Freshly cut or split timber smell

[Die Judicii]

Yesterday I split 4.5 tons of seasoned Ironbark for firewood.
Two massive trees that were felled (according to the landowner) 40-50 years ago.
They've been laying where they landed, on top of granite rocks and boulders, and were 99% solid all through, clean, dry and no termites.
When splitting it some sections had beautiful tight wriggle grain that would be magnificent if polished.

One thing that was really noticeable was the smell of the timber itself.
Very hard to describe, but neither pungent or sweet, but overall it was a very refreshing aroma.

Anybody else noticed the scent of freshly cut or split timber ?

[No1Mk3]

Yes, not just fresh either. As a kid at College i really loved the smell of the timber store in the woodwork room, full of both native and exotic timbers it was quite magical.

[womble]

If I have the permission and or opportunity i camp in pine plantations. And theres no insects to deal with.

[bigpete]

One of the few things I enjoyed about using wood arrows made of Port Orford cedar was the smell

[Blr243]

Yes , and just thi king of it brings bac memories from my childhood. My father was always felling trees , logging , de barking and fenceing Natural timber smells are one of those strange smells that we like but we don’t know why and we don’t have to know why either.

[Die Judicii]

Here is a pic of the type of grain I was talking about.
If I knew someone that has a pantograph,,, I'd consider getting a stock made out of it.

IMG_0275.jpg (686.29 KiB) Viewed 2302 times

[Fester]

Most timber is a great refreshing odor, but some batches of stringybark can give off a slight s**ty smell.
It is gone within a couple of days. Just the day I am splitting it makes the not-so-pleasant odor.

It's not just me as another bloke said he checked his shoes for stepping in dog crap.

[No1_49er]

Here is a pic of the type of grain I was talking about.
If I knew someone that has a pantograph,,, I'd consider getting a stock made out of it.

Hold that thought, DJ.
There's a fellow out at Bluff who made me a copy of an Anschutz 3P stock. It was several years ago though.
He was a sometimes poster on this forum.
I'll have a dig through my records and see what I can find.

[No1_49er]

He's on this forum with user name trekin (Trevor), although I haven't seen any posts for quite a while. I believe his forum member number is 356, if that's any use/help.
Rifle stock and pistol grip reproduction.

[Die Judicii]

Thanks for that Mate.
Making a stock from Ironbark,was only a random brain fart,,,,, but it could well be a good thing.
Especially for something with a bit of kick,, like a 375 H+H
And,,, that grain,, I reckon it would come up tops done with tru oil.
I might grab a chunk and plane it, then try a bit of oil on it to see.

[Die Judicii]

I got that piece of firewood today and hit it a few times with the electric planer.
I'm gonna give it 3-4 coats of Tru Oil,, and see how it comes up.
Will post some pics when its done.

[Die Judicii]

Well, I got stuck into that piece of wood with the sander and some true oil.
The sanding job was a bit rough, but was good enough to highlight the grain, so I just went for it to see how it turned out.
It was coming along quite nicely,,,, until I stuffed up.
I made the unforgiveable error of trying to hurry things along,,, and left it overnight after the 3rd coat to dry in the same room as the SC Heater.

Overnight,, the warmth killed it by causing a split in the grain to open up.
It wouldv'e been worth some extra sanding to get a real good surface, if it wasn't for the split.

Pics as is,,, for interest sake.

timber 1.jpg (165.29 KiB) Viewed 1918 times

timber 2.jpg (142.1 KiB) Viewed 1918 times

timber 3.jpg (142.1 KiB) Viewed 1918 times

timber 4.jpg (211.93 KiB) Viewed 1918 times

timber 5.jpg (107.6 KiB) Viewed 1918 times

[fussy]

Now see how it shows up when you turn in on a lathe...

[Die Judicii]

Now see how it shows up when you turn in on a lathe...

Yeah no,,,,,,, Don't have a wood lathe.
Maybe when I've got nothing to do I could try a chunk in the 4 jaw chuck.
But I've seen the grain off the sander now,, and satisfied my curiosity.

[Sarco]

BIL property backs onto the Murray River, he periodically feeds me timber that has fallen on the property or washed down by floods for firewood. Generally, I go through it and look for those beautiful grains to pass to a mate who does the most beautiful lathe work, which he then sells around the various local markets. On a commercial basis, it well and truly pays for the cartage costs and adds to the pension. Plus I get the soso stuff for firewood.