Raw wood to handle

Kevin Houtzager said:
Red or white should all be good. It's only the estatic part thats different for the most part.
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Whites are renowned for use as marine timber, Reds blacken immediately after immersion in water. I've used Red and White Oak to replace weather-worthless OEM particle board decks of B & D Workmates since the mid 1990s. These are left outdoors 24/7. The Red Oak tops rotted away within 5 years but the White tops remain sound, some 20 years later. All I do is brush teak oil on them every now and again when the wood is particularly parched looking.
 
300Six said:
Whites are renowned for use as marine timber, Reds blacken immediately after immersion in water. I've used Red and White Oak to replace weather-worthless OEM particle board decks of B & D Workmates since the mid 1990s. These are left outdoors 24/7. The Red Oak tops rotted away within 5 years but the White tops remain sound, some 20 years later. All I do is brush teak oil on them every now and again when the wood is particularly parched looking.
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Off-topic: I watched too many "SJWs get owned" youtube videos lately. You can imagine my reaction when I started reading your post... :)
 
Thanks guys. I walked back down there to grab some leaves. Got to use my new pike pole in fact.

It's about 10ft up to grab the first ones and I probably had "Eclipse Anxiety" at the time of looking at them the other day... Where that tree sits, the upper leaves get sun all day but getting a picture underneath of the boughs for the trunk/bark is too dark to make a useful ID. It is absolutely covered in bees as well. They behaved well but I did make a hasty retreat.

I was wrong about the leaves though-
Leifs by Agent Hierarchy, on Flickr

That does change what the tree is but it probably doesn't change my novice train of questions though lol.
 
Agent_H said:
Thanks guys. I walked back down there to grab some leaves. Got to use my new pike pole in fact.

It's about 10ft up to grab the first ones and I probably had "Eclipse Anxiety" at the time of looking at them the other day... Where that tree sits, the upper leaves get sun all day but getting a picture underneath of the boughs for the trunk/bark is too dark to make a useful ID. It is absolutely covered in bees as well. They behaved well but I did make a hasty retreat.

I was wrong about the leaves though-
Leifs by Agent Hierarchy, on Flickr

That does change what the tree is but it probably doesn't change my novice train of questions though lol.
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A good thing you didn't crack a few nuts for taste sampling purposes! White acorns tend to be more elongated than Reds but you live on the other side of the continent in a warmer climate so I didn't want to throw that one out there regarding positive ID.
 
300Six said:
A good thing you didn't crack a few nuts for taste sampling purposes! White acorns tend to be more elongated than Reds but you live on the other side of the continent in a warmer climate so I didn't want to throw that one out there regarding positive ID.
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Well, and I also think what doesn't help is that I posted wrong info.
 
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300Six said:
Unless you start taking them apart it's hard to distinguish Red from White Acorns but the Whites are quite edible whereas the Reds will leave a real bitter taste in your mouth. You're best off looking up into the tree from where they fell before deciding to sample any. Old farms in eastern Ontario invariably have magnificent old Whites growing in the middle of large open fields. I suspect this was done to try to keep the GD squirrels out of them!
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Red oak acorns are very high in tannens which cause the bitterness. But the tannens are water soluable and can be leached out. Give them a coarse chop and simmer them for a few hours in half a dozen changes of water and they become quite palatable.

The local indigenous people used to set woven mesh bags full of acorns in a stream for a week to leach the tannens out. Massive quantities of these leached acorns were stored by natives of northern California.

Agent_H said:
Thanks guys. I walked back down there to grab some leaves. Got to use my new pike pole in fact.

It's about 10ft up to grab the first ones and I probably had "Eclipse Anxiety" at the time of looking at them the other day... Where that tree sits, the upper leaves get sun all day but getting a picture underneath of the boughs for the trunk/bark is too dark to make a useful ID. It is absolutely covered in bees as well. They behaved well but I did make a hasty retreat.

I was wrong about the leaves though-
Leifs by Agent Hierarchy, on Flickr

That does change what the tree is but it probably doesn't change my novice train of questions though lol.
Click to expand...

That one is definitely a red oak.

The Garry oak makes a suitable axe handle if you can fine a straight piece. It is ignored by timber cutters for lack of straight wood. But handle length pieces aren't difficult to find. My broad axe is handled with Garry oak.
 
300Six said:
Whites are renowned for use as marine timber, Reds blacken immediately after immersion in water. I've used Red and White Oak to replace weather-worthless OEM particle board decks of B & D Workmates since the mid 1990s. These are left outdoors 24/7. The Red Oak tops rotted away within 5 years but the White tops remain sound, some 20 years later. All I do is brush teak oil on them every now and again when the wood is particularly parched looking.
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The first thing that comes to my mind with white oak is wagon parts.

I am a fan of those old B&D workmates. It was the first workbench I ever owned and the vise(slightly modified) is great for clamping irregular shaped stuff. I still have it and it gets used on occasion for its portability. The top could use a replacement. I will keep my eyes open for some oak. Great idea.
 
garry3 said:
The first thing that comes to my mind with white oak is wagon parts.

I am a fan of those old B&D workmates. It was the first workbench I ever owned and the vise(slightly modified) is great for clamping irregular shaped stuff. I still have it and it gets used on occasion for its portability. The top could use a replacement. I will keep my eyes open for some oak. Great idea.
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The talented fellow that invented these (Colin Chapman) also designed the lovely (and nimble quick) Lotus Elan which was reincarnated almost 30 years later as the Mazda Miata. The very early Workmates had a cast aluminum cross frame and I was lucky to come across one of these on garbage day (the plywood top had rotted!) quite awhile ago. Otherwise because of the cheezy particle board decks that are standard most of these wind up at the side of the road after they've been left outdoors intentionally or by accident. The model 200 I bought new in 85 received White Oak decking in 96 and I see that the lifespan of it is coming to an end. Still, 21 years outdoors is pretty impressive. You won't get that out of Maple, Ash or other temperate zone hardwoods.
 
I also like the old heavier duty workmates. I was lucky to find one of the cast aluminum models and passed my steel 1979 model on to my son-in-law. I use mine as a portable bench with a drop in bench vise. I also made a drop in table top. Lot's of guys make dedicated drop-ins for these.
 
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BSpQ1Mm.jpg

SAW swedish hatchet. Wood is red oak with tight grain.

I like the camera on this thing
 
A couple of weeks ago the lady that watches my daughter had a tree overgrowing her eaves and asked if I would take it down. She actually wanted it limbed right down to the trunk – I explained that would probably kill the tree. I did as instructed…

I used my chain saw. Today I chopped some of the larger pieces to about 7’ so I could take some longer pieces to mess around with. If it turns out that the tree fails to thrive after that, I imagine it will be available if I want to take the thick of it (14” trunk or there abouts).

Anyway, I brought some of it home - think it’s Birch. My wife sees log reindeer, I see a possible limb handle. Largest piece is 4.5" across.


Topor.Fall by Agent Hierarchy, on Flickr


Topor.Fall by Agent Hierarchy, on Flickr

The Topor got to eat a little - first real work for it. I was actually impressed with how deep that thin blade will penetrate.

Not really too notable but axe/wood/handle/Fall pictures for the Forums.
Being thick limbs, debark and paint the ends? Leave the bark? Make reindeer? lol
 
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