Update from AZ

[E. Jensen]

Hey everyone, it's winter and I'm finishing school so I'm finding it tough to stay involved, in both bowyering and PA!  I've finished up all my samples to be tested and should get results back from UofGeorgia any day now.  Basically testing heat treatment in ponderosa pine. 

About a week or two ago it was about high of 20F.  But you know those optimistic weather guys.  More like 10F tops, mornings below 0.  -25F right outside of town one morning.    Brrr hard to get bow work done, but I braved it anyways and got a little done on the 3 bows I'm working on.  Because, of course, you can't start just one.  This last week it's been about 70F.  That's AZ weather for you.  Not going to complain though!!!  Looks like another week at least of nice weather but I better forget about it!  Time to crawl back into my cave/office and get some school work done.

[Zuma]

That's some wicked cold. Could you ice fish on the Lake Powell?  Are you above Flagstaff?
Can you tell us about the heat treatment of the pine?
Nice bows and good luck finishing up school.
Zuma

[E. Jensen]

I'm in Flagstaff.  Lake Powell is a bit of a drive when I can suffer the cold just fine here   I don't know if they ice fish there.  Might not get cold enough to freeze over.  No clue whatsoever.  I know the timbersports team used to practice log burling on Lake Mary.  Yeah no one went more than once.  Today they are practicing at the indoor pool lol.  I might go, but I also have a lot of sharpening work to do.  About 70 increment borers.  Not a light task considering they retail about $200 minimum, much more for the longer ones.

The treated boards were cooked at 170C.  This degrades the hemicellulose, which is what fungus likes to eat.  It also increases the cellulose crystalinity (whatever that means) and condenses the lignin.  The effect is increased resistance to decay and weathering, sometimes increased compression (like on our bows), and decreased breaking strength.  This has been tested in ponderosa, but those results are not publicly available.  So I'm testing it to give more information to the people trying to restore our forests, who are struggling to find enough economic value to fund the restoration.

[osage outlaw]

Looks like you have a nice workshop.  Is it heated?

[E. Jensen]

That is the school's woodshop.  It is heated, however for school stuff only, and the undergraduates basically leave the place boobytrapped, so I try and stay out of there if I can.

[Zuma]

Thanks for the timber info. Sounds like interesting work.
I was just joshin about the ice fishing but those temps
 you had were pretty frosty. I'd be headed for Tucson.
It's been awhile since I visited Flagstaff and the Southern Rim.
 It was snowing in late April the last time.
Zuma

[gifford]

Yep, it does get cold on the Rim - lived there for several years in the 70s, Heber-Overgaard District (now Black Mesa RD if I recall correctly).