# slabs or bowl blanks.....what to do?



## Chris S. (Jan 11, 2020)

Have a decision to make. Cut down a box elder that suspected had some flame in it due to some larger sections coming down having some flame. Now have main part of tree left that solid on bottom and fairly solid at top section of trunk 15 feet up. Was thinking making into some 10 foot slabs and see what get. If don't then gonna be a lot of turning blanks. What are your thoughts? Appears to be quite a bit of curl too which pushing me toward slabs. Anyway love to hear opinions.

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 3 | Way Cool 2


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## Nature Man (Jan 11, 2020)

Bonanza!!! I would slice & dice into slabs, lumber, blanks -- all the above! Chuck

Reactions: Agree 2 | Informative 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 11, 2020)

Slab some 2" & some 3" thick. Cut one into blanks.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 11, 2020)

Oh BTW...nice grab!!

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## Sprung (Jan 11, 2020)

Nice!

I agree with Eric - slab it at 2", maybe even a 3". Then you have slabs. And slabs can always be cut down into turning blanks. It's a lot harder to take the pile of turning blanks and make a slab from it.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3 | Funny 1


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## Graybeard (Jan 11, 2020)

Note the address change Matt. Hope you're able to settle in comfortably.


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## Sprung (Jan 11, 2020)

Graybeard said:


> Note the address change Matt. Hope you're able to settle in comfortably.



Thanks, David - we're getting there. We've been here 9 days now - getting settled in pretty good, but still lots of boxes to unpack and stuff to organize. Shop is waiting until we're fully settled in the house and for warmer weather so it's not as cold out there.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Foot Patrol (Jan 11, 2020)

OMG!!! Yes what they said.


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## Chris S. (Jan 12, 2020)

Was thinking same thing with slabs. Have a few milled at 2 inch, one at 3 inch and one at 4 inch for slabs or blanks in future. Reached out last night to a few people with portable mills to get some prices. Looking forward to seeing inside.

Reactions: Like 1 | +Karma 1


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## T. Ben (Jan 12, 2020)




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## woodtickgreg (Jan 12, 2020)

When you square up the ends of the log and cut it to length for milling you can make turning blanks from the cut offs. The log will tell you what it wants to be as the slabs start coming off. Take a couple slabbing cuts to open it up and see what's inside. If you dont have a project in mind for the wood you can easily sell turning blanks here to make some money. Turning blanks are easy to do by yourself without the need of hiring a lawyer. Invest in a bucket of anchor seal!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Chris S. (Jan 12, 2020)

woodtickgreg said:


> When you square up the ends of the log and cut it to length for milling you can make turning blanks from the cut offs. The log will tell you what it wants to be as the slabs start coming off. Take a couple slabbing cuts to open it up and see what's inside. If you dont have a project in mind for the wood you can easily sell turning blanks here to make some money. Turning blanks are easy to do by yourself without the need of hiring a lawyer. Invest in a bucket of anchor seal!



Be getting some anchor seal for sure. Do have projects in mind but going to process stump into blanks today and seal up with what anchor seal I do have. If all goes well be listing up here tonight. If my saw had a little more power would get a bigger bar and just alaska mill it into slabs but not option at this time. Doing some slabs to make tables to sell off and then keep some stuff for myself.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## David Van Asperen (Jan 12, 2020)

Sounds like you have a flaming good plan .
That tree looks like you will get plenty of the slabs and blanks that you are looking for .

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Mark. (Jan 12, 2020)

woodtickgreg said:


> When you square up the ends of the log and cut it to length for milling you can make turning blanks from the cut offs. The log will tell you what it wants to be as the slabs start coming off. Take a couple slabbing cuts to open it up and see what's inside. If you dont have a project in mind for the wood you can easily sell turning blanks here to make some money. Turning blanks are easy to do by yourself without the need of hiring a lawyer. Invest in a bucket of anchor seal!


You have had some sound advice already, no need for me to weighin but I do have a question. What do the leafs look like & what does the bark look like? I still do not know what a Box Elder is. The flame puts me in mind of, Sour Ash. Sour Ash only has the red in the heart & only a few days each year, when the sap is on the rise. Beautiful Wood, the Box Elder


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## Maverick (Jan 12, 2020)

Watching with interest to see what you have inside. Nice score.


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 12, 2020)

Box elder maple

www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/boxelder


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## Mark. (Jan 12, 2020)

Eric Rorabaugh said:


> Box elder maple
> 
> www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/boxelder


Well I'al be dipped in SHOOT. We have them growing all the way down here in Frog Eye. Thanks for the info. Now one more question, is there a certain time of year to cut one down for the red flame's to be present in the wood?


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 12, 2020)

From what I understand is the red is caused by stress or and injury of some type. Possibly an insect boring in and causing damage. 

@phinds 
@Mr. Peet


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## Chris S. (Jan 12, 2020)

My money on insect as lots of holes all by the red. Here a teaser blank got out for a friend that I owe something nice too. Its a beast at 5 inch by 13.5" square.









Still bkanks to come once get time to measure.
Just finished up anchor seal ends after took pic.

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 1 | Way Cool 2


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## woodtickgreg (Jan 12, 2020)

The red is caused by many things, ambrosia beetles make the best flame as you have there, imo. But any injury to the tree can cause the red, it's also caused by a fungus.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## phinds (Jan 12, 2020)

Eric Rorabaugh said:


> From what I understand is the red is caused by stress or and injury of some type. Possibly an insect boring in and causing damage.


Stress doesn't actually seem to cause it that much. I used to think it did but Kevin set me straight about that. See the long write-up at the top of my page on box elder.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## Steve in VA (Jan 12, 2020)

Looking great Chris; have fun!!

I wonder if there is anyone with a bandsaw mill out your way? I know Woodmizer has a list of folks on their site, but I haven't checked to see if there is anyone close to us.


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## ripjack13 (Jan 12, 2020)

Here it is....

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/box elder.htm 




Eric Rorabaugh said:


> From what I understand is the red is caused by stress or and injury of some type. Possibly an insect boring in and causing damage.
> 
> @phinds
> @Mr. Peet





phinds said:


> Stress doesn't actually seem to cause it that much. I used to think it did but Kevin set me straight about that. See the long write-up at the top of my page on box elder.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Chris S. (Jan 12, 2020)

Steve in VA said:


> Looking great Chris; have fun!!
> 
> I wonder if there is anyone with a bandsaw mill out your way? I know Woodmizer has a list of folks on their site, but I haven't checked to see if there is anyone close to us.



There is a guy right in my town. Be calling him tomorrow. Looking forward to see what he says.


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## Chris S. (Jan 12, 2020)

Todays haul posted up for sale. Think priced fairly but if not let me know.


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## Mark. (Jan 19, 2020)

I was in Hope's to find out that the red flames were caused by the time of year. Sour Ash has a beautiful redness in it when the sap begins rising. Down here we have only a 2 possibly 3 week window to saw the tree down, if I miss judge it, all I have is good ash lumber.. But it looks nothing like this tree You were Blessed to find. At first when I saw it I thought that the Box Elder had this in all of them. A teachable moment for me.


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