Shady's Stumps; or What To Do With Your Dead Wood?

ShadyStump said:
Happy New Year, everyone!

So, I once threatened to take up wood carving so I wouldn't have to feel so bad about the trees I've killed.
Well it's not a tree I killed, but my dad had a dead English walnut in his yard that needed to come down over the summer.
That story is here if you're up for a chuckle.

Fπ©> TREES!!!!

Spent the day on this project at my dad's. An old English walnut that died a couple years ago. We kept hoping to bring it back from the suckers, but every winter they would just freeze. Finally a tall branch broke and fell on the roof, so was time for it to go. We were able to cut down...
www.bonsainut.com www.bonsainut.com

I've started working chunks of it here and there, and Christmas was a big motivator to finally jump in both feet.

After the third or fourth attempt, my five year old got her flying camel for Christmas...
View attachment 414106
And her little brother his cement truck.
View attachment 414107

My younger sister sells odd ball knick nacks on the local fair circuit, so I made her a little display shelf.
View attachment 414108


They look better in pictures than in person. Craftsmanship leaves much to be desired still. It's been well over 20 years since high school shop class, but seeing as how I can't look at a stick without seeing a possible tool in it, I figured it's about time I made something of it.
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Swear I saw your cement truck as an antique cannon.
 
Interesting thread. Since I live in the middle of a county with several historic homes, Mt. Vernon and George Mason's Gunston Hall, I see what they do with big trees that have to be removed, have fallen, etc.

Both Mt. Vernon and Gunston Hall routinely have their old trees milled into gift shop stuff. EXPENSIVE gift shop stuff. Check out the $500 turned white oak bowl from a felled tree at Mt. Vernon.
shops.mountvernon.org

Handmade Historic White Oak Round Bowl No. 46

The majestic white oak stood at George Washington’s Mount Vernon for about 240 years. It witnessed the passing of history as Civil War soldiers carved a cross and star in its bark. Small smooth-edged round bowl with uneven striated wood grain and streaks of turquoise; Size is 2 1/4" high. Round...
shops.mountvernon.org shops.mountvernon.org

Also, a while back Gunston Hall had all of the almost 300 year old boxwood bulldozed in favor a restored period garden. The boxwood were large enough to make bowls and other tchotchkes out of them. I still have nightmares about the bulldozing...The pic below is only a portion of what was scraped up and scrapped.
 

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Cajunrider said:
Swear I saw your cement truck as an antique cannon.
Click to expand...
I suppose I easily could make one.
But then I'd have to carve a pirate ship for it.

Which reminds me, @HorseloverFat, weren't we talking about a wood vs clay viking longship build-off once?
 
rockm said:
Interesting thread. Since I live in the middle of a county with several historic homes, Mt. Vernon and George Mason's Gunston Hall, I see what they do with big trees that have to be removed, have fallen, etc.

Both Mt. Vernon and Gunston Hall routinely have their old trees milled into gift shop stuff. EXPENSIVE gift shop stuff. Check out the $500 turned white oak bowl from a felled tree at Mt. Vernon.
shops.mountvernon.org

Handmade Historic White Oak Round Bowl No. 46

The majestic white oak stood at George Washington’s Mount Vernon for about 240 years. It witnessed the passing of history as Civil War soldiers carved a cross and star in its bark. Small smooth-edged round bowl with uneven striated wood grain and streaks of turquoise; Size is 2 1/4" high. Round...
shops.mountvernon.org shops.mountvernon.org

Also, a while back Gunston Hall had all of the almost 300 year old boxwood bulldozed in favor a restored period garden. The boxwood were large enough to make bowls and other tchotchkes out of them. I still have nightmares about the bulldozing...The pic below is only a portion of what was scraped up and scrapped.
Click to expand...
I understand the motivation for putting in a more period correct garden/landscaping, but I don't understand how they don't see the stuff actually planted in the period as historically significant itself. People traveling for history aren't expecting young, pristine gardens. They're expecting age.

That said, $500 for a wooden bowl any highschool shop student could make, even if it is a historical tree, seems a bit excessive.
 
ShadyStump said:
A scrap from turning the drum of my son's cement truck.
My kids found it and asked if I was making a salt shaker.🤔

I then began contemplating how I'd go about it, and quickly discovered how much we take for granted such mundane things as the anatomy of a salt shaker.
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I don't remember which one at the moment, but one of the turning supplys, sells bungs, the just a mater of fitting the bung , hollowing and drilling some small holes in the top. Its either Pence or Jacobson has a video on it.
 
ShadyStump said:
I understand the motivation for putting in a more period correct garden/landscaping, but I don't understand how they don't see the stuff actually planted in the period as historically significant itself. People traveling for history aren't expecting young, pristine gardens. They're expecting age.

That said, $500 for a wooden bowl any highschool shop student could make, even if it is a historical tree, seems a bit excessive.
Click to expand...
Usally depends what the wood cost, then the turners pricing model , then there is Doug Dills name on it. And the one everyone forgets is overhead and consumables.

I have seen bowl of similar size go for more.
 
Well, a lathe and/or a heavy-duty band saw are on my to-do list for power tools. I could get so much more done faster if I had more than a little table saw and hand saw to back up my Dremel, and could make more use of the scraps I end up with.
 
If you watch wood craft the rikon benchtop saw goes on sale now and again. What size Late you looking at? Kinda wishing I would have went laguna over jet.
 
Nate77 said:
If you watch wood craft the rikon benchtop saw goes on sale now and again. What size Late you looking at? Kinda wishing I would have went laguna over jet.
Click to expand...
Right now I'm thinking just a bench top type, maybe a foot working length and 6 inch diameter tops. Haven't really used one since high school, so I'm not familiar with the different brands.
Did the turning for the cement truck on my dad's machinist lathe. Hadn't touched one of those since high school either.
I have access to all my dad's tools and equipment, but if I'm going to do anything without just hanging out at his house all the time I really need my own.
 
ShadyStump said:
I understand the motivation for putting in a more period correct garden/landscaping, but I don't understand how they don't see the stuff actually planted in the period as historically significant itself. People traveling for history aren't expecting young, pristine gardens. They're expecting age.

That said, $500 for a wooden bowl any highschool shop student could make, even if it is a historical tree, seems a bit excessive.
Click to expand...
The estate debated the renovation of the garden for years and the decision was to make the garden appear as it did in the period George Mason lived there. The "dwarf" boxwood had grown to well over 10 feet tall, so they pretty much dominated the space. There were almost 100 of them.

The bowls and other stuff was sold as a benefit for the house/site. Funding is a problem for many historical home sites, as many, like this one, don't get much if any public funding. It's owned privately, as are Mt. Vernon, Madison's Monpelier and Jefferson's Monticello.
 
ShadyStump said:
Right now I'm thinking just a bench top type, maybe a foot working length and 6 inch diameter tops. Haven't really used one since high school, so I'm not familiar with the different brands.
Did the turning for the cement truck on my dad's machinist lathe. Hadn't touched one of those since high school either.
I have access to all my dad's tools and equipment, but if I'm going to do anything without just hanging out at his house all the time I really need my own.
Click to expand...
Speaking like an old dad, I would really love to see my kids in my shop. They can take any thing they want home. The tools are theirs any way. If they want them now, they can have all the tools.
 
rockm said:
The estate debated the renovation of the garden for years and the decision was to make the garden appear as it did in the period George Mason lived there. The "dwarf" boxwood had grown to well over 10 feet tall, so they pretty much dominated the space. There were almost 100 of them.

The bowls and other stuff was sold as a benefit for the house/site. Funding is a problem for many historical home sites, as many, like this one, don't get much if any public funding. It's owned privately, as are Mt. Vernon, Madison's Monpelier and Jefferson's Monticello.
Click to expand...
This all actually makes sense now.
I'm still disappointed that I wasn't able to get out to any of those sites during the brief time I was stationed in Virginia. Monticello has always been on my bucket list, but there just wasn't opportunity.
 
ShadyStump said:
I suppose I easily could make one.
But then I'd have to carve a pirate ship for it.

Which reminds me, @HorseloverFat, weren't we talking about a wood vs clay viking longship build-off once?
Click to expand...
Yes!

The boys and I have been building "craft stick" rafts and sailboats.. then taking them to various local rivers/streams... SO MUCH FUN..

Jasper asked if he could make his next boat out of Amaco 480..

I said, "You COULD!... buuuuut..."

😂😂
 
HorseloverFat said:
Yes!

The boys and I have been building "craft stick" rafts and sailboats.. then taking them to various local rivers/streams... SO MUCH FUN..

Jasper asked if he could make his next boat out of Amaco 480..

I said, "You COULD!... buuuuut..."

😂😂
Click to expand...
Well right now I barely have time to eat dinner most nights, but we should totally do this sometime!

And why not a ceramic boat? They make them out of steel and concrete.
 
Two weeks behind his birthday, and between work and such I'm STILL working on that dragon.
Where I left off last night.
IMG_20220805_232551_583.jpg
Is it a dragon yet? 🤦

Why'd I have to go with walnut? If it was pine I'd be done.
 
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