Wood wanted

For building bagpipes, shawms and oboes, I am always looking for local sound wood.

Do you have an old fruit tree in your yard that is in danger of falling or does the old apple tree need to make way for an addition? I will come and cut down the tree for free. I take the thicker sections and leave the branches nicely sawn for your wood stove if necessary. If desired, I also take the smaller parts and leave everything neatly tidy.

The following woods grow in a lot of Flemish gardens and are of interest to me:

  • palm (buxus sempervirens) (also when “the moth” has infested the plant)
  • Apple (malus sylvestris) – very much wanted !!!
  • pear (pyrus communis)
  • cherry (prunus cerasus)
  • cherry (prunus avium)
  • plum (prunus domestica) – very much wanted !!!
  • blackthorn (prunus spinosa)
  • wild rowanberry, mountain ash (sorbus aucuparia)
  • holly (ilex aquifolium)
  • american holly (ilex meserveae)
  • maple (acer saccharum)
  • walnut (juglans nigra) – plenty of walnut in stock for now
  • hawthorn (crataegus)
  • yew (taxus baccata)
  • medlar (mespilus germanica)
  • quince (cydonia oblonga)
  • dogwood (cornus)
  • elder (sambucus)
  • Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) – very much wanted !!!
  • amber tree (Liquidambar styraciflua)
  • shadbush (Amelanchier)
  • golden rain (Laburnum anagyroides)
  • lilacs ( Syringa vulgaris L)
  • hazel (Corylus avellania)

There are undoubtedly trees that are also useful, but with which I have no experience. Please get in touch if you think I could use your tree. Basically, any tall-stemmed fruit tree is suitable. Low-stemmed species have too many branches and thus knots in the wood making it unusable for musical instruments. To be useful, the trunk must be at least 10 cm in diameter.

I cut the trunk into 90 cm lengths and then have it cut into 40mm planks at Tree Works De Bever. Then I saw the boards myself into beams of about 40×40 mm that I let dry for several years in a ventilated drying attic. When they are dry enough, they are cut to the right lengths for turning my musical instruments.