Been four years since I've been here. Been busier than an old man should. Had some tragedies happen in my family, so I've been doing a lot of traveling... some of it necessary, some not. Finally back to my shed and the big lathe.
I acquired a log of Bristlecone Pine. This log came from a tree that burned high on a mountain in Colorado back in 1894 -- the tree was still standing, and the forest had grown back around it. 120 years of cold and snow...
I don't know how many annual rings burned away, but there are 181 rings at the 7" diameter level, which was about 20 feet up. (Which makes this particular log at least 301 years old). (died in 1894, 120 years ago).
Here's the curious thing about the rings (which I could only count after borrowing a 7 power Opti-visor from a mate who's a gunsmith): Counting from the center out, I placed a straight pin at each 25 years. The first 100 years (3 inches) the rings were in varied thickness, which would indicate dry/wet or shorter/longer growing seasons. But from that point out to the edge of the disc, the rings got closer together for each 25 years. The last inch (13/32" exactly) had 81 rings, which made a total of 181 annual rings. (There were 31 rings in the last 1/4".)
Please... if anyone on this forum is familiar with fire science concerning forest fires, tell me: Do trees shrink in diameter when the moisture departs during the heat of a forest fire? If not, can you explain the above anomaly for me? Otherwise, I'm clueless.
The wood has a beautiful patina from the weather carrying the char into the wood via the cracks, and it is quite a bit harder than normal after standing, dead, for that long. Also, you can still smell the pitch when turning it. I've got a few pieces turned from it, utilizing the beauty of the charred wood as accents (with a little turquoise). If I can find my camera I'll try to post a pic or two tomorrow.
Hope I haven't bored y'all to tears...
I acquired a log of Bristlecone Pine. This log came from a tree that burned high on a mountain in Colorado back in 1894 -- the tree was still standing, and the forest had grown back around it. 120 years of cold and snow...
I don't know how many annual rings burned away, but there are 181 rings at the 7" diameter level, which was about 20 feet up. (Which makes this particular log at least 301 years old). (died in 1894, 120 years ago).
Here's the curious thing about the rings (which I could only count after borrowing a 7 power Opti-visor from a mate who's a gunsmith): Counting from the center out, I placed a straight pin at each 25 years. The first 100 years (3 inches) the rings were in varied thickness, which would indicate dry/wet or shorter/longer growing seasons. But from that point out to the edge of the disc, the rings got closer together for each 25 years. The last inch (13/32" exactly) had 81 rings, which made a total of 181 annual rings. (There were 31 rings in the last 1/4".)
Please... if anyone on this forum is familiar with fire science concerning forest fires, tell me: Do trees shrink in diameter when the moisture departs during the heat of a forest fire? If not, can you explain the above anomaly for me? Otherwise, I'm clueless.
The wood has a beautiful patina from the weather carrying the char into the wood via the cracks, and it is quite a bit harder than normal after standing, dead, for that long. Also, you can still smell the pitch when turning it. I've got a few pieces turned from it, utilizing the beauty of the charred wood as accents (with a little turquoise). If I can find my camera I'll try to post a pic or two tomorrow.
Hope I haven't bored y'all to tears...
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