Quince Wood

[Tephy]

Has anyone any experience turning wood from a Quince tree. Ours is due for some reduction and just wondered do I save it or let the tree surgeon chip it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Vic Perrin]

Never turned it but it's Wood Init

Vic

 

[Lons]

It's a fruit tree so should be worth a go.
I think I tried carving a small piece many moons ago (could have been something else ) and it was pretty hard stuff.

 

[Penpal]

If the tree is as hard as a quince is to cut it could be a winner best to try. Just before I married and left home I bought my first car an A 1927 Model ford and my mum let me cut down our old Quince tree to park there. She made incredible jelly and jam from that tree quite a sacrifice at the time sixty years ago.Wish I still had the car.

Peter.

 

[paulm]

Isn't it a part of the plum family? it should be good or at least worth a go.

 

[wm460]

I love Quinces, mum used to preserve them and make jam. Yum.

 

[Tephy]

As it cost nothing shall give it a try :pray:

The boss ( wife ) makes jam ,jelly and quince cheese, we also sell/give about 3 sacks of quince away a year anyone close enough is welcome to some.
We are very lucky as we also have pear, apple, plum and cherry trees

 

[Bill Mooney]

If it's timber turn it. If nothing else it is good practice.

 

[ni9eofse7en]

If the tree is as hard as a quince is to cut it could be a winner best to try. Just before I married and left home I bought my first car an A 1927 Model ford and my mum let me cut down our old Quince tree to park there. She made incredible jelly and jam from that tree quite a sacrifice at the time sixty years ago.Wish I still had the car.

Peter.

You got any pics of the car?

 

[Penpal]

You got any pics of the car?

I will have a look but my kids are writing an extensive family history and the author lives in the USA she will be over again for July will ask her.

It was a tourer a large tin of Kiwi boot polish revived the hood got a bloke to make new side curtains for me (very skilled) and a rear mounted spare wheel cover. Mum gave me a WW1 army blanket and I upholstered the seats neat as. A mate who made diaramas for the Australian War Memorial is an expert spray painter charged me a pack of cigarets to spray the car Carnation red with a fair dash of black looked pretty spiffy. The windscreen was 1/4 inch plate glass when it broke it cracked safely not like future cars with safety glass that just went opaque with a peep hole clear at the time. The only time it stood me up was outside the picture theatre and I had to use the crank handle. My auto skills were limited and the eccentrics that operated the brakes were worn and braking was exciting.On the way to see my now wife one trip a copper popped out from the side of the road and waved me down on the hiway the brakes almost failed so I hung onto the handbrake finally pulled up. He was a sporting bloke and gave me a sporting chance to get the brakes fixed anyway I kept it for some time then sold it. It cost me 85 quid and I loved it.The front springs were transversel mounted (landscape across the front so on the corrugated roads the front wheels tended to sort of flap. It served me well.A great courting car 30 mile to the gallon.She lived 60 miles from me.

Peter.

 

[lignaterrae]

Not directly but it's in the same family as apple and pear so I would expect it to turn well. Keep the tree surgeon and his chipper away from it!

 

[SimonNAV]

I’ve just turned a bowl from quince. To get any size out of it I needed to bind it in resin. It’s turned out beautifully but was a difficult turn. Right from the start it wanted to grab and I had to really control the cut and take it very slowly. Increasing the speed didn’t help and it actually got easier taking out the core where it spins slower. I couldn’t turn my lathe speed down any less so ended up taking a lot of time and materiel off by sanding at 180 grit. Pen blanks shouldn’t be a problem and the wood finishes really well. If you can get any and are willing to take some time over it quince is a lovely wood. Traditionally used for knife handles I’d have thought pens would be perfect!

 

[monophoto]

Would expect it to turn well and have interesting grain, but would also expect that it would be prone to checking and splitting. My suggestion would be to grab as much of the larger chunks as you can - recognizing that the tree surgeon may have expectations about being able to sell the wood himself. If it's large enough, rough-turn some bowls immediately and let them dry; otherwise, cut it down to blanks and seal the end grain.