe set up yet ( get a move on Paul (hammer) :lol: ), Paul came over today for a refresher and one of the few remaining turning blanks from his tree that I haven't converted yet, and a fun and productive day was had with a bit of turning interspersed with suitably frequent coffee, fag and food breaks and a bit of resting in the garden !

Paul has a natural feel for woodworking and cutting tools of all types and picked up quite easily from where he had left off a couple of years (?) or so ago, soon turning a very rough looking blank into a very decent deep bowl, with minimal help from me.

Forgot to take any pics of the blank but here's some of the work in progress











A big pile of shavings for such a small bowl :shock: :lol: 






(Most of the shavings were actually already there from my previous big bowl earlier in the week !)

And the nearly finished article






Paul's taken it home this evening to oil up and take some closer pics, the figuring and colour should come up a treat when oiled.

Hope Amy like's it Paul, you did a great job =D> 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Harbo (10 Jun 2012)

Very nice - pity the shavings don't make roll ups?? 

Rod


----------



## Paul Chapman (10 Jun 2012)

Many thanks for a great day, Paul  The bowl has already had its first coat of oil and it's looking great. I'll take some snaps and post them up when I've finished oiling and polishing it later in the week.

Thanks again for the tuition and for the lovely lunch.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## Blister (10 Jun 2012)

Isn't this great , people with the same interests sharing each other company 

I had some open house events some years ago hoping to make some woodey friends , but alas this has not happened :? they came they used and went :mrgreen: 

Great to see 

thanks for showing us =D>


----------



## paulm (10 Jun 2012)

Harbo":2chn88pv said:


> Very nice - pity the shavings don't make roll ups??
> 
> Rod



Interesting idea Rod, maybe they would, though I don't plan on being the one to find out :lol: 

Wonder if they would be any good on the bbq though for smoking food ? Might give that a go perhaps, otherwise destined for the paths in the veg' garden or the compost bins !

Cheers, Paul


----------



## paulm (10 Jun 2012)

Blister":3fb2uvw0 said:


> Isn't this great , people with the same interests sharing each other company
> 
> I had some open house events some years ago hoping to make some woodey friends , but alas this has not happened :? they came they used and went :mrgreen:
> 
> ...



It is great Allen, the internet and forums are great for finding like minded people, otherwise we would all be beavering away by ourselves in our sheds and nobody to share stuff with, which wouldn't be half as much fun !

You're welcome to visit anytime if you fancy a day of turning and tea and biscuits and a chat  

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Blister (10 Jun 2012)

> You're welcome to visit anytime if you fancy a day of turning and tea and biscuits and a chat



I may just take you up on that offer :mrgreen:


----------



## Paul Chapman (10 Jun 2012)

paulm":10emitav said:


> Harbo":10emitav said:
> 
> 
> > Very nice - pity the shavings don't make roll ups??
> ...



I'll give it a go :lol: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## jimi43 (10 Jun 2012)

Harbo":2vu9un6c said:


> Very nice - pity the shavings don't make roll ups??
> 
> Rod



You could always plait them together into a long strand....make a walnut whip!

 

I'll get my raincoat! :mrgreen: 

Jim


----------



## woodbloke (11 Jun 2012)

paulm":1fkjr34k said:


> l


Nice head gear Paul...almost the same shade as Jims smurf shirt :mrgreen: :lol: - Rob


----------



## Paul Chapman (11 Jun 2012)

woodbloke":1dold3lg said:


> Nice head gear Paul...almost the same shade as Jims smurf shirt :mrgreen: :lol:



Thanks. If I really get into this wood turning lark, I'll probably have to grow a beard as well...... :lol: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## Paul Chapman (12 Jun 2012)

I finished the bowl today






I gave it four coats of Danish oil, rubbing down with Webrax between coats and then finished it with Liberon Black Bison clear wax. Overall I'm very pleased with it, given that it's only the second bowl I've turned.

The final test came this afternoon when I drove round to see Amy and gave her the bowl. She thought it was very nice  

Thanks again for all your help, Paul.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## paulm (12 Jun 2012)

You're welcome Paul 

The oil brought the heartwood out nicely, and the wax gives it a nice soft sheen. Glad Amy likes it 

Nice sharp picture of it too, is that with your new camera ? :wink: 

And where's the pics of the other bits and pieces you brought round, I liked those ? 8) 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## jimi43 (12 Jun 2012)

Lovely wood...good old English walnut...and it never ceases to amaze me why it is not planted all over the villages as it used to be as it is relatively fast growing (compared with continental drift anyway)! :mrgreen: 

Reading the "Village Carpenter" it seems that the aforementioned made sure a copse or two of good old walnut to supply them with quality English hardwoods for future generations.

The grain in that bowl Paul is amazing! Bravo! =D> 

Jim


----------



## Paul Chapman (13 Jun 2012)

paulm":2mj7lnxq said:


> And where's the pics of the other bits and pieces you brought round, I liked those ? 8)



Shhhhhh :-$ All in good time :lol: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## paulm (14 Nov 2013)

Paul C recently had his second (and last  ) walnut tree taken down as it had died and was potentially dangerous, and yesterday I made the trip over to help out and eat my own weight in pork pies and cups of tea :lol: 

After a cuppa and catch up to recover from the trip down the M3 and M25 we got stuck into the work and were so keen that we didn't think to take any before pictures :roll: 

Wasn't a massive tree though and a few hours work, fitted in around food and drink breaks, saw it pretty much all sorted, slabbed up and reduced to manageable size pieces by the time the light, and my back, started to go later in the day !

Survived the return trip round the M25 and didn't have the energy to unload the jeep at this end, other than the chainsaws just in case anybody took a liking to them, and finished unpacking this morning.

Paul kindly let me have some nice lumps of the walnut to take home and convert to turning blanks, and I forgot to take photos as I was unloading, but remembered in time to take some shots of a couple of the pieces as I was moving them into the workshop.

This slab was probably about 4' tall and 8 to 10" thick, any bigger and I wouldn't be able to handle it !





Some good heartwood throughout the tree and in particular on the larger slabs from near the base.









If you look carefully at the last picture above, top left of the slab, you can see the end of a thick nail that I discovered while slabbing it up with the Alaskan mill and my big husky saw with a nearly new chain fitted :evil: Made an innocuous quiet snicking noise as it cut through the nail without hardly noticing, but closer examination showed it had taken the top off of one tooth entirely and created havoc with a few others as well ! 

Managed to heave the slabs into the workshop and then end sealed both ends, and will leave them to dry out a bit more before deciding how best to break them down further, and to let my back recover :lol: 

I think Paul C is going to take some more photos of the days efforts, or the end results at least, and post them up when he gets a minute, but I was so chuffed at the days efforts and the end results that I thought I would post this up in the meantime as an appetiser :wink: 

Cheers, Paul


----------



## jimi43 (14 Nov 2013)

All I can say is WOW...the true beauty of wood all in a few slabs!

Astounding stock...and really thank you for sharing!

Jimi


----------



## Paul Chapman (14 Nov 2013)

paulm":31vudhrb said:


> Paul C recently had his second (and last  ) walnut tree taken down as it had died and was potentially dangerous, and yesterday I made the trip over to help out and eat my own weight in pork pies and cups of tea :lol:



Sod's law - just as we were getting the hang of it, I ran out of Walnut trees :lol: 

I'll post up some photos of some of the other bits when I have a minute.

Many thanks for your help, Paul - much appreciated.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## Doug B (14 Nov 2013)

That looks like some beautiful timber Paul, I look forward to seeing what you make from it.

Cheers.

Doug.


----------



## CHJ (14 Nov 2013)

Oh the agony of the wait whilst it dries out.


----------



## Paul Chapman (17 Nov 2013)

Here are a few more pictures of the tree. This is one before I had it taken down - been dead about two years





As you can see, the trunk divided in two not far from the ground





Here it is before Paulm and I started on it

































Eventually managed to get it all off the grass and get rid of the saw dust





And if it's any consolation to Paulm, I also found a nail :evil: 





All in all, a good couple of days work.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## paulm (17 Nov 2013)

I'd forgotten how much we'd managed to get done Paul, looks great 

I can always come back and take a few more bits away for you if you've nowhere to keep them :lol: 

Shame about the nails, can get a bit expensive on replacement chains :evil: Still, if that's the cost of getting such lovely timber I guess we've still done very well  

Cheers, Paul


----------



## Paul Chapman (17 Nov 2013)

paulm":xgqig6sh said:


> Shame about the nails, can get a bit expensive on replacement chains :evil: Still, if that's the cost of getting such lovely timber I guess we've still done very well



Indeed - and you get plenty of free logs for the fire  





Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------

