North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Martha Barrett / Scott Weber <bluestem_farm@juno.com>]

I have a beautiful wooden spoon I carved out of apple wood.  I have used
other species
destined for the wood stove to make spoons, including a piece of curly
ash I found
in a pile of firewood.  We also sometimes see curly apple, but nothing
large
enough to work with yet.  I imagine that any apple wood large enough to 
split for firewood can yield some wood useful for carving or inlay.
All the wood I've used is from wild trees, so I can't say anything about
varieties.
Pear wood has long been used for parts of lutes, fingerboards (dyed black
to
resemble ebony), and one catalogue sells flamed pearwood large enough
for guitar backs and sides.   Question I have is what is the difference
in 
stability between pear and apple?  I've heard that apple tends to check a
lot
and therefore I've been reluctant to use it for furniture.
Scott Weber
Baraboo, WI


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