Scotchbroom haul (update on drying)

[ionicmuffin]

So i went over to a friends house today at about 7:00PM and spent about an hour and a little bit cutting these. I belive that they all can make decent billets...but the big one is over 72 inches long and is 2.5 inches at the base... maybe 2 staves? idk its my pride and joy from this haul.

[randman]

Nice Haul Muffin! Don't peel or rough those guys out yet or you'll end up with a bunch of bananas with severe drying checks. Wait about a month before you peel them (they loose moisture pretty fast). they'll still be sorta easy to peel but the back won't check any more as it gives off moisture then you can rough them to shape and they'll dry even faster. Don't glue any (or not much) reflex when you glue the billets as it will reflex a lot just in drying.
I wouldn't try to get 2 out of that big one. You're more than likely only going to have one good surface (without big knots) for the back anyway.

[osage outlaw]

Maybe I missed it but what kind of trees are those? 

[Josh B]

Nice haul muffin man!  That scotchbroom is deceptive stuff.  I've been driving by the stuff for years and it always looks like small scraggly brush from the road. Sort of like sagebrush only with yellow flowers.  I had no idea it got to that size.   72"!?!?  Sweet!  Josh

[ionicmuffin]

Yeah, I really got lucky that time. My friend wasn't even there when I cut that one off his property. These have been growing undisturbed for about 10 years and so this what you get when you leave them alone. I plan on looking on some other properties around town where there is literally a lot full of scotchbroom and nothing else. Randman, some of them the bark started pealing off, i put glue on to all the exposed parts of the back as to avoid checking there, thanks for the tips on drying. Osage, the trees name is Scotch broom for giants.

[ionicmuffin]

Oh and randman, the big one has only 2 knots, both are on the same face of the stave, so if i cut them so that its on the side of the two staves i would imagine that it would work out just fine, but well see after pealing bark and such.

[Josh B]

Oh and randman, the big one has only 2 knots, both are on the same face of the stave, so if i cut them so that its on the side of the two staves i would imagine that it would work out just fine, but well see after pealing bark and such.

I would think carefully on that muffin man.  If you put the knots on the side, you have a really high chance of those knots running half way across the belly of your limbs.  No good, that!  You would be better off to have them off center on the back so that there not trying to carry the tension of the high crown , but not right on the edge of your limb either.  Just my .02.  Josh

[ionicmuffin]

thats probably true, guess i should take what i can get guaranteed and leave my greed at the door eh?

[Josh B]

Look out!   You're learning! . Lol!  Yep, that's a beauty of a stave. It would be a crying shame to ruin the whole thing trying to get two out of it.  Josh

[ionicmuffin]

Yep, I'm learning alright. If I can find some more broom and a bunch of VM then I'll be set after this summer.

[Bryce]

I hope you like splicing 

[ionicmuffin]

well, i figure since my splicing skills need some work i could practice with this!

[ionicmuffin]

So just an update on the drying of the broom. Its going perfectly, no drying cracks or anything of the sort, no warping from what i can see. When june 10 comes i can start roughing out a couple.

[DarkSoul]

Eleven days of 'drying'  is barely making a dent in the moisture content of those staves. Keep monitoring them at least twice a week, to make sure nothing weird happens.
They won't be dry at June 10th, but you can indeed rough out a couple to see how things go. They'll be more likely to crack once you've removed the bark, so keep an even closer eye on them by that time! Or you can rough out the worst stave today, and see how it dries the next few weeks. Just as a test to spread your risks.

[ionicmuffin]

Yeah i realize it hasn't been very long, but I've also heard that scotch-broom looses moisture very fast. and in thinner pieces wouldn't that be accelerated? They are already noticeably lighter than when i cut them and some of them had some exposed parts because of cutting, but still not a single crack where the bark was torn off. Ill have more to report in the coming weeks im sure but for now i thought i would pop in.