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  #1  
Old 07-26-2011, 02:40 PM
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Kitchen Guitars Kitchen Guitars is offline
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Default What do you builders think of Beech?

My neighbor just chopped down a monster tree. I can grab a 4' wide by .... long log. Is this stuff worth the time and effort to make board sets? Time and storage are not a factor. I think it is called a Kentucky Beech tree. I hate to see it get chopped into firewood. What do you think?
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Old 07-26-2011, 04:27 PM
Neil K Walk Neil K Walk is offline
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Is it a softwood or a hardwood? Is it similar to birch or is just my ADD confusing the two?
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Old 07-26-2011, 04:38 PM
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Beech is a wonderful wood with decent tonal properties. It is a medium to high density hardwood that bends and holds its shape very well. I've made a few guitars and a piano out of it. I've also made furniture out of it. Despite its density and hardness, it's easily worked. I would get as much of it as I could. Use it for guitars, furniture, etc. That's a very old tree with a lot of nice wood. Too nice to burn.
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Old 07-26-2011, 07:52 PM
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Tim McKnight Tim McKnight is offline
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Its prized for bench tops as well as maul heads and handles.
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Old 07-27-2011, 04:50 AM
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Kitchen Guitars Kitchen Guitars is offline
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Thanks guys. I will request a few pieces. I can use the base for a table while it airs out
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Old 07-27-2011, 06:36 AM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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You need to seal the end grain immediately and get it sawn and stickered right away or there will be a lot of degrade.

Jim McCarthy
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Old 07-29-2011, 05:41 AM
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HEAVY! I have 2 rips in the palms of my hands from 4 of us rolling this 1000 pound + log into my yard! I'm going to score a few wedges this weekend to split it into 1/4's. Then I'll take the more manageable pieces to a mill for resaw.
The tree cutter was calling it a Kentucky Coffee tree. Quite a offensive odor coming off it.

Is the sapwood a guitar board deal breaker?
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Old 07-29-2011, 10:52 AM
Neil K Walk Neil K Walk is offline
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What kind of odor? As for the sapwood you could always make 3-piece backs from it.
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Old 07-29-2011, 12:41 PM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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Kentucky coffee tree is not a beech.

And you are seeing a stain within the heartwood, not a heart and sapwood division.
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Old 07-29-2011, 12:44 PM
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was it this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech_tree

or this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_coffeetree



whatever it is make a parlor out of it
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Old 07-29-2011, 01:17 PM
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Mine

from the link you gave me Arie (Thank you)

Looks like a Kentucky Coffee tree. Based on size I'd say she's over a 100 years old.
Lots of guitar players play coffee shops Maybe I have a niche?

Anyone have experience with this stuff? As Howard pointed out , she isn't Beech as I was first told. I am guessing I will have board sets to share!
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Old 07-29-2011, 02:21 PM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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Your local woodturner's club will be happy to send a couple of members with chain saws to take a bunch of it off your hands.

It may be usable for guitars, but I doubt that the value of the sets will equal the cost of producing them.

Get a coat of Anchorseal on it. Today.

You are lucky not to have hurt yourself beyond the hands when rolling that log. It should be done with the right tools (peavy and canthook) and from the right position (uphill of the log). Never think you can muscle a log around with a lot of guys if you want to be safe.
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:12 PM
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I appreciate your concern Howard. Really. I was on the lower right and we were all very ready to get out of the way. It was a slight grade and 40 feet to our destination, nothing to be harmed (maybe a fence) if it took off on us. I'll look up anchor seal tonight and score it tomorrow. Can I use paint tonight? I should chip the bark off also, right?
There will be minimal to no cost to make the board sets. Just time and space. The fact that the inner tones are not sapwood makes me eager to see what it looks like quarter sawn. I have a smaller piece I was planning on a chop up for the PA Turners club.
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Old 07-29-2011, 06:44 PM
Greg Nelson Greg Nelson is offline
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Regardless of any calculation of milling cost vs number of sets I say go for it. I had a similar opportunity with some walnut a few years ago and have no regrets.

You may need to school your mill man to stop thinking "maximum yield" and start thinking "quarter sawn without run out". Yes, there will be more waste but your investment in milling will be greater served producing fewer great sets than a greater number of lesser quality material.

Just my 2 cents.

Greg N
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