In The Shop Yesterday

[Dragon]

Just a couple of pics of another work in progress. This is the butt end of a large Maple that was cut down two years ago. I hollowed it out and the plan is to put a glass top on it once all the sanding and finishing work is done.

This is the top surface in process of being leveled.

And here is the bottom surface after leveling.

Prior to getting my sleds built, I had burned about 20 hours and who knows how many 3X21 belts just getting the saw marks off the two surfaces and obtaining some semblance of "flat" and parallel.

This is how it looked then after all that sanding and two applications of BLO to retard drying and cracking.

 

[farmerbw]

Bro, that looks great.:thumbs_up Your definitely off to a good start on what is sure to be a nice piece.

Brian.

 

[SGalley]

:embaresse Stupid question....what is BLO???:embaresse

 

[scsmith42]

:embaresse Stupid question....what is BLO???:embaresse

Boiled Linseed Oil.

David, that is way cool! Did you hollow out the interior, or was it that way when the tree was felled?

 

[cskipper]

David, that is way cool! Did you hollow out the interior, or was it that way when the tree was felled?

Yeah, what he said - how did you so that?

 

[Trent Mason]

Very cool David! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap I don't know whether or not you hollowed that out yourself, but if you did, boy that looks like a lot of work! :swoon:

 

[sapwood]

Looks great!
That required a lot of work :confused_

Roger

 

[Dragon]

Thanks for the nice comments. In answer to several, yeah, I hollowed it out myself with the chainsaw. I estimated the weight when I cut it off the stump at well over 500lbs. Arrived at that figure because I couldn't even rock it on the ground, it took two 4000lb. come-a-longs to tip it over and get it off the stump to where I could start hacking away at it, and I must have hauled quite a few hundred pounds of "scrap cut-outs" up the hill to give away to other folks.

It's lost beau-coup weight since then and it's still almost all I can do to pick it up and get it on the table. Oh, this piece is off the same tree that the slab I'm working on is from.

 

[Jon]

Thats really nice. i would love to do something like that but Im not sure I could..Have you thought about writing a how to for that ?

 

[Gotcha6]

Thats really nice. i would love to do something like that but Im not sure I could..Have you thought about writing a how to for that ?

Lemme answer than one for ya, David:
If he did a how to, he'd hafta start all over again to get the pics! :BangHead::BangHead:

 

[Jon]

Lemme answer than one for ya, David:
If he did a how to, he'd hafta start all over again to get the pics! :BangHead::BangHead:

That would be ok . I dont mind.:gar-La;

 

[Dragon]

That would be ok . I dont mind.:gar-La;

Well..........since you mentioned it.........I "am" sizing up another pretty large Maple here in the backyard that looks like it might yield some nice logs, a pretty stump, and some hunks of burl if I'm lucky. My original thoughts :eusa_thin on this tree were to do a "From Tree to Table" sorta thing w/pics as I go along. The only bad part about that is it usually takes about a year :confused_ for these things I carve up to dry sufficiently where I can get to the finishing stages.

Actually Jon, it ain't really hard to do and takes no particular set of skills. If you can wield a chainsaw and a come-along or two without too much blood letting, you can do it. :icon_thum You will get buried in sawdust while you're carving out the middle to make it hollow but you use all that to then pack the log in for several months so it can dry slowly. The cost of trying to kiln dry something like that is way over budget for me to even think about it.

Then, if you don't already have the tools to finish it, there's a perfect excuse to go tool buying. :banana:

 

[Matt Schnurbusch]

That is a really cool piece of work.

 

[Robert Arrowood]

Man that thing is looking good there David:icon_thum.Looks like that sled is doing the trick.

 

[Jon]

Well..........since you mentioned it.........I "am" sizing up another pretty large Maple here in the backyard that looks like it might yield some nice logs, a pretty stump, and some hunks of burl if I'm lucky. My original thoughts :eusa_thin on this tree were to do a "From Tree to Table" sorta thing w/pics as I go along. The only bad part about that is it usually takes about a year :confused_ for these things I carve up to dry sufficiently where I can get to the finishing stages.

Actually Jon, it ain't really hard to do and takes no particular set of skills. If you can wield a chainsaw and a come-along or two without too much blood letting, you can do it. :icon_thum You will get buried in sawdust while you're carving out the middle to make it hollow but you use all that to then pack the log in for several months so it can dry slowly. The cost of trying to kiln dry something like that is way over budget for me to even think about it.

Then, if you don't already have the tools to finish it, there's a perfect excuse to go tool buying. :banana:

Well if and when you decide to do that tell me and I will come help you get started.

 

[Dragon]

Well if and when you decide to do that tell me and I will come help you get started.

Oh you shouldn't oughtta said that. I used to have a "govt" job. I'm real good at watching someone else work. Seriously, I'll keep that in mind. Not sure how far you'd have to travel to get to Lincolnton but you're welcome to join the party.

 

[Jon]

Just let me know. I will bring my Upside down pocket t shirt\