Grain Milled Boards?

[Todd Carpenter]

I'm not sure I'm calling this right thing, or if even there is a proper name for them; but, I saw a picture on the back of a wood working magazine (can't remember which one it was) showing some work a man did using boards he placed in grain feed shoot which really roughed up the boards leaving just the harder grain behind. The boxes he made were gorgeous. Since I don't have a grain mill, or access to one, how can you create this kind of effect without one?

Thanks
Todd

[Ted Calver]

Todd,
Maybe a sandblaster and experimenting with various blast media would produce that effect.

[Ben Hatcher]

A wire brush or a wire wheel will work. You'll need to experiment with speed and pressure to get it right for the species you're working with.

[Jamie Buxton]

It helps to use a wood which has a big difference in hardness between the earlywood and the latewood, for instance douglas fir.

[Todd Carpenter]

I remeber seeing something where the wood was burnt using a torch and then ??? Is this the same thing, or is it something entirely different? What other woods have a big difference in hardness between the earlywood and the latewood?

[Ben Hatcher]

Todd,
Pines, Cedars and cyprus will have that charactaristic.

[Phil Thien]

Funny that you bring this up because I was recently temped to leave some oak for a small box fairly rough. In the end I ran it through the sander. Next time I think I'll try making some of my small boxes with rougher lumber.

[sean m. titmas]

few years ago i made some boxes with cypress and torched the surface with a rose bud tip than removed the char with a wire wheel. after that i bleached the wood and applied a seal coat. it produces a beautiful 3-d textured grain by burning off the sapwood and leaving the heart wood behind. the wire wheel burnishes the remaning surface giving it a tight grained polish. soft woods, like cypress, doug fir and cedar with a highly figured grain work best. i think there was a back page article in FWW last year that showed the technique.

[Todd Carpenter]

Thanks guys - I feel a new project coming on!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Hmmmmm, maybe these old wood grain elevators scattered throughout farming country are worth a fortune! Heck of a lot ox boxes in one of those.