Anybody know much about this wood? Would it be suitable for board building applications i.e. WMD timberflex?
madrone’s a beautiful wood
single sheet I got from Joe woodworker
wish I had bought more
one of the first I did with veneer softener
veneer vacuumed over an existing well sanded down board to hide yellowing.
added about 5-10 lbs
before:
I happen to live where this stuff grows naturally (the sierra foothills).
Madrone is a semi hard wood that tends to split a lot while drying. It is also pretty heavy. It’s a messy tree, drops leaves and bark twice a year and drops sap whenever it’s hot. Good firewood, but that’s about it.
Hope that helps…
Thanks Oneula, checked your response while at work and didn’t realize there were pics until today. Looks nice, kind of redwood color. Was it very brittle? Tough? Springy?
jeff
it's actually an light pink color which i like
the board was done in my original "think pink" color by Ed Searfoss on a classic Jim Turnbull bonzer bottom tandem all around.
that's why i picked the madrone..
not much experience building with it, but heres what I do know. Madrone trees are very beautiful. But very thick, dense trees that way a ton. I worked for an arborist in Sequim, Wa many years ago. We'd cut them down all the time around the bluffs in the Peninsula. (Port Townsend area too). There are ways to get these trees without having to do the work, and getting in touch with an arborist might be a good way to do so. Let them know you will pay $ for a good log, just dont let them cut it up like firewood to transport. A good round tree, 3' diameter X 10' tall will wiegh as much as a volkswagon ot two. Probably be expected to pay for the labor, and cost of fuel to transport the log to a mill thats it. Aside from that, the wood itself should be free to experiment with.
I noticed the wood was so hard when dry that it would burn when cut. And this was with a chain saw blade. Its not brittle, but will dull a blade when you plane it. Thats as much experience that I have to share. When these trees die while still in the ground, they will dry slow enough that they wont crack. So a thick, standing dead tree would be a perfect tree to use.
Wow Nicky. You Northwest guys are heavy. I’m in LA, sloshing in the urban swill, and wasn’t planning on going out and cutting down my own tree!!! I’m usually searching for veneer at certainlywood.com and found this species that they had never been selling before and it was pretty inexpensive and I liked the color kind of redwoodish. Sounds like it might be a good wood. The guy at certainly wood also said it was not brittle and was similar to the hickory I’m ordering in characteristics.
I will have to check the veneer sites out! Good luck ;)~ and post some shots of the madrone project.