The Wood Database is a great source of info. It has an entry for Apple.

Lots of movement when drying, looks a lot like cherry and is very hard. I bet you could get some fabulous grain from old and tortured trees, though.

Let us know how it works out for you. My wife is from Wenatchee, WA which is the center of the Apple growing universe (at least they think so) - could be an interesting source there.

 

I knew someone who used it for turnings on his lathe. He was always looking for it so he must have liked it.

 

Hard to come by in any real (large) sizes! Make sure it has dried, and dried well. Beautiful stuff when ya get a good board or two. Well worth the effort to try and
salvage what you can from the tree. Branch wood is hit and miss with most speices, but if you've the mind, dry some and see where it goes. Older tree's tend to spalt.
when they do, you can end up with some outstanding looking wood.

 

Thank you for the info about apple tree wood. Phil, I did look at THE WOOD DATABASE at your suggestion and it provided much needed information that I was seeking. I will proceed to salvage what I can from this tree. I planted it myself a few years ago, and whatever apples I did not get the local deer population stopped by and enjoyed. My peach tree and cherry tree are still alive. When I bought this acre in 1989 there were three cherry and even a pear tree, but when they died I did not think to save the wood .

Is a two year indoor drying period adequate for the wood after cutting?
Rick

 

The general rule of thumb is one year per inch of thickness. You have to be careful drying inside. It can be too dry or too wet depending on where you put it. I would paint the ends to help keep the moisture loss as even as possible. Uneven drying causes cracking and warpage. Painting melted parafin on works well too.

 

I have a baby's rattle that a woodturner made during a demonstration out of a piece of apple. I smelled great and the baby loved it. He's getting married next month. Where did the 30 years go?

 

That wood is absolutely no use for wood working. Send it to me for disposal.

I love turning fruit wood of any sort. Always a surprise, and a joy to turn into a bowl, lidded jar, rolling pin, dreidel, etc.

 

Rick, Apple wood is prized for making wooden hand planes.

 

It is also a traditional wood for the totes on Western-style hand saws.

TedP

 

Don't throw out the little pieces, apple is wonderful wood for ribs and brisket in the smoker.


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We're gradually working our way to 1001 uses for apple wood.

 

Probably the branches will not yield much that is usable. Branch wood is also somewhat unstable. The trunk is certainly worth salvaging. I use apple for making boxes so I start with lengths of 15 to 24 inches or so. I cut 1 inch widths using my band saw then air dry them for one to two years. Keep them well stickered with weight on top. Ends painted of course. Here is a box I finished a while back. The box is apple and the top is maple if I recall correctly.

 

Again thanks for the tips on apple wood. I appreciate Charles's drying tips and possible project uses for the wood when it is ready, and Gary, your hybrid woods box is lovely. I presume that what I have learned in the last day is that the tree pieces must be slab sawed into actual boards to start the drying process, and to coat the ends with paint or wax. My original thinking was to let it dry as complete round stumps that were ~ 24-30" long, and then, after the appropriate drying time had elapsed, saw it into boards, or turning squares.
Rick

 

Rick; the splits often (mostly) happen at the ends, so absolutely longer planks would be the way to go. Don't run them through your planer until you're actually ready to use them.
Finding a storage place with low, stable humidity and air flow is the real challenge.

 

Thanks for the drying advice Dan. I have a former coach house that I was planing to store the lumber in. It is no longer heated, but it will be dry from precipitation. In good weather I can get great air circulation by leaving doors/windows open. In fact when I do open them it can be like a small wind tunnel. I do not wish to store the lumber in the main house basement but I could, as I have the room to do so. The first step is to cut the tree down.
Rick

 

Good luck, Rick! Sounds like you've got the perfect woodworker's man cave there.
Wifey won't let me do any tree cutting while the birdies are canoodling.
The Western Dogwood I had my eye on made a dramatic health recovery over the Winter so now that's on SWMBO's Do Not Touch list.
(I can't even prune the California Lilac 'cause the Hummers have set up housekeeping in it. )

 

Ah yes, the things we have to do to keep the domestic peace.

 

I have been interdicted from cutting lilac just today. Apparently it looks nice.


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Aaaaand the award for 'Perfect Planning' goes to John! Well done, John; you set a high standard for all of us slackers!! LOL!

 

Plants

You will understand I am not a gardener. I am the gardener's labourer. :smile:

 

Apple wood is obviously a "fruitwood". Pear, apricot, cherry, etc. come to mind. Most have desirable wood properties. Many are very desired for "turning". One problem is finding trees (stock) big enough. In addition to the typical smaller diameters, many of these species are rather short in mature height. Another problem is longevity as a living tree.....many have aging problems and orchard managers tend to prune for short heights to assist in ease of harvesting the fruits. One exception might be pear. And as with most lumber, a woodworker wants to avoid the pieces (lumber) with that nasty central growth ring.

 

Update on apple & cherry tree takedown

Well folks, today was the day when the monsoon rainy season stopped here in northeast OH, and the sun was out, so my dead apple and cherry trees were cut down. I experimented with coating the ends of the limbs with melting paraffin wax, and it was an easy process with my propane torch. The smaller diameter limbs, when dried/cured will be used for turning on my lathe. The larger diameter trunk sections will be slabbed into boards. In a year or so, I will add an update.
Rick

 

One of the lazy susans I posted pics of in show and tell has an apple wood surround. It is the one with very dark wood near the outside of the marquetry. The apple had some spalting and interesting grain. As others have said it is very hard and burns easily during ripping. I use it in small pieces for decorative banding as well.

 

It would be best in your smoker.

 

Apple Wood: Is it a "soft" or "hard" wood?
Rick

It is a hard wood. The designation is for trees that lose their leaves in the fall/winter.

 

Applewood covers alot of ground simply because of the number of various speices.

My experience has been: (based on very limited use)

1: it is HARD...harder than sugar (hard) maple.
hard on edged tools! tends to burn easily if your not careful, but it does take an edge/profile beautifully

2: Prior to use, it has got to be dry, which takes a good bit of time when compared to some other domestics.

3: very susceptible to seasonal movement. More so than other domestics.

4: An excellent choice for tool use, ie. totes, plane body, saw handles, spoke shaves, mallets etc...
when it comes to furniture, turners like it, box makers, inlay and small decorative pieces

5: Spalting is not uncommon, in fact this IMHO adds excellent character to the wood. Can be kinda buggy/wormy.
Keep an eye out for punk wood as well.

I've only ever run across it in small privately owned mills/kilns. And always in smallish pieces and very limited quantities.