Replies

1. 
   mike4244 | Feb 05, 2005 10:47pm | #1

   You may be able to use some of the thicker parts of a limb if you have a lathe. Offhand I can't think of any woodwork you can do with small diameter stock.Baskets ,chair parts and rustic furniture is all I can come up with.

   mike

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   Edited 2/5/2005 2:48 pm ET by MIKEK4244

   
   

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   Edited 2/5/2005 2:54 pm ET by MIKEK4244

2. 
   hammer1 | Feb 05, 2005 10:52pm | #2

   Here is a web site that will give you some ideas. I think many of the uses are self explanatory.

   http://www.santosfurniture.com/

   Beat it to fit Paint it to match
1. 
   MaxTheDog | Feb 06, 2005 05:46am | #3

   Thanks to the two who responded. Must be a super bowl or something this weekend...

   As for using a lathe that's not going to work for me since I don't have one. But one reason for using this wood is to take advantage of it's natural beauty.

   To the second response. Yes, that link is similar to what I want to do but on a smaller scale, at least for now. Unfortunately there is very little information,  nothing about how it's done, processing the wood, etc, etc.

   I have started a small project. Not so sure about my work but the wood looks awesome. Maple tree limbs approx 1 to 2 inches diameter. They have been sitting for about six months. I scraped the bark off, did some sanding and cutting. Plan to glue it together and apply a coat of water based polyurethane. How long it will last and hold up only time will tell.

1. 
   DennisS | Feb 06, 2005 08:38am | #4

   Max -You can purchase a device from Woodcraft or Rocklers, probably other woodworking tool suppliers as well, to cut the tenons on the ends of the raw stock to create the type of items shown in the link the second post refered you to. I don't do this kind of work so can't offer much in the way of advice. I would think, however, if the branches you have have only been seasoned for six months they may not be nearly dry enough for this kind of construction. That is, the tenons will most likely shrink quite a bit as it continues to dry out. If you use the whole limb or branch I'd suspect you'll have to deal with some splitting along the grain as well. But this may lend a more rustic character to the piece.I'd lean more to leaving the pieces unfinished rather than using varnish, if the pieces are to live indoors. Perhaps a couple coats of light shellac just to seal the wood from grime is all............
   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
   Dennis

3. 
   dondownunder | Feb 06, 2005 10:23am | #5

   Max

   If I remember back into my distant past at trade school it was suggested that the problem with using limbs is their size firstly but also, & probably more importantly in a commercial sense is the lignan content (lower in hardwoods & higher in softwoods), the gaps & voids in the middle lamella & cell wall thickness varitions which all combine to result in wood which may be weaker, give a fuzzy cut & have different drying characteristics to trunk wood.

   In other words it was all too hard so they go into the chipper.

   Don

4. 
   PhillipB | Feb 06, 2005 11:27am | #6

   Max,

   'I am one of those who hates to waste but I also think it would be cool/artistic to use this wood.'

   You sound just like me. I use to have a yard with a Flowering Plum tree and had to prune it one spring. I took one look at the wood and decided to keep those sticks for what I wasn't sure. One day one of the knobs on a pan lid broke (or split), then it hit me. Hey! I can use one of those sticks to make a nice wooden knob. I did just that and we were very happy with the result. And I don't have a lathe either. Just used a knife and a belt sander to shape it. Not sure if that is creative or artistic but it is definitely functional.

   If you have a router table, you can use that to do small 'turnings' with an home-made fixture. Maybe I actually did that. Can't recall.

   Good luck!
   Phillip

5. 
   GRW | Feb 06, 2005 03:45pm | #7

   There were ideas and methods taught years ago on a PBS show called the "Woodwright Shop". The host was Roy Underhill. He wrote a few books about picking trees for a specific project, harvesting, and building  projects straight from the tree. I've built a couple of these projects with my kids. ( a broom from a pine branch, a wood rake from a small beech tree, and a flour scoop from maple that was in our firewood pile) They were great family projects. Roy's books are in my local library. Might be in your's too. He still has a web site too.

   http://www.pbs.org/wws/

   GRW

6. 
   gnarlyroad | Feb 06, 2005 07:48pm | #8

   Walking sticks(A search will turn up lots of sites with plenty of info), drawer pulls, decorative inlay, intarsia projects, small boxes, decorative plugs for filling in screw holes( apple wood has orange and white rings, Japanese Plum is purple( in the spring when the sap is running), cherry is a pleasing dark reddish brown), small carvings,stick funiture, box lid handles etc. etc.. I both strip the bark and leave it on, depends on what the end product is and the effect that I want. Lots of uses ,experiment. I use both oil finish and varathane to finish the wood, again depends on the look of the final product.

1. 
   MaxTheDog | Feb 06, 2005 11:55pm | #9

   Thanks for all the responses, great ideas and suggestions from everyone. 

   Mike,I made a sanding lathe with a drywall screw in the drill chuck and a nail on the other end. Worked great!

   Hammer, Thanks for the web site. It was 'inspiring' and gave me the OK to get started.

   Dennis,I'm in Bellevue, what do you think of this 'winter' we are having? I did sand/carve the tenons. I am concerned about the dryig time as well. I wonder how long it will take before I find out. Character is good. I could try shellac. I am curious what damage varnish would do.

   Don,That's probably true about limbs vs trunks. Question, on vine maples are they limbs or trunks?

   Phillip,I save everything including small pieces of plywood. You know, someday I may make some bird houses or something...

   GRW,The Woodwright guy is one of my favorites! He is still on by the way. I'll look at his web site again.

   Bill,Thanks for the search tip, I never would have thought of that. I stripped the bark on this project. It actually came off quite easily. The wood is free so yes experimenting will be done.

   Thanks for all the advice, tips, suggestions.

   Enjoy the Super Bowl!

   Max

    

1. 
   tms | Feb 07, 2005 11:34pm | #11

   Max,Try a search using "Oyster veneer". I think that's the decorative slices that you were refering to.Tom

1. 
   MaxTheDog | Feb 08, 2005 09:33am | #14

   Tom,

   Thanks for the tip I'll give it a shot. Of course now I can't find that article but maybe this will help.

   Thanks

2. 
   DennisS | Feb 08, 2005 07:09am | #12

   Hi Max ....Yeah, it's been some kind of winter, ain't it. Worked outdoors in the garden most of the day today in shirtsleeves.Don't know what kind of "damage" varnish would do but suspect if the wood isn't totally seasoned, the wood will do more damage to the finish than vice versa. Like painting oil base finish on a piece of wet wood?? Don't have any kind of experience to offer otherwise.I think the cracking and checking that may occur will add more charm than detract from the piece. So long as the tenons stay tight and the piece doesn't get too loose and wobbly.What part of Bellevue? Parenthetically, we just moved up here to Sedro Woolley a year ago - from Bellevue............
   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
   Dennis

1. 
   MaxTheDog | Feb 08, 2005 09:26am | #13

   Hi Dennis,

   Seems like a small world sometimes. I've been in Bellevue most of my life with a couple skips over to downtown Seattle. I currenly have a house I am remodeling (or attempting to) in Cherry Crest. My wife grew up over by Phantom Lake.  Both of my kids went to Sammamish High.

   We often think about moving further out, maybe in a few years.  Might depend on what happens to at the governor's mansion.

   Thanks for your feedback,

   Max

    

7. 
   ron61 | Feb 07, 2005 01:06am | #10

   ttt