Thread: Camphor and Red Gum

Kane ,
I dunno if you intended to post your thread in the WoodTurning forum or not ,
but either way , I reckon your gonna get besieged with offers from LatheHeads to come round and help ya slice all those great logs into rounds ......

Good luck mate

MJ
that's a bit unfair

Rabbitoh
what time tomorrow

Red Gum ?

Hi Kane

<TABLE class=tborder style="BORDER-TOP- 0px" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR title="Post 828165" vAlign=top><TD class=alt2 align=middle width=125>The Hornet</TD><TD class=alt1>Camphor and Red Gum
<HR style="COLOR: #f0e9d0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f0e9d0" SIZE=1>Hi All,
I have a trailer full of Camphor logs from a mates tree, and I want to know if it is possible to mill it myself with just a chainsaw?
The lengths and Diam vary with most around the 1.5m x 500mm size.
I would like to know what sort of sizes should i be cutting it into, and should I cut it straight down the heart, and then across the grain?
Cheers.
Kane. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Before you start to cut it up you need to decide what you want and what your lathe can handle, it is no good cutting 300mm bowl blanks if your lathe can only handle 200mm. And it is no good bowl blanks if you like spindle work.

If you are going to cut bowl blanks with a chainsaw you need to think if your lathe can handle a very out of balanced blank unless you are good with the chainsaw or have a jig. I personally pay to use a band saw (Santa has not delivered mine yet) that way I get round bowl blanks and then the offcuts I can cut up for pens or cutlery etc.

I always cut my logs down the heart to help stop splitting.

I hope this helps a little if you wish to know more just ask and someone will help you.

Actually I find it worth taking the pith out .. so one cut either side of centre. Make the slice out as wide as you can afford since checking usually seems to start near the small rings at the centre. Seal the end grain ASAP.

For bowl blanks, cut your logs longer than their diameter. Again, go oversize if you can afford it to allow for end grain checking. Then knock the corners off with the saw leaving you with a hexagon.

For spindle blanks, go as long as you need them and your c/s can handle.

Hi Kane,
.
By far the best is to follow Erns advise and get rid of the pith.As to a chainsaw your gonna need a decent size one to do slabs. Bowl blanks you can pare away at it it will be slow.

But the old Camphor trees have great colour in the heart timber, brilliant for turning... the smell gets abit over powering after awhile..

Then if you want timber quarter saw it, or slabs run down the length at your preferred thickness. Bowls etc just make the slabs thicker and the same with vase blanks
If you have any branches lying around take all the crotches and slice them through the pith as well.Here you will find great colour and swirls of grain structure.

If you like natural edge bowls start with a fairly thick slab to give some good natural edge blanks.[say 150mm+ minimum] Then drop down in thickness if want to do a table top or something similar.

If your gonna do slabs stack with a gap between them and make sure all your packers aline vertically and are of equeal thickness. Then get down to Bunnies etc and pick up some el cheapo tie downs and strap the stack in line with the packers. How many? depends on how long your slabs are, minimum would be 4 keep them out of the wind, sun etc. This should help prevent too much distortion.

Dont forget to seal as you go as the weather in hotting up. Camphor will open up before your eyes like you would not believe in the sun or strong wind.

You know what Kane...it seems like a whole bunch of work that will, in all probability, get you tired out needlessly

So just send me the whole lot to worry 'bout and go have a few cold one's instead!!

BTW...'Erns advice is correct.

Yeah, send the stuff to Ed COD.

Then he'll need a few coldies.

What size bar is your chainsaw Kane?

If you need some visuals on cutting a log for bowl blanks see http://www.wonderfulwood.com/articles/logcutting.html

(And Ed, whereabouts in Noo Joysee are ya?)

Hi All,
Thanks for the great advice.
I am a highs school woodwork teacher so equipment is not a problem, I have a 1" band saw blade at my disposal if needed., As for the chainsaw I am going to hire from a garden shop a chainsaw for the day, so whatever size I need I will hire.
Maybe I can take some photos and post them for more advice.
Maroubra is near Sydney Airport, or Maroubra beach, as in "Bra Boys".

Originally Posted by rsser

Yeah, send the stuff to Ed COD.

Then he'll need a few coldies.

What size bar is your chainsaw Kane?

If you need some visuals on cutting a log for bowl blanks see http://www.wonderfulwood.com/articles/logcutting.html

(And Ed, whereabouts in Noo Joysee are ya?)

Hey now...that would work out just fine. When the "horrendous" shipping bill is paid, that will put me, my darling wife, our 2 dogs, 1 cat, the Koi in the outdoors pond, and two aquariums (wife's hobby) full of tropical fish in economic peril. So...all we would have to do is petition the government for a billion dollar bailout so that we can continue our "fat-cat" lifestyle!

"Ern...my home is in Palmyra, just across the Delaware River from Northeast Philly (thus the "this side of hell" thing)

Kane...I think your going to like that Camphor, it's georgeous stuff!

A story about the wood. When we were living in Pensacola, Florida, a neighbor had a camphor tree that he wanted trimmed of most of the branches. A chainsaw session later, I wound up with a lot of turning stock, wonderful to turn and the camphor aroma cleared up the sinuses terrifically!! Noticed also that the smell drove all the palmetto bugs out of the shop...palmetto bugs are large roaches that fly and have a tendency to do so straight at you, most of the time landing on your head (Joe G. can attest to that). So...I had the "brilliant " idea to scatter the shavings under our mobile home to drive the buggers away...it worked, but not as expected. Instead of leaving the area, they all decided to invade the inside of the mobile home!!
So...got to crawl under the mobile home to get rid of all the shavings, plus had to get an exterminator in to get rid of all the palmettos ($$)!!!! Expensive lesson learned.