Big ol' walnut killed by lighting a couple of year ago finally got cut down and split for the stove.

Cut and split about 2 cord of mixed walnut, hickory, elm and oak....should keep the place warm for a while.

Some of the walnut does look nice...

Byron

Find a freind wIth a bandsaw and cut some slabs. Let them season and make a set of fancy grips for yourself!

nm

We used to have 13 acres of walnut orchard. Burned plenty of walnut over the years and that is for sure.

I for one never much cared for the smell of burning walnut, athough it has a terrific aroma when wood-working. Walnut out-gasses something terrible ya know.....

But does not lay down a bed of coals like oak.

Byron

The most interesting stuff for knife scales and probably handgun grips is supposed to come from the place where all of the roots come together. You could dig that up and saw through it to see what you've got.

You have to know where/how to cut it, but that's where some of the really cool figured stuff is, suitable for smaller projects.

That might be 10 feet down. Wouldn't that be a lot of work?

Byron

Hi -

I am not an 'expert' but I cut a lot of wood for heating and do make some stocks with firewood refuge wood.

The part of the stump that one could fairly easily remove with a bit of help from a loader bucket, excavator, or patient use of Sawzall. Where the big roots join ther is a lot of crotch like flaming grain.

Yes it is a fair bit of work ; )

Mike P

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Sawing_a_Black_Walnut_Root.html

Hi -

That is what I do. I'll keep a few very nice pieces, slab it off on the band saw, then put it in a papper sack with a goodly amount of sawdust surounding it. The sawdust slows the drying, and reduces checking. Painting the end grain with a sealer will slso help. Some will still be lost due to warping or checking.

But here in the area I live I've recently had opportunity to look at a bunch of tree stumps that have been upended by the tornado that hit town. I'm amazed at how wide, but not how deep they tend to be. The most recent example that I looked at was an oak tree that measured more than 30" across at the base where I cut it off and the root ball at most was 24" when the wind pulled it up. The best time to get at the roots is before you loose the leverage of the top of the tree. But with a backhoe an operator can still get the root out.

Elmer's school glue on the end grain is a good sealer and most everyone with kids has a bottle.

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Sincerely,

Hobie