# A little fun today



## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

Finally cut my burls that I found turkey hunting this spring. Pretty sure I'm going to come back with the trailer and drop the tree. 

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/F79CF65D-CDBC-4FC6-8469-485F2FEB9B1B_zpsrwl7gwrp.jpg 

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/31A72B93-811B-4A77-BA7B-C44171FE69DD_zpspudbxd1o.jpg 

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/405DA534-D2C6-4911-850E-63FE2ACCB775_zpszqfqtijn.jpg 

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/B0D6DA10-7595-4BF5-A057-CA45ABBA0EB3_zpsokop0cfc.jpg 

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/A0EDD64F-1F19-4847-8A4C-0DDB542B7C63_zpshlaihklk.jpg

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 7 | Way Cool 4


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

@Kevin look like a good sign of what's inside?


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## GeauxGameCalls (Dec 30, 2014)

Nice!

Reactions: Like 1


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## kazuma78 (Dec 30, 2014)

Man that's awesome. That tree and burl both look like they will be fantastic

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tclem (Dec 30, 2014)

Man I almost confused you and the tree. Kentucky people

Reactions: Funny 5


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## Kevin (Dec 30, 2014)

Oh heck yeah that looks good you must be kidding. And even if the butt log isn't solid (might have heart rot) odds are that it'll still produce enough pretty wood to be worth the effort. That would be on my trailer already if it was in my patch. I love the contour lines in that burl.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## PhoenixWoodDesigns (Dec 30, 2014)

Why must I live where things like this simply do not exist?

Reactions: Agree 2 | Funny 3


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

Well, the big burl doesn't have eyes :(.

But,, the 3 smaller ones do, and they're big enough for several calls.

There's also a root burl unless I looked wrong. I'm going to order a new throttle cable for my saw and get the rest of the tree cut and see if it's as nice as it appears. Roughly 40" across at the widest point, so I'll need all 36" of bar for this one


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## Kevin (Dec 30, 2014)

A 24" bar would be fine. Even a 20".


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## justallan (Dec 30, 2014)

Great score, Jonathan.
Between sawing, hauling, re-sawing, getting pics, sealing, sticker stacking, Etc. you are fixing to find out exactly how many hours there are in a day. LOL
Looking forward to more pics.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

Kevin said:


> A 24" bar would be fine. Even a 20".


I'm thinking more along the lines of milling it.. If my 36 will even be big enough. Might have to break down and pay the $.25/bf and have it done.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

Cut a few blanks out... just gonna seal the rest for now. 

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/Misc/579743A0-832C-4A16-838F-BC7D5C8B4E26_zps3ul5kixl.jpg

Reactions: EyeCandy! 3 | Way Cool 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

I have got to find more of these... Dang, this stuff is awesome

Reactions: EyeCandy! 6 | Agree 1


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## Kevin (Dec 30, 2014)

I knew you'd freak once you smoothed it over a little. Jonathan you can max out your money on eyes like that by selling smalls. Pen blanks and call blanks. There's your money with such tight eyes.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 30, 2014)

That box elder is so cool even without the red, it looks like marble when it is finished. Takes a dye really good too for some cool effects, like Kevin said people will eat it up!

Reactions: Agree 3


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

I'm keeping this stuff (at least the eye burl stuff... might trade or sell some of the plainer stuff like below)... If I sold it, I'd regret it the second I took payment for it. I was hoping to get some good practice material for dying, but I'm kind of thinking this is going to look pretty frikkin sweet as it is. 

The big one didn't have much figure in it. Might show more once it dries some... there's some neat stuff going on, and I'm sure it'll look better once it's round, but I admit that I was hugely disappointed when I saw that there weren't eyes in the big one. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that the root burl, and the two up in the tree that I couldn't reach have eyes. 

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/A49AC7F1-28B7-4814-9CE7-37F8C8966170_zpsi0vkxx7y.jpg

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/DE75CD3A-5752-46B2-9E5A-7C46A8B46916_zpsstvhhrcm.jpg

http://i1024.Rule #2/albums/y306/jrcustomcalls/3C9CDA8D-1FCF-4598-9770-B4D89DE1F2D1_zps9yjz6omg.jpg


Not quite the vibrant red I've got from you, Kevin... but it looks like the trunk will have some in it.

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 4


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## justallan (Dec 30, 2014)

Very cool stuff indeed, Jonathan.
How big are the pieces with the eyes? That is beautiful.
Now that the ground is froze enough for me to get some the darn wind wants to blow at 900 MPH. LOL

Reactions: Funny 1


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

Those two pieces are 1x4x4 pot blanks. The ones below that are 3x3x? PM blanks, and 1.5x1.5x? call blanks


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 30, 2014)

Seal em well my friend, in my experience it likes to move when drying.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 30, 2014)

They'll all be getting a bath in anchorseal tomorrow. The stuff I've got from Kevin in the past has dried extremely quick and not moved, but this is my first time drying burl.


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## manbuckwal (Dec 30, 2014)

Great score Jonathan !!!!


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## justallan (Dec 31, 2014)

From the little experience that I have with drying (and a pile of failures) I'm planning to seal anything that is green and leave it in the wood room in the barn where it's not heated. A lot of the stuff I brought in the house to seal and dry developed cracks and I have to think that it just dried to fast on me because I keep the wood room in the house 70 degrees. I hope this helps.


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## barry richardson (Dec 31, 2014)

Beautiful stuff Jonathan, that's a jackpot tree!


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 15, 2015)

Saturday is the big day. I'll be dropping the tree, and digging out the root burl if it looks worthwhile. 

This will be the biggest tree that I've dropped, and I'm somewhat nervous about not having any lifting equipment with me. It's about an hour drive on the tractor, so I'll likely cut it in 2' sections and hope I can load them on the trailer. After seeing how awesome the other parts looked, I can't wait to see the main trunk.


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## Kevin (Jan 15, 2015)

Jon make sure to try and get a section or two in 36" lengths if you can. Flute makers will eat that stuff up. They can use 24" blanks too but some make the longer style and will pay a premium for long blanks that have what yours do.


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 15, 2015)

Kevin said:


> Jon make sure to try and get a section or two in 36" lengths if you can. Flute makers will eat that stuff up. They can use 24" blanks too but some make the longer style and will pay a premium for long blanks that have what yours do.



10-4. I'll reserve some of the smaller sections for that then. I'm just looking forward to warmer weather. Supposed to be 51 on Saturday. Might be able to get something done in the shop this weekend finally. Haven't done anything at all in the shop in the past week or so.


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## Kevin (Jan 15, 2015)

Yeah the weather here is great too. I spent most of the morning getting chainsaws, the trailer, the loader (had to replace the battery), gear, the cooler, and the equipment operator ready. I won't say why . . . . .

Reactions: Like 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 15, 2015)

Sounds like our Saturdays will be very much the same... only, you'll be better equipped.

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## Kevin (Jan 15, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> Sounds like our Saturdays will be very much the same... only, you'll be better equipped.



Equipment doesn't matter as much when we have wood . . . like we have.  

Just be safe my friend.

Reactions: Like 1


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 17, 2015)

Well... It was rotten in the middle. Thanks @Kevin for giving me the heads up that it might be. I'll have some pics soon, got one trailer load so far, at least one more... Haven't decided yet whether the bottom 10' of the main trunk is worth the trouble of hauling because of the rot. Thankfully I watched enough videos on doing the bore cuts to safely drop this one. Had me a little nervous, but it fell exactly how I had intended for it to.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Kevin (Jan 17, 2015)

Sorry to hear that Jon. I just got back from my second outing today. I felled some beauties.


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## DKMD (Jan 17, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> Well... It was rotten in the middle. Thanks @Kevin for giving me the heads up that it might be. I'll have some pics soon, got one trailer load so far, at least one more... Haven't decided yet whether the bottom 10' of the main trunk is worth the trouble of hauling because of the rot. Thankfully I watched enough videos on doing the bore cuts to safely drop this one. Had me a little nervous, but it fell exactly how I had intended for it to.





Kevin said:


> Sorry to hear that Jon. I just got back from my second outing today. I felled some beauties.



 Pics, gentlemen...

Reactions: Agree 4


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## Kevin (Jan 17, 2015)

Check the logging forum I just posted . . . .

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 17, 2015)

Mine looks different than Kevin's. His looks more like ambrosia, where mine is just more colored. 

First two pics suck. I was using my dads phone, and for whatever reason, it takes terrible pics (iphone 5s... go figure?). 












First load... didn't try to cram it on too high, I was starving and needed some muscle rub to help ease the pain from my back issue.







These pics look a little washed out. It was dark, and the flash didn't do them any favors.














I'll have some better pics this weekend when I get some sliced up on the bandsaw.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 2 | Way Cool 5


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## Kevin (Jan 17, 2015)

It's pretty stuff Jon don't knock it. Plus yours has great figure I know becuase I have some of it. You won't have any trouble selling and/or trading with it. Beautiful stuff Jon!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kevin (Jan 17, 2015)

And oh BTW my stuff does not look like ambrosia, ambrosia looks like mine. How do you like that Duck?

Reactions: Funny 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 17, 2015)

While today didn't go quite as I had planned, I can't complain. I got to practice the bore cut that I had studied for some time, I got some really nice wood, and I got to spend a little time with my dad (generally, when he comes over, he's too busy visiting with the kids to really get much time to talk wood or calls). At the end of the day, we both made it home safely, with only some back pain and a few scrapes. 

There's still a LOT of very good wood in the big part, so I've pretty much decided to go back and slab it out in to somewhat manageable chunks to load up. I was quite surprised how long a sharp chain stayed sharp. Even cutting through the dirt in the middle of the rotten part, and a piece of barbed wire that had grown in to the tree I didn't have to file the chain until we were just about done (and I just swapped it with another since we were running low on sunlight). 

I really enjoy doing this, and I don't think I could have made a better decision than to purchase my 394xp. Thing cuts like a beast.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | +Karma 1


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## Kevin (Jan 17, 2015)

Yeah you're hooked for sure. Of everything I do, logging, milling, drying, processing, woodworking, I have to say logging gives me the most pleasure. And although it isn't smart, I prefer to log alone. I just love the serenity of it. Even though it's hard work (and getting harder for me all the time) I just get more satisfaction from that aspect of what I do in my woody world than anything else. Woodworking and turning are very close seconds, but I guess I'm a logger through and through. 

Time with your dad . . . . treasure it. I know you know that. Thanks for sharing your day with us.

Reactions: Agree 5


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 17, 2015)

Here's what a 7ish" limb looks like... I really like the orangish color in it. I stabilized a piece from the 'burl' a few days ago and it looked wild. Unfortunately, I drilled it before I stuck it in the oven to dry, and it was more suited for a tuba than a duck call.

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


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## JR Custom Calls (Jan 18, 2015)

Here's what some of it looks like after slicing it down in to 1 5/8 squares. These are somewhere in the neighborhood of 24-26" long I think. The ones on the right aren't as light as they appear, there was just a shadow, so I metered off the side that was darker.

Reactions: Like 5 | EyeCandy! 1 | Way Cool 1


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