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Thread: Rust Galls?

  1. #1
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    Rust Galls?

    Has anyone ever turned any of these burl-like growths?
    FullSizeRender (6).jpg FullSizeRender (8).jpg FullSizeRender (4).jpg
    My forestry friends call them "rust galls" and I picked up several, mostly 8-inches diameter, on my visit to Montana. I was skeptical they's be worth the bother, but sampled one and they're quite dense and very figured. They're certainly turnable.

    The first two images above are the actual items I picked up; the third one is a sample pic from the internet.
    Last edited by Russell Neyman; 03-19-2017 at 1:25 PM.

    Russell Neyman
    .


    Writer - Woodworker - Historian
    Instructor: The Woodturning Experience
    Puget Sound, Washington State


    "Outside of a dog, there's nothing better than a good book; inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

  2. #2
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    Never turned one and wouldn't bother. If you want to get rid of them I'll PM you my address.

    In all seriousness, is that the color or did you put water on it to pop the grain? If I were you I'd definitely give it a go. Then again I'll try almost anything on the lathe, so I guess it depends on what you do with your work and how much time you have.
    USMC '97-'01

  3. #3
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    Since it is caused by a fungal disease I would take extra care working it. Looks like some wonderful color.
    Sid Matheny
    McMinnville, TN

  4. #4
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    That's the magic of working with wood, isn't it? You try something new and you discover something no one has experienced before.

    This particular tree has several more of these growths, and I'm hoping they'll get larger after time. I'll leave them with hopes for the future.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sid Matheny View Post
    Since it is caused by a fungal disease I would take extra care working it. Looks like some wonderful color.
    Cough, cough.

    Seriously, Sid, much of the "figured" and "spalted" wood is technically fungal in nature. Common sense goes far here; if you have a reaction, even a minor one, wear a mask, if it persists, quit. I'm lucky. I rarely have a reaction.
    Last edited by Russell Neyman; 03-18-2017 at 11:41 PM.

  6. #6
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    Beautiful wood Russell! Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of it!
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
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  7. #7
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    What species of tree, and where at in MT?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chance Raser View Post
    What species of tree, and where at in MT?
    A pedestrian-looking pine tree just north of Missoula. My brother-in-law is a career forestry department employee and says they're fairly common, although not this large.

  9. #9
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  10. #10
    Cool wood. Looking forward to seeing a turning.

    Red
    RED

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Fritz View Post
    Nope. And since it's pine, you'd expect that, right? I'll turn these few and post the results.

  12. #12
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    Finished this one today with the largest of the rust galls, ending up with a 5x7 inch piece that required lots of filler and glue. The walls are about 3/16th" thick. The pine sap
    really filled the sandpaper in seconds.

    This only has a sealer coat on it; I'll sand and add several coats of lacquer and post better pictures later.

    FullSizeRender (15).jpg FullSizeRender (16).jpg FullSizeRender (17).jpg
    Last edited by Russell Neyman; 06-22-2017 at 10:01 AM.

  13. #13
    Russell, would it be possible for you to repost these pictures with a different background? The way they are posted with that background, makes it hard to get a clear picture of the dish. To me, they look to be shimmering or vibrating because of that background.
    Len

  14. #14
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    This gall is a "fusifornm rust gall" very common on southern pines, especially Slash pine. Responsible for millions of $'s in damage in the south. Usually has bright yellow spores in the spring. Always narly inside and dripping rosin on the outside. Hope someone can find a good use for them.

  15. #15
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    Wrapped this up yesterday. Only a Beall polish matte finish because I thought anything shinier would look out of place. The walls are surprisingly thin-- about one-eighth of an inch all except at the bottom -- which is thinner than I intended. When I started with this, I really didn't expect it to go very far, but here it is. Just one of those pleasant surprised woodturners stumble into now and then.

    Rust Gall Finished.jpg

    Russell Neyman
    .


    Writer - Woodworker - Historian
    Instructor: The Woodturning Experience
    Puget Sound, Washington State


    "Outside of a dog, there's nothing better than a good book; inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

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