Spalted Beech turning blanks
This is a spalted Beech wood turning bowl blank, we try to offer larger more interesting blanks than are available from the mass producers.
We also do plain and flamed Beech wood turning blanks, boards and carving pieces. Beech is an excellent wood for turning and finishes very well.
Beech Trees
Beech (Fagus) was considered the Queen of our hardwoods, Oak being the King, it was a symbol of wisdom and ancient British cultures believed eating Beech nuts made you wise. Beech trees are still an important and prominent feature of British woodlands but is only truly native to South East England and South Wales. Beech trees are now spread throughout Britain as a result of cultivation for nuts (early basis of flour) then timber and ornamental purposes. The biggest hedge in the world is right here in Scotland (near Blairgowrie), planted in 1745 this massive Beech hedge is a third of a mile long and 100 feet high.
In an open area with free draining soil Beech trees live for hundreds of years and can grow to heights of over 100 feet with a canopy as much as 60 feet wide. They are a great tree for arborists to climb with wide huge spreading branches. Nice to work on but extremely heavy logs, definitely one for the winter.
Beech woodlands do not promote a lot of undergrowth dropping a thick layer of rotting leaves and mast husks (the cover around the nuts), in late summer this is where to find Cepe or Penny Bun mushrooms if you're lucky, in Spring when the dense canopy is not present Beech forests can host a carpet of bluebells. The density of their massive canopies is the reason that they are sometimes removed as part of management plans from native woodlands (or woodlands created to look them), not much can grow beneath them.
Beech timber
Beech has many uses, it’s an excellent timber that we are always pleased to get through the gate. We trialled nets for kindling that were made from cellulose derived from Beech wood fibres, they were very good but a bit weak, it’s a developing technology though and one we might go back to when a stronger thread is possible.
Beech is tough, dense and can be beautiful with either plenty of character, or pure and pale depending on the tree’s health and growing situation. Old deteriorating timber with flame patterns and spalting is desirable for wood turning and furniture making. We get a lot of this in due to the nature of our sourcing (mostly trees that have fallen, are dangerous or are deteriorating). The clear healthy specimens that are sometimes removed as hedge thinnings or ex-industrial regeneration are ideal for cooking utensils and work tops, Beech having anti bacterial properties (better than plastic and even stainless steel) is very well suited for making chopping boards.
We also use Beech to make pizza oven logs and smoking materials. Beech pizza oven logs burn clean and hot, our’s are kiln dried so you get all of the heat energy in the log rather than it being subdued by too high a moisture content. Pizza oven logs need to be very dry
The mini Beech logs can be used in a hot smoker or on charcoals to smoke a variety of food, and even beer in some cases. We also do fine smoking dust for cold smokers. Beech is great for smoking bacon, pork and poultry, and some cheeses. It’s a bit heavy for fish but we hear some say its ok if you keep an eye on it.
Beech logs gallery
Beech firewood logs
Beech wood makes very very good firewood, it’s a bit like Oak but with an easier flame and longer burning than Ash. If it’s straight grained it is easily split, where trying to split a Beech crotch or knotty bit will keep you warmer than burning it. We separate the straight clean firewood and the iffy bits, what doesn’t pass the test goes into the charcoal kiln to make excellent Beech wood BBQ charcoal, or into the budget firewood bags for chimeneas and campfires.
