# Yard work today, potential forks? Now what?



## Sayaaaaah (Dec 14, 2020)

Happy Saturday all!
Sooooooo... did some yard work today, about a month or so ago we chopped down a few trees didn't get to cut em up u til today. Before I wouldn't even pay attention to any of the forks that can come out of them until I joined up here.
So every nice one I seen I cut em up and put it to the side. Only got 2 trees done but I got 22 potential forks out of em. I have no idea what I should have been looking for or going for so I just got plenty of hefty ones..... so question is...

Are these worth drying and trying out?
1.im not a wood person so I don't even know what kind of wood they are, (2 different trees) I'm more into the plastic and metal frames to be honest but seeing everyone's naturals here.... if I already got it at home, why not give it a shot(still have a few f16s to try out)
2.ive read the drying process can take a while and I should cover the ends. I left them out in the sun since they are pretty new cuts and to dry em up a little for the day.

Any advice? I'm pretty sure a good chunk of em might not even be worth trying out. 
What do yall think?


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## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

I think you have several candidates for bark-on naturals.

While you stash the rest in a warm, well ventilated spot to dry, pick one of the most symmetrical that fits your hand. Use a saw to make the forks and butt the length you like. Use a knife, file or sandpaper to round off the sharp corners and band it up. I always shoot with a lanyard, so I would either drill the butt or add a groove.

Nice haul.

There are a couple that might be a little short in the handle, but that can be fixed by gluing on an extra length or attaching a pinky loop/lanyard.


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## skarrd (Jul 20, 2011)

looks like some potentil candidates for awesomeness


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## SLING-N-SHOT (Jun 5, 2018)

Lots of good forks in that haul, especially the one directly under the one at 12:00

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## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

I counted nine for sure in the first pic.


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## Hulla Baloo (Nov 25, 2017)

In this lot I see potential for 6 wall ornaments, 3 coat hooks, 2 bicycle holders, 2 drawer pulls, 1 lamp base, 1 cutlery stand, and 5 shooters. Your shooter tally is at 25%. That's exceptionally high. I haven't seen a tally above 19% in over 8 years. Congratulations.

KawKan's advice is golden.


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## Hermit (Feb 7, 2014)

Nice bunch you have there. I see a few pickleforks in your assortment...building fun too.

Rich


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## JimmyMac (Jan 17, 2021)

That looks like a big bunch of fun!

In my experience, once you get the bug you'll see slings, targets, catch boxes and ammo EVERYWHERE!

Even I'm surprised when I look at the pile of "junk" I've amassed in only a couple months.

I dig shooting a lot, but this hobby would never be a sustainable interest for me if I weren't, now, always seeing potential in everyday things. Lol

Also, as I'm sure you noticed, it makes a wood cutting day a hobby day of sorts, doesn't it? 

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## Hermit (Feb 7, 2014)

Know what you mean. I have maple trees in the backyard and I see forks everywhere... it's all fun!

Rich


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## Sayaaaaah (Dec 14, 2020)

Thank you for all the info everyone. My head is spinning still ????. I would love to dive in and make a Conus but I don't want to dive into PFS just yet. But those look really nice, I have a small she where I keep my gardening tools, just stick them in there until they dry all up. I've read that people date the forks so I get on that. Is it really necessary to glue up the ends?

As Kawkan mentioned, just pick one and shoot one out, so it's okay to shoot fresh cuts? Is there anything wrong with working on one if it's not all dry? Do you guys have a certain test to see if the forks would hold up the weight?


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## Sayaaaaah (Dec 14, 2020)

Hulla Baloo said:


> In this lot I see potential for 6 wall ornaments, 3 coat hooks, 2 bicycle holders, 2 drawer pulls, 1 lamp base, 1 cutlery stand, and 5 shooters. Your shooter tally is at 25%. That's exceptionally high. I haven't seen a tally above 19% in over 8 years. Congratulations.
> 
> KawKan's advice is golden.


What kind of wall ornaments can I make from these? I'm new to all types of carpentry things, this hobby just opens up a lot of doors


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## Hulla Baloo (Nov 25, 2017)

The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Some pieces may yield only doodads, but they will be your doodads. Nature provides the raw material; you add a portion of your essence. I like to hold the piece at arms length and rotate it slowly. While doing so I'll ask in a whispered voice, "What would you like to be?" If I don't get an answer right away, I'll move to the next piece or take a break. Individual process is a deeply personal thing&#8230;


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## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

Glue ends now or epoxy cracks later. :iono:


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## SJAaz (Apr 30, 2019)

San Francisco is the coldest, wettest, rawest place I ever lived, I'm surprised anything would dry out in that wind swept icebox. You might want to look into microwave drying.

What KawKan said... Pick one out that speaks to you and go for it. Hey, you're only in it for the love!


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## Sayaaaaah (Dec 14, 2020)

Hulla Baloo said:


> The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Some pieces may yield only doodads, but they will be your doodads. Nature provides the raw material; you add a portion of your essence. I like to hold the piece at arms length and rotate it slowly. While doing so I'll ask in a whispered voice, "What would you like to be?" If I don't get an answer right away, I'll move to the next piece or take a break. Individual process is a deeply personal thing&#8230;


I gotta give this a shot and see what I can come up with!


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## Sayaaaaah (Dec 14, 2020)

flipgun said:


> Glue ends now or epoxy cracks later. :iono:


That makes sense, thanks! Now just to have the patience to dry em


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## Sayaaaaah (Dec 14, 2020)

SJAaz said:


> San Francisco is the coldest, wettest, rawest place I ever lived, I'm surprised anything would dry out in that wind swept icebox. You might want to look into microwave drying.
> What KawKan said... Pick one out that speaks to you and go for it. Hey, you're only in it for the love!


Seriously, the bay area has really bipolar weather. Now I'm up in Vallejo, and hot is really hot in winter and cold is freezing. Gotta get the timing just right.


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