# Box elder worth milling?



## wdchuck (Nov 4, 2006)

So I have this clearing project with lots of box elder and would like to know if there are any good uses besides firewood should I come across a reasonably straight log. 

What about practicing hand joinery on it, like small dove tail boxes?


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## woodshop (Nov 4, 2006)

Boxelder, also called ashleaf maple, is one of those love it or hate it trees here in the east. It's a soft maple, easily worked, but considered "junk" wood in many circles. Flip side is that many boxelders have a heartwood streaked with fire engine red. This wood is prized in some circles due to its unique red streaks, which do make very pretty turnings and small projects. Here in SE Pa, it often grows in semi-pure stands. Acres of boxelder with red maple, catalpa and ash mixed in. As to whether you should do something with it, that's up to you and your woodworking skills.


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## woodshop (Nov 4, 2006)

Boxelder, also called ashleaf maple, is one of those love it or hate it trees here in the east. It's a soft maple, easily worked, but considered "junk" wood in many circles. Flip side is that many boxelders have a heartwood streaked with fire engine red. This wood is prized in some circles due to its unique red streaks, which do make very pretty turnings and small projects. Here in SE Pa, it often grows in semi-pure stands. Acres of boxelder with red maple, catalpa and ash mixed in. As to whether you should do something with it, that's up to you and your woodworking skills.


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## Deoje (Nov 5, 2006)

Yeah I've seen some very pretty stuff turned from Boxelder.

I would love to get my hands on some.


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## woodshop (Nov 5, 2006)

Deoje said:


> Yeah I've seen some very pretty stuff turned from Boxelder.
> 
> I would love to get my hands on some.


As far as I know, the range of boxelder does reach down into Georgia. You should be able to find some if you dig around. Talk to tree takedown guys, I bet they run into them and might be able to give you a heads up where one is being dropped.


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## TedChristiansen (Nov 5, 2006)

I milled a few short 4' logs in December 2005. When I got the logs I didnt know what kind of wood it was. Since the logs were short I split them in half lengthwise with my TimberJig & chainsaw and then milled the logs into boards on my vertical bandsaw.

The wood stinks when cut, some call it poop wood. Many of the boards developed a fungus during drying. Perhaps it didnt dry fast enough.

I used a few boards for some small shop and garage storage projects. It is easy to work as has been said already.

Ted


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## Deoje (Nov 5, 2006)

woodshop said:


> As far as I know, the range of boxelder does reach down into Georgia. You should be able to find some if you dig around. Talk to tree takedown guys, I bet they run into them and might be able to give you a heads up where one is being dropped.





I did't realize they came all the way down here. I've never seen any around. Thanks for the info. I've got a tree guy that sometimes save me certain things, although I haven't seem him in a while. I'll have to try and get in touch with him.


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## woodshop (Nov 7, 2006)

For an example of the beauty of boxwood heartwood, here is an example. It should be noted that this is an exceptional nice piece, and many times you open up a boxelder and get a few red streaks, but nothing close to this. 


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280045642401


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## dustytools (Nov 7, 2006)

Now that is a beautiful piece of wood. Ive never turned a bowl but would like to give it a go someday. Would probbably try to learn on something a little less expensive though.


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## Ed*L (Nov 8, 2006)

I've never cut a Boxelder that had enough straight trunk to mill. :hmm3grin2orange: 
Most of them here are crooked as heck or stressed from growing at a 45 degree angle. I have cut them up to 48" dbh. It is lots of fun to fly through that soft wood with the 084. :hmm3grin2orange: 
I don't see why it wouldn't work for shelving etc. if you used thick enough material. It would probably work for craft type projects or wood toys. I used to have logs milled at a nearby historical villiage, they keep a third of the material for themselves. The guys in the toy shop went nuts when I brought in Cottonwood. They wanted it for making toys to sell to the visitors. I didn't have a problem leaving it there & taking all my good hardwood home. 
I don't think it has the strength for dovetail joints, the pins or tails might break off when trying to assemble the joint.

Ed


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## woodshop (Nov 8, 2006)

Ed*L said:


> I have cut them up to 48" dbh. It is lots of fun to fly through that soft wood with the 084. :hmm3grin2orange:
> 
> I don't think it has the strength for dovetail joints, the pins or tails might break off when trying to assemble the joint.
> Ed


WOW, a 48" dbh boxelder, I would have liked to have seen that. They don't get that big around here (east coast, PA). Once in a while you will find one over 18 inches, but rare, and yes, many are crooked. I agree, if you're going to make a big blanket chest the pins and tails would be on the weak side with wood that soft. I think the front of a small drawer dovetailed to the sides would be OK though.


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## wdchuck (Nov 9, 2006)

Well, there is nothing of any size to work with, so firewood it is. There are some that are straight for 6' @ 10" dia. so maybe that could be used. Just wanted to gather some info before I bucked it, hard to glue buck lengths back together for milling, did that once to some black walnut, didn't recognize the wood until at the splitter, 16"dia straight, beautiful.:bang:


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## woodshop (Nov 9, 2006)

wdchuck said:


> ...hard to glue buck lengths back together for milling, did that once to some black walnut, didn't recognize the wood until at the splitter...


Am I understanding you correctly, you glued firewood chunks back together to then tried to mill the wood?


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## wdchuck (Nov 9, 2006)

woodshop said:


> Am I understanding you correctly, you glued firewood chunks back together to then tried to mill the wood?



  Let me clarify; one time in the woods I cut up a nice tree for firewood, when splitting I realized it was black walnut, the nice straight log could have been used for something better than firewood.

So now, before butchering up any new tree type I gather information on it, because, once bucked, it can't be made long again.


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## woodshop (Nov 9, 2006)

wdchuck said:


> Let me clarify; one time in the woods I cut up a nice tree for firewood, when splitting I realized it was black walnut, the nice straight log could have been used for something better than firewood.


Gotcha... I thought thats what you meant, just had to ask


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## Deoje (Nov 10, 2006)

I was hoping you had glued a tree back up and had pics.  

I'd like to see that. It would make for some interesting lumber.


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## woodshop (Nov 10, 2006)

Deoje said:


> I was hoping you had glued a tree back up and had pics.
> 
> I'd like to see that. It would make for some interesting lumber.


Ya know as silly as that sounds, it would not be all that impossible to do in the woodshop. I'd machine the ends of the firewood sized pieces perfectly flat and smooth on my milling machine rigged up to hold the pieces, and then use something like Gorilla glue (polyurethane glue), which is water activated, on that wet lumber immediately. You would have to rig up a series of pipe clamps and maybe some angle iron on the two end pieces for the pipe clamps to grab hold in order to clamp it all together with enough pressure. Gorilla glue is stronger than the wood itself, although end to end joint like that would prevent some applications. 

Would anybody ever actually DO this? No, other than just for fun. I gotta say though, this is the kind of thing I would toy with "just for fun" if I had more time to play. From a practical standpoint though, not sure the joints would hold through the drying process as the "boards" you milled from it dried and shrunk a little.


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