Tuesday, January 15, 2013

What I’m Working On: What is that wood???

Whenever we do a show, the Flame Box Elder pieces always get more attention than anything made of Walnut, Cherry, Poplar or anything else. This wood is a mystery. According to the website Hobbit House

 "Flame" (or "flamed", or sometimes "candy", or sometimes "red") box elder refers to the wood after it has been affected by a process that has been the subject of both some scholarly investigation and some debate. … The process is described variously as one or the other or both of two separate possible causes. The first cause is any form of stress, such as a bug attack, wire wrapped around a tree, something (a fence post or another tree) pushing up against the tree, or long-term bending stress caused by wind or heavy snow. The second cause is a fungus, brought into the tree by a bug attack.
We are able to get Flame Box Elder from a few sources, and every time we do, we’re astounded by nature’s glory. Turning this wood is the ultimate fun for a wood-turner, since we never know what the result will be. 
Here are just a few examples of pieces we’ve turned. All of the pieces shown here have been simply treated with oil and wax that does not affect the color!  










written by Marcia of Wood Art for Living

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