Looky here at the handle material I found!

[Colonel26]

I was over at mom and dad’s for dinner after church today and momma asked me if I wanted any of the wood blocks daddy had picked up at a local Amish sawmill back when they were burning wood. She was threatening to just burn them all up and get them out of her way.

Daddy said you can’t do that, there’s some old chestnut down there! That’s when I peeked up. Evidently someone had brought some old barn beams in to have them sawed up and daddy got the scraps.

Now I got em! Once I get the grinder going I intend to use these for some handles!

American Chestnut is all but extinct and was once a major part of daily life in these parts. So this was very exciting for me.

They ain’t pretty now, but dressed up they will be!

[rangerbluedog]

Good score, Colonel!

[Jeffinn]

Ill bet there some really nice knife handles hidden in that wood! Make sure to post some photos when you get around to using it!
Jeff

[cudgee]

I was over at mom and dad’s for dinner after church today and momma asked me if I wanted any of the wood blocks daddy had picked up at a local Amish sawmill back when they were burning wood. She was threatening to just burn them all up and get them out of her way.

Daddy said you can’t do that, there’s some old chestnut down there! That’s when I peeked up. Evidently someone had brought some old barn beams in to have them sawed up and daddy got the scraps.

Now I got em! Once I get the grinder going I intend to use these for some handles!

64BB170B-27C3-4CEE-A942-6EB562129643.jpeg

American Chestnut is all but extinct and was once a major part of daily life in these parts. So this was very exciting for me.

They ain’t pretty now, but dressed up they will be!

When they are " All Dressed Up " they will look sensational, and a huge part of your and American history.

[Doc B]

That's really neat!!! It's like a hidden treasure... awaiting it's "reveal". Can't wait to see one!!!

[Colonel26]

Thanks guys. I’m just starting to assemble some things. I have to get a grinder and a forge set up first. I’ll keep ya posted.

[kootenay joe]

This might be a dumb question but how do you safely hold a small block of wood when using a belt sander (aka "grinder") ?
If holding just by hand could it not become a dangerous projectile ?
kj

[Reverand]

This might be a dumb question but how do you safely hold a small block of wood when using a belt sander (aka "grinder") ?
If holding just by hand could it not become a dangerous projectile ?
kj

VERY CAREFULLY!
(Sorry. I am a chronic smart-alec!)
When it is as small as knife scales, I typically stick some duct tape to one side, folded up in the middle for a 'handle'. Someone here has shown that they melted hot glue sticks onto scales to hold them for sanding.

[Meridian_Mike]

I can't wait to see how that chestnut looks all cleaned up!
Yep, I didn't experience it but my Dad said there was a blight that came through and killed all of the American Chestnut trees.
In the fall, when we would go squirrel hunting, we always took a path where we walked by an old chestnut log. My Dad would always recount the story of the blight.

[orvet]

Nice find and save Wade!
I can't wait to see what it looks like finished!

[Colonel26]

Thanks guys.

I can't wait to see how that chestnut looks all cleaned up!
Yep, I didn't experience it but my Dad said there was a blight that came through and killed all of the American Chestnut trees.
In the fall, when we would go squirrel hunting, we always took a path where we walked by an old chestnut log. My Dad would always recount the story of the blight.

My Pa used to tell me all about the chestnut trees and the blight. My dad said he ran up on one back when I was just a kid that was still living one day when he was out quail hunting, but I have no idea where it was.

Lots of old rail fences, barns, and smokehouses here were made of chestnut because it would split straight and was easy to work with mauls and splitting axes. It sure is pretty wood when it’s all dressed up like in my one Canal Street knife.

[glennbad]

Cool, can't wait to see what you do with it!

[Meridian_Mike]

My Pa used to tell me all about the chestnut trees and the blight. My dad said he ran up on one back when I was just a kid that was still living one day when he was out quail hunting, but I have no idea where it was.

The old chestnut trees that were native to the south were also called "chinquapin" trees. The nut (about the size of a pin oak acorn) and the nut pod was a LOT smaller than the baseball sized pods you see now. As I remember, the Chinquapin only had one nut to the pod. There was still a very few Chinquapin trees down in the Mobile, AL area when I was a kid.
I am not sure if the "chinquapin" would qualify as the true American Chestnut or not. I guess that was just the way I always thought of it.
Chinquapin......

.
Chestnut.....

.
I don't know if the American Chestnut is the same thing as the Chinquapin but I know that there are many fruit bearing trees that grow differently in the south VS. the north.
Maybe it is geographical location that makes them different (??)


(Interesting though)

[Colonel26]

My Pa used to tell me all about the chestnut trees and the blight. My dad said he ran up on one back when I was just a kid that was still living one day when he was out quail hunting, but I have no idea where it was.

The old chestnut trees that were native to the south were also called "chinquapin" trees. The nut (about the size of a pin oak acorn) and the nut pod was a LOT smaller than the baseball sized pods you see now. As I remember, the Chinquapin only had one nut to the pod. There was still a very few Chinquapin trees down in the Mobile, AL area when I was a kid.
I am not sure if the "chinquapin" would qualify as the true American Chestnut or not. I guess that was just the way I always thought of it.
Chinquapin......
Chinquapin.jpg
.
Chestnut.....
nut-in-hand.jpg
.
I don't know if the American Chestnut is the same thing as the Chinquapin but I know that there are many fruit bearing trees that grow differently in the south VS. the north.
Maybe it is geographical location that makes them different (??)


(Interesting though)

Very neat Mike. It looks like the Allegheny Chinquapin is a close relative to the Chestnut!! Here’s the information I found https://www.acf.org/resources/identific ... chinkapin/

That group is trying to bring back the American Chestnut tree. They actively search for surviving trees and have been doing a program of cross breeding with the Chinese Chestnut which is immune to the blight. It’s hoped that eventually they can get saplings that are viable and keep breeding the resistant ones back to American Chestnut genetics.

Fingers crossed!

[Meridian_Mike]

Good info!!!
Interesting too!

[cudgee]

Thanks guys.

I can't wait to see how that chestnut looks all cleaned up!
Yep, I didn't experience it but my Dad said there was a blight that came through and killed all of the American Chestnut trees.
In the fall, when we would go squirrel hunting, we always took a path where we walked by an old chestnut log. My Dad would always recount the story of the blight.

My Pa used to tell me all about the chestnut trees and the blight. My dad said he ran up on one back when I was just a kid that was still living one day when he was out quail hunting, but I have no idea where it was.

Lots of old rail fences, barns, and smokehouses here were made of chestnut because it would split straight and was easy to work with mauls and splitting axes. It sure is pretty wood when it’s all dressed up like in my one Canal Street knife.

Watched a TV show last night and the chestnut tree was mentioned, everything you have said is correct. Was used extensively in making cabins, barns, smokehouses and such, and for other projects around farms, it was readily available and good to work with. In the 1920'2 the blight went through and decimated the trees, they showed some wood examples, pre the blight and after the blight took hold. It was amazing, the wood that was after the blight had worm holes all through it, and you could clearly see them, so any wood that has survived that has no worm infestation is pre-1920's. They cannot work out why they cannot grow the trees anymore, they are doing research and studies into trying to re establish the tree, but for some reason it will not grow, and they do not know why. Was very interesting.

[Colonel26]

Thanks guys.

I can't wait to see how that chestnut looks all cleaned up!
Yep, I didn't experience it but my Dad said there was a blight that came through and killed all of the American Chestnut trees.
In the fall, when we would go squirrel hunting, we always took a path where we walked by an old chestnut log. My Dad would always recount the story of the blight.

My Pa used to tell me all about the chestnut trees and the blight. My dad said he ran up on one back when I was just a kid that was still living one day when he was out quail hunting, but I have no idea where it was.

Lots of old rail fences, barns, and smokehouses here were made of chestnut because it would split straight and was easy to work with mauls and splitting axes. It sure is pretty wood when it’s all dressed up like in my one Canal Street knife.

Watched a TV show last night and the chestnut tree was mentioned, everything you have said is correct. Was used extensively in making cabins, barns, smokehouses and such, and for other projects around farms, it was readily available and good to work with. In the 1920'2 the blight went through and decimated the trees, they showed some wood examples, pre the blight and after the blight took hold. It was amazing, the wood that was after the blight had worm holes all through it, and you could clearly see them, so any wood that has survived that has no worm infestation is pre-1920's. They cannot work out why they cannot grow the trees anymore, they are doing research and studies into trying to re establish the tree, but for some reason it will not grow, and they do not know why. Was very interesting.

It is interesting. From what I understand, the stumps still live underground and put up shoots, but they just die back.

Pa was born in ‘21, and they’re we’re still in affected trees when he was a kid. He used to tell me how good the nuts were to eat. But they all died in my area when he was a young man.

[1967redrider]

Great find of some resourceful wood. Most of the beams and original boards in our barn are Chestnut. It was so prevalent in our area that even 100 years after the blight, the old stumps are still pushing up saplings. Maybe one day they will beat the blight and restore the forrest back to how it once was.

A guy who owns the house we stayed in Sunday and Monday in Garrett Co. has some saplings about the circumference of a softball that he's hoping will mature. Wish I would have taken some pictures of them.

[cudgee]

I was over at mom and dad’s for dinner after church today and momma asked me if I wanted any of the wood blocks daddy had picked up at a local Amish sawmill back when they were burning wood. She was threatening to just burn them all up and get them out of her way.

Daddy said you can’t do that, there’s some old chestnut down there! That’s when I peeked up. Evidently someone had brought some old barn beams in to have them sawed up and daddy got the scraps.

Now I got em! Once I get the grinder going I intend to use these for some handles!

64BB170B-27C3-4CEE-A942-6EB562129643.jpeg

American Chestnut is all but extinct and was once a major part of daily life in these parts. So this was very exciting for me.

They ain’t pretty now, but dressed up they will be!

After reading all the posts and what else i have heard about this wood, cannot wait to see what you do with it. If it has no worm holes through it, it is probably over 100 years old. Now it is is a really great find.

[Reverand]

When I was a boy there was one old chestnut tree standing out in the woods behind our house. It had been dead for probably 50 years, had no limbs left on it, but kept standing until about 30 years ago it finally fell in a storm.
Out Cub Scout troop Had hiked out to it, and 8 of us held hands in a ring and could not reach all the way around it.

About 20 years ago I helped my Dad to tear down, move, and restore several log houses. Some had Chestnut logs in them, and it is a very beautiful and hardy wood.

[TripleF]

I was over at mom and dad’s for dinner after church today and momma asked me if I wanted any of the wood blocks daddy had picked up at a local Amish sawmill back when they were burning wood. She was threatening to just burn them all up and get them out of her way.

Daddy said you can’t do that, there’s some old chestnut down there! That’s when I peeked up. Evidently someone had brought some old barn beams in to have them sawed up and daddy got the scraps.

Now I got em! Once I get the grinder going I intend to use these for some handles!

64BB170B-27C3-4CEE-A942-6EB562129643.jpeg

American Chestnut is all but extinct and was once a major part of daily life in these parts. So this was very exciting for me.

They ain’t pretty now, but dressed up they will be!

Very cool!!!!

[kootenay joe]

I planted 3 Chestnut trees here on my property in south central B.C. Two i planted about 37 years ago and one about 20 years ago. One is supposed to be American Chestnut and 2 American x Chinese Chestnuts. They are growing well. One of them is already a BIG tree. I get quite a few very good edible Chestnuts every Fall. The sharp spiky outer coat keeps the squirrels from getting them
I also have about 7 walnut trees but the squirrels take 90% of the nuts and most years i cannot find where they have stashed them.
kj

[carrmillus]

....haven't been downtown in quite a while , but there was a chestnut tree just off of main st. near the downtown area in a backyard, it wasn't very big, probably about 25 ft. tall.......i'll look next time I'm in the big city!!!............... ...................

[Colonel26]

....haven't been downtown in quite a while , but there was a chestnut tree just off of main st. near the downtown area in a backyard, it wasn't very big, probably about 25 ft. tall.......i'll look next time I'm in the big city!!!............... ...................

It’s probably a Chinese chestnut. There are several of those around. I used to love the nuts, but I haven’t had any in a while. The Chinese Chestnut trees are immune to the blight.

[Colonel26]

I planted 3 Chestnut trees here on my property in south central B.C. Two i planted about 37 years ago and one about 20 years ago. One is supposed to be American Chestnut and 2 American x Chinese Chestnuts. They are growing well. One of them is already a BIG tree. I get quite a few very good edible Chestnuts every Fall. The sharp spiky outer coat keeps the squirrels from getting them
I also have about 7 walnut trees but the squirrels take 90% of the nuts and most years i cannot find where they have stashed them.
kj

I’d love to see pics of those trees!!!