Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Thoughts On Using Found Wood

We are surrounded each day by an amazing amount of material that is sent to the landfill without second thought.  If you are a wood carver or wood turner you need to keep your eyes open for found wood.  Found wood may be green and come from a tree that is being cut up in your area.  There are a surprising range of woods in our front yards that when it is time to remove it we don't think twice about cutting it up and sending it to a land fill.  A landscaper I know was telling me he cut down a black walnut tree a while back and could not find any one who wanted the wood so he burned it for fire wood.  Black walnut is now like gold a  small block for a bowl will run you over a hundred dollars and forget making furniture out of it as it is just too prohibitive.

What are some other good found woods.  Some of the pallets that come from overseas are actually hardwoods.  I have found doors with mahogany shipping crates.old broken chairs, and tables many times have solid wood legs that can be carved or turned.  Old fences can yield some interesting wood as well not suitable for turning but in many cases it can be carved or it can be turned into bird houses etc.  Drift wood can make interesting carvings and some can be turned. 

If you are going to indulge in found wood as I do you will need to invest in a metal detector.  Not the type that you see on the beach but one similar to those used at the airports.  It will tell you if there is anything hiding in your new treasure that could be come a projectile on the lathe or ruin one of your good carving knives. 

Below are two of my recent found wood projects.  One is a weed pot turned on the lathe the other a spoon carved from a branch.  The weed pot is from a shumard oak that died in my front yard.  The spoon from a bald cypress that was trimmed up.  Both have the addition satisfaction attached of taking something that was going to be trash an making a treasure from it.





Good Hunting.

Bruce

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