Last year, my MIL had a chestnut tree growing in her yard cut down.
The tree was planted when SWMBO was a kid, shaded a corner of the yard
while she and her sisters were growing up and held a rope swing used
by MIL's grandkids. So it had a lot of "sentimental value."
I managed to salvage a couple of pieces of limb, sliced them on the BS
and have had them stickered and drying since last fall. My plan is to
make some boxes for MIL, SWMBO and her sisters as Xmas gifts.
I've never worked with chestnut and don't know anything about it. Can
anybody give me any advice? Anything special about this wood that I
should know before I try to work it?
What about finishing? I ran one piece through the jointer today and
it looks very pale with little grain figure. I wiped on some garnet
shellac and it brought out some grain but also seems a bit blotchy.
-- jc
Published e-mail address is strictly for spam collection.
If e-mailing me, please use jc631 at optonline dot net
"John Grossbohlin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Micro*" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Are you sure it's chestnut?? I don't know of any chestnut trees alive in
> > the USA, I could be wrong.
> > What did the nuts look like?
>
>
> I've got a couple chestnut trees growing in my yard and get 1,000s of nuts
> and dozens of squirrel-hide seedlings every year... hybrid
> American/Japanese. There are quite a number of Japanese and hybrid trees
> around. The American Chestnut Foundation has an active propagation program
> underway to restore disease resistant American Chestnut trees.
> http://www.acf.org
The ACF is actually trying to crossbreed Asian Chestnuts' blight
resistance into American Chestnuts.
The American Chestnut Cooperators' Foundation http://www.accf-online.org/
is working with pure strain American Chestnuts that are blight resistant.
More survived than many realize. A lot of trees were cut when the
blight hit an area even if the individual trees were unharmed, thus
killing many trees that might otherwise have survived.
"Micro*" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Are you sure it's chestnut?? I don't know of any chestnut trees alive in
the
> USA, I could be wrong.
> What did the nuts look like?
>
>
I have over forty American Chestnut saplings growing in my backyard. These
are one-hundred percent genetically-typed trees, not hybrids. They are part
of a field trial sponsored by the American Chestnut Cooperators' Foundation
(http://www.accf-online.org/). The tallest is about four feet tall at this
point. I have several that were attacked by the blight this summer. All
but two have actively resisted the infection at this point.
"Micro*" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Are you sure it's chestnut?? I don't know of any chestnut trees alive in
the
> USA, I could be wrong.
> What did the nuts look like?
>
I've got a couple chestnut trees growing in my yard and get 1,000s of nuts
and dozens of squirrel-hide seedlings every year... hybrid
American/Japanese. There are quite a number of Japanese and hybrid trees
around. The American Chestnut Foundation has an active propagation program
underway to restore disease resistant American Chestnut trees.
http://www.acf.org
Anyhow, back to the original poster's question, the hybrid stuff I've played
with was much like red oak to work with...
John
"Micro*" wrote in message
> Are you sure it's chestnut?? I don't know of any chestnut trees alive in
the
> USA, I could be wrong.
I've got a couple of 8' long chestnut tubafours that I have been holding for
an unknown future project for a few years. Wish I had more ... it is a
beautiful wood that finishes like I wish walnut would finish.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 7/10/04
Are you sure it's chestnut?? I don't know of any chestnut trees alive in the
USA, I could be wrong.
What did the nuts look like?
--
"Shut up and keep diggen"
Jerry
"John Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Last year, my MIL had a chestnut tree growing in her yard cut down.
>
> The tree was planted when SWMBO was a kid, shaded a corner of the yard
> while she and her sisters were growing up and held a rope swing used
> by MIL's grandkids. So it had a lot of "sentimental value."
>
> I managed to salvage a couple of pieces of limb, sliced them on the BS
> and have had them stickered and drying since last fall. My plan is to
> make some boxes for MIL, SWMBO and her sisters as Xmas gifts.
>
> I've never worked with chestnut and don't know anything about it. Can
> anybody give me any advice? Anything special about this wood that I
> should know before I try to work it?
>
> What about finishing? I ran one piece through the jointer today and
> it looks very pale with little grain figure. I wiped on some garnet
> shellac and it brought out some grain but also seems a bit blotchy.
>
>
> -- jc
> Published e-mail address is strictly for spam collection.
> If e-mailing me, please use jc631 at optonline dot net