Apple?! Who knew?

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I have some spalted apple that I milled still. The coloring is beyond awesome and if the folks on the penturning forum I frequent were to find out that I have it....well, let's just say begging doesn't really cover it :rare2:


Nice chunks you have here, what are the thicknesses of them?



Scott (more pics please?) B
 
I have been wondering of Hickory is not a little overrated for handles. I may have to try an apple handle if I ever get around to making some handles.
 
The two slabs on the left are 2 3/8" thick, one on the right is 3". I'll get more pics up tomorrow after I get everything unloaded.



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Apple wood also makes excellent tool handles. It has an excellent tactile feel to it.
I think some saw handles were made from Apple wood in the old days.
I thought I had heard that but never tried it. Got a truckload to work with since I cleared a couple downed trees for a friend. I do plan on turning some on the lathe.
 
Here's some more pics of the slabs: (warning: I'm not a great photographer)
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The bend in the second picture is a little bit of curly figure. There's also some around the spike knot and the crotch.
The best wood is always in the crotch...


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There's curly all through that wood. It's being masked by the saw marks. In the branch section, it's fiddleback, and can be seen perpendicular to the saw marks. Most of the mottle curl is on the convex curve, and can be seen through the saw cut because it runs at an angle, and the saw cut runs straight across. Lots of figure will show up when planed & surfaced.
 
Apple is excellent wood/material, been trying to find (even small pieces) for a year or two now, with nothing to show for it.
Better than walnut for the true wood-geeks out there.

Hickory is good for handles on axes, shovels, etc. due to the need for the wood to flex and resist splitting during impact.
Apple is excellant for spoons, knife handles, anything that doesn't need to withstand impact/flex, as it is beautiful to look at and hold.

Enjoy that stash for years to come, and remember that spoons and other 'tool-like' things can be shaped green, and is preferable as the drying in a shape (such as a spoon) will result in less cracking when the materials is shaped in the green.
 
If you can find an apple orchard near you go ask them if they are removing any old mature trees and see if you can get some. I know the apple orchards nearest me are taking out all the old large trees and planting a new hybrid tree that only grows about 8-10 ft tall and can be planted close to each other. They grow a lot of apples for their size and take up less foot print so they yield more apples per acre. They bulldozed a lot of old trees into a pile.

BTW nice planks, got plans to build something?
 
If you can find an apple orchard near you go ask them if they are removing any old mature trees and see if you can get some. I know the apple orchards nearest me are taking out all the old large trees and planting a new hybrid tree that only grows about 8-10 ft tall and can be planted close to each other. They grow a lot of apples for their size and take up less foot print so they yield more apples per acre. They bulldozed a lot of old trees into a pile.

BTW nice planks, got plans to build something?
Thanks for the excellent tip about talking to an apple orchard. Thanks.
 
If you can find an apple orchard near you go ask them if they are removing any old mature trees and see if you can get some. I know the apple orchards nearest me are taking out all the old large trees and planting a new hybrid tree that only grows about 8-10 ft tall and can be planted close to each other. They grow a lot of apples for their size and take up less foot print so they yield more apples per acre. They bulldozed a lot of old trees into a pile.

BTW nice planks, got plans to build something?
Slightly OT ahead.

Cosmic Crisp is the next big variety mark it!

The WSU had worked on it for some time.
They grow this variety more like a grape vinyard than Apple orchard.

Picking is easier down low. “Sections” that die can be replaced quickly.
If you get a chance to try Cosmic take it!
The first batch was in the stores in PNW over the last couple months...delicious!
Crispy sweet and tart with intense flavor.

I’d like to grow some but we don’t get the sun required on our woodsy plot.
Stick to old world varieties.

F3ADCFA7-5CCB-4F15-A5D0-EACE8BDFBE45.jpeg
 
Anyone put out some adds on Craigs list etc. wanted to cut older apple trees. What kind of feed back did you get.
Thank you.
 

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