Make use of a fallen hardwood tree on your property in and around Tralee
When your beloved hardwood tree falls due to old age, disease or storm it can be a very sad occasion. That once proud, beautiful hardwood tree is now a crumpled mess in your garden. Most people's first reaction is to have the tree cut up for firewood, which is an absolute and utter shame. Why not make use of that precious fallen tree?
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At a time when we are all waking up to the destructive things human beings are doing all around the world I am offering you a different option. Don't destroy that tree, give me a call and I will come and look at it. If it is any good, I will cut sections of it for my use and in return I will make you some piece(s) to keep to remind you of that once proud tree. You can then cut up the rest for firewood. Part of that tree will live on instead of being incinerated.
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A few people have skeptically taken me up on my offer only to be delighted 12 months later with a beautiful bowl made from their tree. Wood pieces made from Trees from your homestead can make very memorable Gifts for Family & Friends alike. If you are anywhere near Tralee and you have a decent sized tree down, give me a shout. If you live beyond Tralee, I have added instructions for preparing the wood below.
When the day comes, remember me!
This beautiful Spalted Beech Bowl was once destined to be used as firewood. What a waste it would have been.
The bowl now resides in Spain.
What I need to know about your tree, please send me;
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What species it is
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Some pictures of the tree, close up full length etc.
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If is lying on grass, mud, hard surface or water
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A rough diameter and length
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Age of the tree if you know
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How far it is from a drivable road surface
What Size is Useful to Make Something?
Most People are not familiar with measuring trees or using tape measures so I thought I might come up with an easier method for managing this. I often get messages for fallen trees that are not much wider than a person's thigh which is not much good for anything really. Method; give the trunk of the tree a hug, if your hands meet the tree is borderline useful. If your hands don't meet and there is a gap of about 12 inches the tree is very useful and if the gap is wider again then don't delay contacting me. Bigger trees mean more of a yield
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Not Every Piece will Make it!
Woodturning from wood cut directly from the tree is not an exact science with determined outcomes. Trees can have rot, cracks, shakes, splits, knots and growth defects and you never fully know if a piece will make it to the dry stage or not. Drying cracks happen all the time no matter how careful you are during the drying process. The more wood I can take from your tree, the higher the chances of making you something decent from the wood.
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Contact Me
Please use the site Contact page to supply me with details and you can also upload photos of the tree and any other relevant photos. Please supply the information in the bullet points above as good as you can.
You can also supply your phone number, address and Eircode if you wish.
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Please do not ring or text me without first sending the information listed above. I am normally very busy and have no information I can refer back to if the a voice call or text is made.
If the Wood is Cut before Coming to Me
I had a Customer bring a cut log to me in the last 12 months. A tree surgeon cut the log and misunderstood the instructions for preparing the log and removed the bark edges all around. The log was left unprotected in the air too. The wood predictably cracked almost straight away and continued to get worse.
I want to add basic instructions here for anyone preparing the wood before dropping it off to me.
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Instructions for the Chainsaw Operator
Make sure the person using the chainsaw is sufficiently trained or capable as cutting logs this size can be dangerous! Start the cut about a foot up from the Root Flare or Collar if the tree fell over and pulled up the roots. If the tree was cut down and left for a while, cut from the same area. Cut 4 inches off the end of the trunk to expose fresh uncracked wood. If the wood has any visible cracks in the endgrain you should keep cutting until sound wood has been found.
If the wood looks good, measure 20 to 24 inches from that point and cut outside that measured line. This should be a good enough length for me to work with and should allow me waste material to move the bowl left or right within the cut log if needed. Do not cut the bark away!
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If the log is small enough, get a black plastic bag and put the log into the bag as soon as possible and seal up. If the log is too big, you can wrap a few bags around the log and tape them together or get a sheet of plastic from a builder if you know anyone. Don't leave it exposed to the air or the wood will crack.
I have a Blog Post 'How to Process Logs for Woodturning' if anyone wants to read more about it.
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Diagram of How I use the wood from the Log below pictured below.
This is the end view looking at the cut.
