Fresh conifer logs

[JDW]

Hi

I've never made anything from a freshly cut log so I'd like to try.

I've had a conifer trimmed down this morning and have these logs. Would be cool to make something - from slices maybe.

Would I leave them outside (covered) to dry over summer then slice or slice first then leave to dry?

Or maybe something else...

Any thoughts appreciated, thanks.

Jim

 

[Bingy man]

I’ve no idea about using them for indoor use but I took 2 Down last year and used some of the larger stumps as rustic plant stands

Edit they were quite large but they were trimmed so a plant pot sat level .. sold the lot to a lady passing by ..

 

[Eshmiel]

Hi

I've never made anything from a freshly cut log so I'd like to try.

I've had a conifer trimmed down this morning and have these logs. Would be cool to make something - from slices maybe.

Would I leave them outside (covered) to dry over summer then slice or slice first then leave to dry?

Or maybe something else...

Any thoughts appreciated, thanks.

Jim

"Conifers" - a large group that includes many kinds of timber with quite variable qualities. Wikipedia says:

Examples include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews.

Do you know what yours are? It would help in suggesting what you could make with them. Some will be rather soft, fibrous or otherwise not too good for making things needing detail. Others can be quite strong (they made WWII Mosquito aircraft with spruce frames, for instance). Some will rot or crack or otherwise degrade rapidly whilst others can be durable.

Looking at your pics, it seems likely that the timber you'd get out of those logs will be rather full of large knots. That can be very limiting, especially if the knots are likely to go "dead" (loose in the surrounding wood).

If you want to dry the wood rather than work it green, you need to cut the logs before they develop radial cracks. Even cutting or riving them in half down the middle (pith line) can do a lot to prevent the radial cracking. How would you make the "slices" (small planks?) you mention? Riving (splitting along the grain) will make the most resilient planks but they're likely to be far from flat. A bandsaw is probably the best tool to make flatter "slices" but you'd need to make a carriage to hold logs for bandsawing.

Do you fancy some straightforward carving? You could probably make spatulas, spoons and small bowls from whatever that is, using chunks rived out of the logs that are as clear of knots as you can find. The tools to carve spoons, spats and bowls can be quite minimal - a straight knife, a curved knife and maybe an axe or a gouge. Carving green wood is much easier than carving dried wood.

 

[dickm]

From the picture, and the situation they are from, pretty certain those logs are Leylandii. The joy/bane of gardeners lives. As the previous owners of our last house said of the enormous Atlas cedar planted three feet from the front door "it was so pretty when it was little".

 

[JDW]

Yeah we have 2, one's still stand proud at about 60ft and the other, which decided to let go of about 15 feet off its top about a year ago in very strong winds and then another 10ft* a few weeks ago, is probably now about 35ft. I've had it trimmed to make it safe. Thankfully both parts fell in my garden and not anyone else's.

*That 2nd piece landed on the garden path I'd been on about 60secs before - I was walking to my workshop in high winds (silly boy).

 

[fenhayman]

They're look like lelandii. Let them dry for two years and then burn them

 

[Brtone]

Not much good for anything, even burning calorific value is poor, could you do something like a garden feature with them? Good luck

 

[treeturner123]

They might make good 'Insect Hotels' My granddaughters love the ones I've made by drilling holes into the face of useless logs!!

 

[JDW]

I'm going to seal the ends, let them dry out then do something creative with them. I'm not giving up on them

 

[Owd Jockey]

If they are Leylandii, then think about turning them them green. Leylandii has a lovely grain structure, is easy to turn, resistant to cracking. You could get about 10 or 12 small bowls out of those logs.

 

[Richard_C]

I have turned one thing from seasoned leylandii just to play, a holder for those smouldering smelly stick things. It cuts and finishess nicely, bit brittle for fine detail. Very light compared to most hardwoods. One plus is that it smells nice when you are workimg it. I will try to find it and post a picture in a bit.

An earlier post suggested 'insect hotels'. That is a good use, you don't have to limit youself to the face, I have a few old branches propped up in sheltered far corners of the garden and I simply drill blind holes of varying diameters and depths all along and around them. Just make sure they are angled down slightly so any rain that does blow in runs back out.

 

[Hugh M.]

I make smaller bug houses out of any old branch. A couple of windows and a door and pallet wood roof and they’re done.
Will hopefully raise a bit of money for the local nature reserve.

 

[Agent_zed]

Pretty sure it was similar wood that I've turned the odd christmas tree from. It's quite a light weight wood from memory so good for baubles perhaps. I wouldn't feel so bad about painting them either (unlike some fancier wood species) e.g

Just be careful they aren't sappy. I hate getting sap on my hands, although olive oil gets it off quite well.

 

[Richard_C]

I will try to find it and post a picture in a bit.

Here you go