>You don't really see much root wood around and my occasional glancing at turner's wood gloats rarely finds someone harvesting the root ball. It is usually a big 'ol something or other piece of trunkthat fills the pickup.
Anyway, I have an outside chance at a couple dozen cherry root balls from trees maybe 20-24" in diameter. I am not a turner but as a business venture thought I would ask you experienced wood scroungers if this is worthwhile.
Just thinking about the hurdles is a bit overwhelming. I have a chainsaw and access to heavy machinery to move the things around. But the cleaning up process (think big mud), dulling of chain (is there a special kind of chain I should use?), need for a power washer, then maybe paying some Woodmizer guy to cut it into usable pieces - is this feasible?
I realize this is why you don't see people harvesting this stuff very often, but I can be a bit bull headed when trying to score rare and beautiful wood. Anyone know what the typical cherry root looks like? Is it typically awesome enough to bother with all of this or just kinda regular looking?
>See the post on down a few days about a cherry stump I turned - it wasn't deep into the root ball, but I turned the whole thing end grain, and I got some interesting results, IMHO. If I was nearby I'd be trying to pick up a couple of those things whole...
>The roots of most trees can be excellent turning wood, and some species (Cherry is one of them) will have some of the prettiest wood you can find because of its wild figuration and coloring, BUT.... there are some problems. All of the problems of wild grain, internal stresses, and cracking while drying are magnified by many times over what they would be with the wood from above ground from the same tree. There is no such thing as straight-grain in most root wood.
The presence of minerals from the soil will make the wood very abrasive, and you will be measuring the time between sharpenings in seconds rather than minutes. And there will always be the problem of imbedded dirt. A pressure wash is almost a given.
I have turned root-wood from several species, including Cherry, but the only way I have been able to do that is to cut it up, split the blocks seal the ends, and put the pieces into sealed plastic bags as soon as possible after it is pulled out of the ground. Even while doing this, you can expect a higher than normal loss if the wood isn't turned as soon as possible after it is pulled from the ground.
Then keep it wet in the plastic bags and turn it wet as soon as possible after opening the bag. Keep it wet while it is on the lathe, and turn it to a final thin thickness while it is still wet. Again, the presence of concentrated soil chemicals will make the time between trips to the grinder measured in seconds, not minutes. Finally, the drying rate has to be controlled over a period of several weeks to prevent cracking. Even while doing all of these things, there will be a higher loss than with normal wood, but the rewards can be worth the effort.
Besides being more difficult to harvest without having earthmoving equipment, this direct line from the ground to the finished piece in as short a time as possible makes root wood something that the average woodturner can't use unless the tree is in their back yard. I would think that any commercial venture would depend on being able to cut, seal, and bag the wood in plastic immediately after it is removed from the ground. That can be done, but the success would then depend on how the wood is handled on the other end by the woodturner.
Now you know why most folks will stay away from the roots. But, don't take my word for it. Try it with one tree and see what happens. At this time of the year, and in a cold climate, you might be able to pull it off.
>Tom, when you get um, put them in the back of your truck or on a trailer is even better, and head to a car wash that has those hand held sprayers. Give it a good pressure wash there before taking it home. If you are in north Georgia you might even find a gold nugget.
>If you have a fast moving creek close by you can chain the stump and throw it in. A couple of days and it will be clean. Leave the chain long enough so it can roll around in the current.
Be sure to tie the chain to stable roots and not to the dirt.