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 Arizona tree questionGo to page >> |
| Author | Post |
| Athina |
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ATHINA  Joined: Fri Mar 04 2011, 08:53AM Posts: 257 | Hallo again, just dropped my mother off to our countryhouse and i saw a tree called arizona (might be CUPRESUS ARIZONICA) was cut down in pieces for the fireplace (i guess she needed the space to plant other trees). I saw two nice big pieces and took them with me to rescue from burning. I never burned on this kind of wood and thought of making some kind of decorative furniture with it (stool or small table who knows). First of all, does anyone recognize this kind of tree? And second i' ll be happy to hear any other suggestions of use with pyrography details.    | ||
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| Mesquiter |
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  Joined: Sun Apr 20 2003, 01:00PM Posts: 2114 | If it is Arizona Cypress, I've never seen it when in Arizona. It seems to have a Juniper look to it ? I burn on Juniper and like it and have built things from Florida cypress. As I recall the cypress was a softer wood (most ever greens are) and it worked well but had a tendency to split a little. I'll have to keep my eyes open when I go back to Arizona and see if I can find some....interesting ! | ||
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| Tia |
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  Joined: Fri Nov 02 2007, 02:00PM Posts: 442 | I'm not familiar with it but they sure look interesting! I can't wait to see what you do with them! | ||
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| Athina |
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Joined: Fri Mar 04 2011, 08:53AM Posts: 257 | In Greece we call this spieces arizona, its a spieces that grows in Greece and other places all over the world with warm clima. If you google Cupressus arizonica you'll see the kind of the tree. I'm really frostrated cause i dont know if i should try cut at least one thin slice to see if i can use it as canvas for burning or transform both pieces in decorating furniture. I'm always open to suggestions or ideas cause it would take me really long time to decide on my own and i dont know whether its good or bad to leave a recently cut piece of wood unworked. I have never used a wood so "fresh and alive" if you know what i mean. | ||
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| Mesquiter |
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Joined: Sun Apr 20 2003, 01:00PM Posts: 2114 | Any freshly cut wood has to dry before use. Usually it is best to air dry the wood, rather than using a kiln and it can take a year or more (depending on humidity). When drying it can split and check, unless it is coated with wax or latex paint. American cypress is popular to make clocks. | ||
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| Athina |
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Joined: Fri Mar 04 2011, 08:53AM Posts: 257 | Thanks Bill, i didn't know that, these are things that only proffesionals know and it is not easy to find them in my town. | ||
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| Athina |
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Joined: Fri Mar 04 2011, 08:53AM Posts: 257 | I did a little search on the internet and found this site "http://arts.jrank.org/pages/9973/III-Techniques.html" with very interesting information on how to prepare a fresh cutted piece of wood. As i said before these things are known usually to people who are proffesional but there is always a posibility for all of us to come across a recently cutted tree and want to take some pieces of it at home for artistic use. Bill you certainly gave me the boost i needed to find out more about this, otherwise i would have damaged those two pieces. | ||
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| Mesquiter |
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Joined: Sun Apr 20 2003, 01:00PM Posts: 2114 | Glad you are finding out the information you need, Athina. Many years ago I cut down a nice Cherry tree and keep most of the trunk. I sliced the trunk into pieces a few inches wide and as it dried the pieces checked so bad I couldn't use them. I had to learn the hard way  Since then I learned how to be patient and let the wood air dry. It is fun to take a cut piece and season it, then make something from it or wood burn on it. My walking sticks are made from dried wood that I find in the woods and nature has done most of the hard work for me  The look of your wood does remind me of cypress and should finish nicely. | ||
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| Athina |
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Joined: Fri Mar 04 2011, 08:53AM Posts: 257 | I had the same results when i took a recently cutted piece and transformed it into a lamp. I didn't wait for it to dry and after a few months the wood splitted in two places, it never crossed my mind that the reason was i didn't wait for it to dry. I thought it was because of the hole i made to fit the hat. With my dad we used to make walking sticks from olive trees (really nice and strong wood in my opinion for this use) just because we both loved doing crafts, for the fun of it, but we let them dry a few days in the summer, not for long, and this worked just fine. I guess it depends on the size of the wood and whether its a branch or trunk, we only used branches. I'll keep doing walking sticks in the summer and the 2 pieces of the trunk will have to wait till next year, i' ll let them untouched, which gives me the time to think what i will eventually do with them. By the way i like the sticks you make they are awesome. | ||
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| HbgBill |
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  Joined: Mon May 09 2011, 08:45AM Posts: 62 | I also think it is the Juniper.. very common in the northern and central AZ deserts. Probably elsewhere in AZ as well | ||
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