What did you do in your shop today?

How permanent is the reaction and color change?
I believe the reaction/ is permanent. However, depending on the wood, other reactions (oxidation, UV light) will occur to change the color. The color of the original black locust bowl still contains a slight green tint, but has aged to have more brown/orange tones.

I believe the color change in white oak is much less over time as ammonia fuming was used commercially by Stickley and other furniture makers for generations.

The discussion could rapidly devolve into chemical composition of different woods and various reactions that occur, but the simplistic way may be to consider how much each species of non fumed wood changes with time.

Here is a picture of the original bowl a year after the fact. No direct sunlight, but it has been in use.

PXL_20250221_030048177.jpg

One of the other bowls I originally fumed has more of an orange/brown tint than this one
 
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I believe the reaction/ is permanent. However, depending on the wood, other reactions (oxidation, UV light) will occur to change the color. The color of the original black locust bowl still contains a slight green tint, but has aged to have more brown/orange tones.

I believe the color change in white oak is much less over time as ammonia fuming was used commercially by Stickley and other furniture makers for generations.

The discussion could rapidly devolve into chemical composition of different woods and various reactions that occur, but the simplistic way may be to consider how much each species of non fumed wood changes with time.

Here is a picture of the original bowl a year after the fact. No direct sunlight, but it has been in use.

View attachment 268500

One of the other bowls I originally fumed has more of an orange/brown tint than this one
You still have chickens? Does the manure off-gas enough to do the same?
 
No chickens, but I'm sure almost any animal manure would offgas enough for the reaction to occur (with an unknown NH3 concentration /time curve) Still have lots of white oak studs from our old barn (cattle) that has been fumed over time. I've heard the same of oak from horse barns.

Without looking up numbers, I'd guess that chickens would probably have the highest ammonia content of common livestock manure followed by swine.

The original piece that started all of this was a cutoff of black locust in a corner with sawdust/shavings that cats had been using as a litter box.
 
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No chickens, but I'm sure almost any animal manure would offgas enough for the reaction to occur (with an unknown NH3 concentration /time curve) Still have lots of white oak studs from our old barn (cattle) that has been fumed over time. I've heard the same of oak from horse barns.

Without looking up numbers, I'd guess that chickens would probably have the highest ammonia content of common livestock manure followed by swine.

The original piece that started all of this was a cutoff of black locust in a corner with sawdust/shavings that cats had been using as a litter box.
Since you're talking manure, what about human urine after it turns to ammonia, if that's the proper term for it. From what I've read, ancient people have used it to tan leather white and then make clothes out of it. Probably wouldn't hurt to try it. Go ahead, you've got my permission. ......... Nubs
 
No discernible difference from 24 to 48 hrs so emptied the bin, aired them out and 1st coat of oil. The RO heartwood did darken, the BL green is unique but like todays 30 minute green better. Think there’s lots of potential but done with fuming for now, will play more in the spring outside, the fumes are nasty.

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Well, since we have an inch of ice everywhere in the woods and a thin covering of snow on top of it, I declared shop time today. Wife is at her Mom's, kid at school and the cat said nothing, so my vote won out. Last night a noticed I had several wood sample label sheets with just a few labels on them. So I searched out the samples that go with those labels and worked them up today.

Incandescent light
Top row, left to right: Curly Silver poplar (2), Red oak crotch, Curly Red oak, Purple heart, Purple heart, Niangon
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Natural light
Row 2: Big tooth aspen w/angel step, Double file viburnum, Shiny buckthorn, Thuya burl, Leopard wood (2), Wenge
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Incandescent light with flash
Row 3: Bird's eye White pine, E. White pine root, Velvet mesquite (2), Padauk, Makore (2)
Row 4: Woman's tongue (2), Poison sumac, Feather curl Big leaf mahogany
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Thanks to Barry, Dario, Nate, Krum, Bell Forest and Rob for some of the sample blanks. The one thumb nail has curly Silver poplar upper left corner and the other thumbnail has Velvet mesquite center.
 
Spent two hours sweeping and picking up wood chips. Also put all the assorted tools I grabbed during the week back where they belong.
 
Great collection of samples!
Here are a few more I sanded yesterday and waxed today.

Row 1: Thorny elm, Royal palm, Sinker machiche, Woody pear, Back cottonwood, Black lace elderberry, Beng, Bauhania, and Black cottonwood.
Row 2: European sycamore, Candlebark Euc, Lankao, Japanese blueberry tree, Cheese tree, Tabog, Monkey flower tree, Atlantic white cedar and Flame-leaf sumac
Row 3: Macadamia, Bhutan pine, Purple gidgee, Water oak, Mexican white cedar, Berlandier ash, Southern live oak (2) and European sycamore.

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27 more, sure you know a few...maybe.
 
Cut some waste blocks for turkey pot calls and a few pen blanks since the saw was already out. Photo of fixture for cutting 15* angles and using the same fixture for glue up. IMG_3247.webp IMG_3248.webp IMG_3250.webp
 
The last for the weekend....and likely a while.
Top row: Shihuabuaco (2), Mimosa, Yellow box Euc, Samen Raintree, Mirandiba
Row 2: Samen Raintree, Edinan, Pignut hickory, Southern catalpa, Norfolk island pine

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Think it is super cool how the curly figure in the 1/4 sawn Mirandiba changes direction so suddenly.
front
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back
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It's was 70 degrees outside today so couldn't stay inside. Just for something to do I started a couple cribbage boards. One is olive (I pore sealed the top with epoxy, squeegee'ing it into all the cracks and holes, etc. and then sanding it down. The other is walnut. The olive will have ebony accents and the walnut will have a more reddish wood, not sure what type, just some small trim I had on the desk. Haven't decided what engraving I'll put on these yet.

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It's was 70 degrees outside today so couldn't stay inside. Just for something to do I started a couple cribbage boards. One is olive (I pore seled the top with epoxy, squeegee'ing it into all the cracks and holes, etc. and then sanding it down. The other is walnut. The olive will have ebony accents and the walnut will have a more reddish wood, not sure what type, just some small trim I had on the desk. Haven't decided what engraving I'll put on these yet.

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I thought they were beautiful inserts for the table saw....
 
Heh heh, I may do some questionable things sometimes but pretty sure I wouldn't use olive or walnut for a table saw insert - well, not on purpose anyway. Weren't we talking about a cribbage board for your wife? Maybe one of these would work for you?
 
Heh heh, I may do some questionable things sometimes but pretty sure I wouldn't use olive or walnut for a table saw insert - well, not on purpose anyway. Weren't we talking about a cribbage board for your wife? Maybe one of these would work for you?
Yes, yes we were and still are. I'm just saying, saw the shape and first thing I thought of....well, it usually is work related. Even most of my dreams are work, the rest are being shot and running for my life. Carry on, look forward to your progress.
 
Yes, yes we were and still are. I'm just saying, saw the shape and first thing I thought of....well, it usually is work related. Even most of my dreams are work, the rest are being shot and running for my life. Carry on, look forward to your progress.
The main dream I can remember is that I can fly by flapping my arms.
 
Drilled 521 holes, fitted the engraving plate on the walnut, not sure what I'll have engraved on it yet. Haven't decided on what to put in the olive board so didn't route the inlay mortise yet.

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I sorted a bag of mesquite wood chunks. Our local rural king has 10 dollar bags of smoking chunks. Look like 4 or 5 pen blanks at a minimum with a probability for a few other items. Just wanted to try mesquite, if I like it, I will be forced to do the unthinkable and spend real money.

I spent Friday rebuilding a brand new hickory cabinet from Lowe's. Took the press wood off and replaced it with plywood. ½ inch sides and back and ¾ inch top and bottom.
 
I'll bite: I understand why you'd want to replace the cheap pressboard with plywood. But was it cheaper to buy the entire new cabinet and take it apart vs just making your own cabinet from scratch? I'm thinking it had a solid hickory front and you simply replaced the sides, back and top?
 
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