# Wood



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

One of the things that has held my interest in painting for so many years is my fascination with different species of wood. Here's a batch that is so pretty I dont even want to touch it.


----------



## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Gorgeous. 
I have a buddy who does hardwood floors. Hes always bringing over these stunning pieces.
"This one was too pretty to use"


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Its nutty when you get familiar with certain species and begin to pic out atypical (usually desirable) grain patterns. Especially common in quarter sawn lumber, which this is.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

How many stirr sticks do you reckon you'll get out of that lot? :whistling2:


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> How many stirr sticks do you reckon you'll get out of that lot? :whistling2:


If it was ipe, I'd be hoarding.


----------



## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Tell that kid leaning on the wood to sweep the damn shop.


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Bender said:


> Tell that kid leaning on the wood to sweep the damn shop.


That wood he is leaning on, plus another batch on our mobile table, weighed a total of 7 tons. We had to get it in fast because it was butt ass cold out and we sure hate to lose much heat in the shop. 

Literally, seven tons. There is a big old hole in the rainforest somewhere.


----------



## Paint and Hammer (Feb 26, 2008)

I don't recognize it Scott?

Looks fairly red on my monitor?

Maple...course not.
Oak....nope. Possibly red Oak, but doubt it, grain is too wide. 
Mahogany...nope.
Hickory...nope.
Pine, spruce...nope
Nothing exotic like purple heart or bamboo.

Cedar....Possible?...looks too hard though

What!


----------



## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Nice. What are you doing with/to it?


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Paint and Hammer said:


> I don't recognize it Scott?
> 
> Looks fairly red on my monitor?
> 
> ...



sapele


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Bender said:


> Nice. What are you doing with/to it?


What would you think if I said "prime and paint it"?

Would you stand up and walk out on me?

:jester:


----------



## Paint and Hammer (Feb 26, 2008)

vermontpainter said:


> sapele


Thanks...I was panicking.


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

To be sure its not getting painted.


----------



## Paint and Hammer (Feb 26, 2008)

Do you mill it also?


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Paint and Hammer said:


> Do you mill it also?


No. I wouldnt dare.


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

straight_lines said:


> To be sure its not getting painted.


Lend me your ear and I'll sing you a song. Gonna try not to sing out of key.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Are you gonna use spackle before or after the prime coat? Are you gonna paint it with your winnie roller? :jester: 


Sweet job dude, hope you share the finish :thumbsup:


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Scott, that's why I got into wood finishing. Nobody can make anything as beautiful as the "Big Guy". I have a couple of file cabinets full of different wood species with nothing but clear on them - it really brings out the beauty of the wood. 

I have two Stickley antique rockers that were given to me that are solid quarter-sawn oak. The flecks in them are amazing. Will be repairing and refinishing them this spring.

Probably the species that gave me the most problems was zebra wood that had been cut into strips and then glued and formed into curved trim pieces. All through out the pre-sanding I had to go real easy because the dark grains would actually raise and separate from the light grain....sorta like large fish scales. All sanding had to be done in one direction. Ended up brushing pre-cat on for what seemed like endless coats to saturate and help bind the grain, then sand, and finally spray the finish coats.


----------



## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

V,
Good to see you've got the shop up and running. Awesome!


----------



## DHlll (Dec 22, 2010)

Unfortunately (for the forests) alot of the high end jobs here in new jersey use only mahogany for their exterior trim. I have literally paint miles of grade 1 sapele or Honduran mahogany. We have sanded mill glaze and cuffed edges and painted stacks and stacks of that beautiful wood one job alone had 2 mile of trim on the exterior


----------



## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

Scott just likes to admire his wood in the shop.


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Using wood like that and turning it into paint grade makes my sick.


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

NEPS.US said:


> Scott just likes to admire his wood in the shop.


Wood in the shop = $$$.


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

It is remarkable that some of these species can grow 200 ft tall with no branches. Alot of the mahogany, sapele, meranti, cambara and other exotics we get are plantation grown now.


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Scott, do you have a forklift? Unloading 7 tons.....whew....think I'd be considering one. I almost bought a used one from a dealer who's building was across from mine, and he said just to get the fork attachment for my Bobcat. I did, and saved myself some major $$$. A little trickier to use than a forklift...:whistling2: Alot more versatile though.


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Wolfgang said:


> Scott, do you have a forklift? Unloading 7 tons.....whew....think I'd be considering one. I almost bought a used one from a dealer who's building was across from mine, and he said just to get the fork attachment for my Bobcat. I did, and saved myself some major $$$. A little trickier to use than a forklift...:whistling2: Alot more versatile though.


Trying to figure out how to break it to my wife that i need another machine. Seriously though, you are right. I want to run the new shop for a season to work out its numebers from an operations costs v production standpoint. What it seems like we need more than anything is more space.


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Get a bobcat. Then you can tell her how you can use it for the driveway, unloading material, etc.. Of course you can do what I did, and just hide it from her for a year or so.....until I brought it home. LOL. She was fine with it.

And you can never have enough space in a shop.


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Was your bobcat tracked or wheeled?


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Wheeled. Got it from a business auction. Track machines are outrageously expensive. I also rented mine out to a few trusted people in the trades, which helped it to pay for itself. Came with a 60" bucket with removeable teeth bar, a "jerry-rigged" platform, and tire chains. Other than the yearly tune-up, I really haven't had any maintenance issues. Last guy I rented it to tore up two of the tires on rebar. He paid for new ones and I went ahead and bought two more for the other side. Seriously, one of the best investments I ever made.


----------



## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

You can usually find some decent ones from about 5 grand and up. If it's running good, the main thing you want to check is the hydraulics and hoses then the tires.


----------



## Paint and Hammer (Feb 26, 2008)

vermontpainter said:


> It is remarkable that some of these species can grow 200 ft tall with no branches. Alot of the mahogany, sapele, meranti, cambara and other exotics we get are plantation grown now.


The sad (or not depending how you look at it) is these woods often don't look and feel like they did 100 years ago. What used to take an Oak tree 50+ years to produce we have engineered to do in 25 years or less. The grain is further apart, weaker, different characteristics. 

Not sure if that is the same scenario with the exotics, but since you mentioned plantation I'm assuming so. 

We have a guy locally who is doing a killing recycling old wood. Some people 'appreciate the characteristics' and will pay for it. Some characteristics don't exist anymore.


----------



## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Do you have acreage Scott?


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Bender said:


> Do you have acreage Scott?


Are you asking if I own acreage in the rainforest or if I have property myself?


----------



## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Property yourself. I was wondering if a tractor with forks would be an option.
Hard to get your moneys worth out of a bobcat.


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Bender said:


> Property yourself. I was wondering if a tractor with forks would be an option.
> Hard to get your moneys worth out of a bobcat.


I think the ideal rig would be a tracked skidsteer...Caterpillar makes a sweet one, but I am a JD controls guy. I'd love a tractor. My son and I built a network of hiking/biking trails last year. On the long term wish list would be a tractor for sure. You know me...John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere.


----------



## Ole34 (Jan 24, 2011)

Paint and Hammer said:


> The sad (or not depending how you look at it) is these woods often don't look and feel like they did 100 years ago. What used to take an Oak tree 50+ years to produce we have engineered to do in 25 years or less. The grain is further apart, weaker, different characteristics.
> 
> .


 
ive noticed exactly what you talking about...i turn wood on a lathe and have givin up on new oak, pure crap.....nothing but huge pores, now on the other hand i deal in antique furniture as a side gig to make extra money and those old oak pieces are a thing to see....... like night and day when compared to the new stuff


----------



## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

vermontpainter said:


> I think the ideal rig would be a tracked skidsteer...Caterpillar makes a sweet one, but I am a JD controls guy. I'd love a tractor. My son and I built a network of hiking/biking trails last year. On the long term wish list would be a tractor for sure. You know me...John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere.
> 
> 
> > Don't forget Barleycorn.


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

We still have a 140 we use.


----------

