I thought I would share this pic with you and you can give me some guidance how to store wood for turning.  This is persimmon given to me by a friend.  I cut it into 14" lengths as I decided to make rolling pins from it.  It grew to about 3" diameter with bark and all.  Where I trimmed off branches, I painted all cut and exposed surfaces with latex paint.  I left it near the house so that it would not get rained on and could dry slowly in the local humidity.  Sadly, some little bug like a borer got into this wood.  After removing the bark and truing it, I turned this with a skew.  This is not sanded, but the dark area is fresh mineral oil.  I find this as beautiful wood.  The crack is what stopped me.  If I don't find something else to do with this, you can see from the picture where it is going.  Thanks for looking.

 

Steve, the old FlGatorwood

 

Steve,

I've never turned persimmon and didn't realize it was such a dark wood. Too bad about the crack. I've made large spoons from branches and they sometimes crack length wise on the handles. This is especially true if I make the center of the turning on the center of the branch. It's better if the branch is big enough in diameter so it can be split and therefore moving the turning center away from the branch center. It has something to do with relieving the stresses in the wood.

 

Thanks for posting this!

That is some good looking wood. Can you fill the crack with some black epoxy? Maybe it would still make something nice

Ron,

I never even considered the possibility.  I know from experience that if it split, it can burst apart and cause injury.  So, I got scared and just wanted to see what it looked like with oil.  I'll visit Lowe's to see if they have black epoxy.  Thanks for a great suggestion. 

 

Lew, I may cut it into, run it across the jointer and after gluing, turn it enough to round it out.  Hmmm!  Good possibilities. 

 

 

Steve, the old FlGatorwood

Edited September 30, 20169 yr by FlGatorwood

The center of any piece of growing wood called the pith will be prone to cracks and splits. Sometimes you can get past this and sometime not. In a bowl you can drill out the pith and replace it with a peg or epoxy. the crack can be filled but with a branch there is a good chance the crack will continue thru the wood. Just try it with the consequence in mind.

It has been my experience that all branches split.  I have yet to take a walk in the woods and see a dead branch that does not have a split in it.  Filling the crack is the only option but you may want to let it sit a month nor two to be sure it has stabilized.

 

I'm a yankee that lived in Ga. for 5 years. I had no idea what a 

persimmon was. I was a dirt bike rider. I made friends with other

riders. One day while riding cycle in the woods we came to a stop

and one rider reached up and plucked something off a tree and 

ate it. I said what was that. He said a persimmon... Whats a 

persimmon? So he plucked another and tossed it to me. I chomped 

on it and just about puked. Everyone got a good laugh but me.

Anyone ever taste an unripe persimmon?

Yes, Kevin I did. As kids in Ohio we hiked the woods a lot. I was once given a persimmon to taste. I touched my finger tip on it and tasted my finger. Kinda what I thought a rotten lemon or lime would taste like.

Not an unripe one... One thats not ripe is Very Very bitter like some nuts.

25 minutes ago, Kevin Beitz said:

Not an unripe one... One thats not ripe is Very Very bitter like some nuts.

I'll take a two dozen.  Send them to my ex, signed Happy Birthday. 

I've got some persimmons i planted out front.   Wait until the first frost to eat them, otherwise they're known for their pucker factor.