So around March of last year, right when I was getting really into woodworking, a friend or rather an acquaintance that I had mentioned I was getting into woodworking to, told me they actually had some lumber they would be willing to give me for free if I could just come by and haul it. She was not into woodworking or anything and from what I remember her brother had left them behind and lived across country and was not planning to ever get them so she just wanted them out of the way.
I've made some good progress with my woodworking knowledge over the last year but I am definitely still a novice and can only really identify the more popular species off the top of my head. She did not know what species they were and even attempting to match the grain to others online I have not been able to conclusively identify what species of wood it is.
And I guess my other question is, does anyone have any advice on how to best use these pieces in a project? I do not believe they were kiln dried because about 3 months after I got them I cut off a piece big enough to attempt a cutting board and the bark just didn't want to come off and I ended up damaging the cambium layer kind of ruining the segment.
Also, I am no tree expert but these slabs seem to have more lighter colored area on the edges. Does that mean it was maybe a younger tree? Or is it just the species? Or does that only tell you which part of the log it was milled from? As you can see in the pics the two long pieces only have heartwood on one side so I am assuming they were milled a bit further from the center of the tree.
Anyways, it will be my first project with any kind of live edge or slab wood and any advice or suggestions on how to use them, as well as maybe identifying the species would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance.
The slab dimensions are:
(2) Longer slabs are 2" x 9.5" x 59"
(1) Shorter slab is 2" x 10" x 34.5"
I've made some good progress with my woodworking knowledge over the last year but I am definitely still a novice and can only really identify the more popular species off the top of my head. She did not know what species they were and even attempting to match the grain to others online I have not been able to conclusively identify what species of wood it is.
And I guess my other question is, does anyone have any advice on how to best use these pieces in a project? I do not believe they were kiln dried because about 3 months after I got them I cut off a piece big enough to attempt a cutting board and the bark just didn't want to come off and I ended up damaging the cambium layer kind of ruining the segment.
Also, I am no tree expert but these slabs seem to have more lighter colored area on the edges. Does that mean it was maybe a younger tree? Or is it just the species? Or does that only tell you which part of the log it was milled from? As you can see in the pics the two long pieces only have heartwood on one side so I am assuming they were milled a bit further from the center of the tree.
Anyways, it will be my first project with any kind of live edge or slab wood and any advice or suggestions on how to use them, as well as maybe identifying the species would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance.
The slab dimensions are:
(2) Longer slabs are 2" x 9.5" x 59"
(1) Shorter slab is 2" x 10" x 34.5"