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Thread: Olive tree worth harvesting?
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15th April 2014, 02:48 PM #1
Olive tree worth harvesting?
I've got to take this manky old olive tree down sometime and wondering if it's a worthwhile timber and if I could/should cut the limbs up into small boards on a bandsaw.
There will be no trunk to collect from as I'll be leaving a high stump from just below where the main 2/3 limbs spread out which start at around 200mm in diameter before they taper off to where they'd been lopped long ago.
The bark has some big long splits in it and I'm not sure if that's natural for olive trees or if there's something wrong with it underneath.Every time you make a typo, the errorists win.
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15th April 2014 02:48 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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15th April 2014, 03:18 PM #2
Olive is a favourite with some turners I know, esp. pen turners, as it can have some glorious colour to it. (Similar to Camphour Laurel. Some are "WOOT!" whilst others are "meh! Boring.")
I'd try a few test cuts just to see what's what.
Even if you fell it and discover there's no decent boards there, you should be able to cover your costs with a few turning blanks. And maybe a few dozen pen blanks from any scraps.
- Andy Mc
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15th April 2014, 03:26 PM #3
Olive is certainly worth keeping, beautiful for turning, carving, box making etc etc. The best wood is often the roots/root ball though, so don't leave the stump to rot, dig it up.
Neil____________________________________________Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new
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15th April 2014, 06:41 PM #4
Alrighty then...it's a keeper (unless it's rubbish on the inside). Thanks for the info chaps
Now I'd really love to take the trunk and rootball too but it's a neighbour's tree and he wants the stump left high so he can put a bird house or some such profanity on it.
So my thinking here is (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that if I bandsaw cut mostly 25mm boards (including the heart), that would take care of mostly box makers (me), but also pen turners when it's dried and dressed. And I could get some thinner dedicated pen blank boards (suggestions on green thickness for these?) from around the outside/sap woodish area or from the smaller parts of the limbs...if I don't decide just to do some little logs for things bigger than pens (ie: goblets).
If any good comes of this I may well follow up with some piccies and/or some timber for sale/swap/gift.Every time you make a typo, the errorists win.
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15th April 2014, 07:11 PM #5
Tell him it will only attract white ants and fall down later with his birdcage attached (ok exaggerating just a smidge ), and, it would be much better to remove it and then use the hole in the ground for a decent foundation for something more substantial as a post like concrete . You'd be happy to help and then take away all that rubbish
Neil____________________________________________Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new
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16th April 2014, 09:05 AM #6Jim
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Branches look great sliced as oyster veneer.IMG_6810.JPG
Drying can be a problem especially with the more figured heart wood.
It also smells fantastic when turning - a meal in itself.Cheers,
Jim
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18th April 2014, 08:41 PM #7
And don't forget saw handles to lol
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19th April 2014, 11:04 AM #8Intermediate Member
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Hi there,
For what its worth, a few bits of wild olive that i found on the side of the road last year and just machined them up the other day. Not sure if the tree you have is of the same species but i can imagine that it would have similar grain. The trunk would be best because it will contain more heartwood. Will make some nice drawer fronts i'm thinking!
20140419_092551.jpg
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