F.I.S. Wood Pen

[BSea]

F.I.S. = Found In Stump.

My son has a stump in his yard that was only about 3 inches off the ground. He wanted to take it down to where he could cover it with mulch. I told him I would come over with my chain saw & see what could be done. Of course he couldn't wait for me, so he started with an axe. By the time I arrived, he had most of it down. But I still cut some grooves in the top of the stump. I managed to get a few chunks of the wood.

Here's a pic of one of the chunks.

You can see that it's not very big based on the pen next to it. But I figured it would be big enough for a sierra style pen.


Or in this case a Le Roi Elegant. Nothing earth shattering, but still a pretty nice pen for just a chunk of wood lying on the ground. After consulting my wood expert, we decided that the wood is red elm

On another note, I really like the kit. The transmission is really smooth. Sorry for the pictures, they're just I-phone pics.

 

[1080Wayne]

Very nice spalt . You couldn`t persuade him to excavate a bit deeper ??

 

[BSea]

Very nice spalt . You couldn`t persuade him to excavate a bit deeper ??

I may go back & see what else I can find. If he hadn't used that axe, I probably could have gotten several blanks. Kids......doesn't matter how old they get, they still don't listen.

 

[robutacion]

Oh no... digging for roots..., one of my "specialities"...!

That is the only option you have now, you may get some good stuff in the root and you may not, there is a considerable amount of work and a big hole that has to be filled, somehow, if the loan is all nice around it, you may have a hell of a job to convincing to make a big less, sometimes is just better to cut your losses and forget all about it, I wish I was as good to follow my own sensible advice, than I am to follow it...!:redface::biggrin:

You gotta be in it to win it, so they say around here...!

Good luck...!

PS: Interesting white markings on that spalted wood, some of my Pink/Rose Gum wood has spots like that...!

Cheers
George

 

[BSea]

Oh no... digging for roots..., one of my "specialities"...!

That is the only option you have now, you may get some good stuff in the root and you may not, there is a considerable amount of work and a big hole that has to be filled, somehow, if the loan is all nice around it, you may have a hell of a job to convincing to make a big less, sometimes is just better to cut your losses and forget all about it, I wish I was as good to follow my own sensible advice, than I am to follow it...!:redface::biggrin:

You gotta be in it to win it, so they say around here...!

Good luck...!

PS: Interesting white markings on that spalted wood, some of my Pink/Rose Gum wood has spots like that...!

Cheers
George

Well, after ruining a band saw blade cutting up a root last year from an apple tree, I'll probably stay really close to the surface with this stump, and only in solid wood. I don't really expect much more from it anyway, but I'll at least give it another look.

Any you're right about the white markings. Really interesting. Without the white spots, this thread probably wouldn't have ever been started. Sometimes all you have to do to find great wood (or timber for you guys down under :wink is to look in your own front yard. Or maybe your son's.

 

[asyler]

nice .. never know what you'll find in a chunk-o-wood..

 

[Brooks803]

Cool find Bob! Looks great (even if it is wood!).

If you do go low on the root and have some punky wood give me a shout. I've got my stabilizing setup now and love using it!

 

[glen r]

If you do decide to dig for some of the root be sure to power was the wood before you try and cut it with a bandsaw or table saw. The dirt does a very quick job on dulling blades. Let the wood dry for a few weeks before cutting it into blanks.

 

[BSea]

Cool find Bob! Looks great (even if it is wood!).

If you do go low on the root and have some punky wood give me a shout. I've got my stabilizing setup now and love using it!

Thanks Jonathon, I may have something to try even if I get nothing from this stump.

If you do decide to dig for some of the root be sure to power was the wood before you try and cut it with a bandsaw or table saw. The dirt does a very quick job on dulling blades. Let the wood dry for a few weeks before cutting it into blanks.

I used my power washer on the apple root ball last year. It still ruined my blade. :frown: Just one little rock embedded in the root will kill a blade faster than anything. But I don't plan on digging any roots up on this tree. I'll just see if I can get deep enough for a few blanks. It will be from the very base of the tree. Nothing deeper than an inch or two below ground. This tree was cut down at least a year ago, and more probably like 2 years. My son bought the house last July, and the tree was gone the 1st time we saw the house. That was probably last May. Even though the blank was spalted, it wasn't punky at all. It was very hard, and totally dry. Of course that was a piece just above the ground. If anything interesting comes from my next scavaging trip, I'll be sure & follow up in this thread.

 

[JohnU]

Very nice character in that wood. I have some pear wood that has those white spots in it. Another good reason not to turn down free wood.

 

[Fishinbo]

That's a great find you have there. The pen looks really good with those patterns and spalting.

 

[Ligget]

Beautiful wood, sure made a cool looking pen