What do you do with unique wood?

[burlybee]

I am new and I am a hobbyist, so right out of the box I know that I know less than just about anyone else here.  My question is what to do with unique wood.  I have some red elderberry logs.  This morning I cut some into 1X6s practicing with my new sawmill.  It was so beautiful that I looked it up on the internet to see what it is typically used for (aside from sawmill practice).  It turns out that red elderberry doesn't usually get big enough to mill.  It is commonly used for flutes.  I was practicing on one of the smaller logs.  Now I'm not sure if I should cut up more or keep it whole until I find a use for it.  Once it is cut up there is no going back.  Then again, if I don't cut it up it will be in the way and eventually rot.  I'm going to practice on some ash and wait for sage advice.

[customsawyer]

I would say practice on something you have a lot of around there. Being new mistakes will be made. I still make them, that's how I know. Do some more research, especially with local markets and see if someone is willing to buy it. Take a deposit and then cut it how they want it.

[thecfarm]

burlybee, welcome to the forum. Whatcha got for a mill? You will like sawing. You will need a Logrite cantdog or a peavey to help turn the logs on the mill. Nice people, sponsor on the left. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Well your query sent me down a rabbit hole of research on the 'flute thing'. Best I could find was that the small branches were used for simple flutes because they were easy to bore the soft pith out of the center and the sound holes could be made with a simple too. Mostly used by children and Native Americans, Playing them appears to have it's challenges. As for finer flutes of high quality, I can find no evidence this is a desirable wood and because the plant does not often grow into log size, I could find no direct references for wood uses. Maybe some of the big boys here will know something more.
I used to know a fella named Roy Peters, of Native American descent, who lives here in NY (Verona). Roy is a woodcarver, flute maker, story teller, and recording artist of his flute music, among other things. At the time we met, he was collecting woods and prepping them for flute building and selling them as kits. He was also making flutes for sale, all works of art. It appears his builders website is no longer, but he is still making music and I think you might be able to make contact through that page or his FB account. I did find This Article in his local paper from a few years back. Unique woods have very small markets and the trick is to find that market.
 Now it could just be that you simply have a very pretty wood, in which case you should just make something out of it that pleases you and be happy. 8)
 If you are not sure, you could just mill it in 8/4 or thicker boards and get it drying, then re-saw later when you have a project in mind.
 Good luck, and have fun!

[WDH]

From Native Trees of the Southeast:

"Elderberry is very distinctive in flower and fruit.  The stout twigs have an exceptionally large pith and a disagreeable acrid odor when crushed."

"The fruit is occasionally used for making jelly, pies, and wine.  Numerous birds and mammals consume the fruit. Although quite showy in full bloom, it has limited use as an ornamental because of its spreading, sprawling, unkempt growth habit."

That last part reminds me of some Forestry Forum members, but I am too polite to name any names, Southside.

[Southside]

Sometimes that's the way it is around here, have to stumble around behind Mr Big Words to see if you need to defend yourself or not.   :D

Welcome to the Forum.  Customsawyers advice is spot on.  Good luck with the sawing.  As far as any advice WDH might provide....  Well, just ask him what the "key" is to being able to successfully saw lumber on ANY given day.  :D 

[doc henderson]

welcome @burlybee .  It takes a bit to figure it all out, but I would love to see pics of this wood.  there are instructions on the forum to upload to your gallery.  you can then include them in your posts.  eventually you can add to your profile so we know more about you and can tailor advice based on more info.  good luck and enjoy sawing.

[Jeff]

so right out of the box

There is your answer. Stay out of the box. The wood wants to be something, and will be something, if nothing more than fetilizer for the soul.

[burlybee]

Thank you all for weighing in.  Red elderberry is supposed to reach as high as 20'.  Mine are over three times that size.  I paced off a younger one that I have in the firewood pile at 60'.  I would question whether mine was indeed red elderberry, but it has the proper leaves and berries.  There is no pithy center on the boles.  I will attach a picture if I can work that part out.  No one seems to work with the wood because it doesn't exist in this size normally.  I guess I will just cut it up into 1X material and get it out of the field. 

 

[doc henderson]

most wood can find a home doing something.  let us see a wet pic. after you get it milled.  might be able to market it for medicinal purpose as many think the juice is a good anti-oxidant as well as other properties

[WDH]

As far as any advice WDH might provide....  Well, just ask him what the "key" is to being able to successfully saw lumber on ANY given day.  :D

[farmfromkansas]

  When I find highly figured wood, I use it for drawer fronts, or raised panels. The frames can be from straight grained wood, but panels can be really gnarly wood.  So I would make something out of that wood and give it to my grandkids.  

[burlybee]

Doc. H. - here is the picture of the wood finished.

 

[markd]

Welcome to sawmilling finding something to do with all the cool wood you make comes with the territory, I just sticker it all up cover it so it's out of the sun and wait for an unsuspecting friend to come by and unload what I can on em. Stickers and cover for your wood is essential if you want it to preserve it. Good luck

[Brad_bb]

I assume since you're a hobbyist, that you are going to use the wood?

This topic reminds me of todays discussion with my GC.  I want to put a bunch of Gnome doors in our barn so the cats have access to certain conditioned rooms in the barn.  I looked at Gnome doors on pintrest.  One idea I had was to use some large dia grape vines that I saved and put in my shed a year and a half ago.  Hopefully PPB haven't made swiss cheese of them yet.  Something like this idea:


 

Being into timberframing and using natural live edge and round stuff sometimes, you see timbers, branches, firewood chunks etc in a different light.  Sometimes I'll mill small dia branches into 2x or 3x live edge material for railings or?  For the cattery (room for cats in our new barn) I plan to put a Y shaped branch on the entire wall not only for artistic purposes, but to also attach cat steps or perches to.

Sometimes you see a root, or branch etc that can be a door handle, or bars across a screen door. I had a storm blow over an Italian plum tree in my yard.  I had to remove it.  I ended up debarking all the branches.  Pretty red and white color with plum.  I made the first branch a hat rack in my house.  Whenever I can get plum, I will. Of course everything my GC sees is a table or bench.  That's the running joke.  

It's about letting your imagination run, and as Jeff said, thinking out of the box.   Material that many people throw in the fire can often be some of the coolest stuff.

[Brad_bb]

Consider cutting it thicker if you can since you don't know the use.  You can always cut it thinner later, but you have to use glue to make it thicker and the grain doesn't line up.

FYI, When sawyers cut wood, it's usually 4/4, 5/4 etc.  4/4 is not an inch, but typically 1-1/8 inch.  I use the scale on my LT15 and using the scale, my 4/4 usually comes out 1-1/16 inch.  So add about 1/8" to the nominal dimension for the quarter number.  5/4 would be 1-3/8".  If you want your wood to end up at 1.5 inch after drying and processing(typical 2x4 for example) you have to cut closer to 2" to account for drying shrinkage, and warpage material that will have to be removed to true up the board.  It's different for different woods. You can get away with a bit less for walnut and Ash for example, but I'd want more material for oak and cherry as in my experience they tend to move more when drying.

[WV Sawmiller]

Brad,

   Those Gnome doors are cool! Great idea. Now you just need to catch a light snow and place some tiny footprints going in or out. :D

[samandothers]

Welcome burlybee!  That shore is purty wood!  Cut some and sticker it so it will dry.  It will be interesting to see how it behaves or misbehaves!  If you don't have some anchor seal check that out to help protect the ends for checking.  cfarm's advice on Logrite cant hooks or peaveys is sound.  Great tools.

I could use a piece of that now as the base board of a coat hook bar.   

[armechanic]

That looks and sounds like Box Elder.  Here elderberry is a big bush with berries you can make jams, jelly and wine.  Box Elder is in the Maple family I believe, and is white wood with red streaks running thru it.  I sawed one years ago that looked like a couple of ducks flying.  Come think about it I don't know what happened to it now.

[burlybee]

@Brad_bb , Thank you for that tip.  I did know to allow for shrinkage but don't have the experience to know how much difference one should allow between different species.  Since I don't need to please any customers and my wood is free, my plan has been to allow extra and plane it off for finished wood.  Can you suggest a simple resource for different allowances, or is experience just the best teacher?  I will be cutting a lot of fir and oak.  That is what I have mostly on my property.

[burlybee]

@samandothers , thank you for the advice.  I didn't know about anchor seal.  That was enlightening.

[samandothers]

You are very welcome!  The seal can be applied with a paint brush.  I have used the same brush over and over.  It is stiff to begin with.  You can probably do a search on Anchor Seal and get a lot of hits.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Yeah, I cut the top quarter out of a gallon milk jug leaving the handle and lid for a funnel so it will likely hold about 2 quarts of anchorseal and use a 4" brush. Any left over anchorseal I and pour out the handle and lid like a funnel then I leave the brush in there with a few inches of water so it stays soft for the next time.

[Brad_bb]

I just google "shrinkage rate for black walnut" for example.  Up pops radial and tangential shrinkage rates.  So depending on your you cut your board, you can figure how much it will shrink in each direction.  I know that Walnut and Ash are fairly close.  Those are what I cut the most of.  So if the tangential shrinkage rate is 7.8%, a rough cut 8 inch wide board will end up at 7 3/8" tangentially. I get very little Oak and have the lease experience there.

Do you understand what radial and tangential mean?  If you draw a line from the center of the log to the outer surface, that is a radial line.  So radial shrinkage would be that line getting shorter.  Tangential shrinkage is a line that is 90° relative to the radial line.

[burlybee]

Thanks @Brad_bb , yes I understand radial and tangential shrinkage.