Sourcing timber…
It has certainly been a very busy year - and even longer, judging by the date of my last post! I think it’s about time I kept you updated with some of the things I have been doing…
I plan to focus on more technical aspects of my recent projects soon, but for now I would like to give you an idea of the amount of work required in sourcing timber. Harvesting wood direct from a fallen tree is the only way of obtaining the size and quality I need, but this requires a lot of time and there are many processes involved.
This fallen wych elm is the perfect example of what can be acquired locally and I was put in touch about this by a local tree surgeon. Storm Arwen caused this one to blow over and the trunk was left lying for a few years. However, once cut into sections with the chainsaw, it looked as fresh as the day it fell down…
As you can see, the colours and grain markings are exceptional and there’s a distinctive band of sapwood around the outside. Elms like this are a rare find, so I made plans of how to use every piece. I am making more lampshades to commission now and these require deeper blanks to work from (usually about 7” - 8” thick). My idea is to use as little of the sapwood as possible, but also avoid the heart, which can crack.
Here’s a series of photo’s showing the main trunk being cut into sections. Each one is cut to a length, which measures slightly more than the diameter of that piece of trunk…
The sections are then cut lengthways into three slabs - the central one contains the heart, so can’t be used, but I often get smaller blanks from each side…
The finished blanks will range from about 14” – 20” in diameter. However, I always try and get something special from the widest part of the butt...
And here it is - manhandled into position (I wish I had a tractor!). My chainsaw will cut up to 3’ in length, but this time I am going for a couple of pieces approximately 26” in diameter. These should be stunning when completed and are at the limit of what I can lift/move into my van!
The top image shows the main slabs measured and pre cut, before being examined - any adjustments can be made at this point. The next stage is rough turning and this will create a lot of shavings!
