calling wood workers!

[DerekP Houston]

Ok I have tons of oak logs from trimming 2 years ago and looking to make *something* for my wife for our anniversary out of it. Anyone recommend some neophyte level projects that might be doable in a week? Easiest I've seen is just bark removal sand and stain - call it an end table. I really want to save the larger piece to make my smithy stand out of so I'm looking for any thoughts. 5th anniversary is wood so anything goes here gents! Picture frames seem the easiest but lame.....

[Pipefitter]

Do you have room in the kitchen for a butcher block type table? Three legs under it and finish the sides leaving the top sanded smooth.

[bubba.50]

a log cabin? a chainsaw carvin' of a bear? totem pole? cigar store Indian? the possibilities are endless. [smilie=1::kidding:

[DerekP Houston]

Do you have room in the kitchen for a butcher block type table? Three legs under it and finish the sides leaving the top sanded smooth.


I do not =/ most of the house is pretty tight except the dining room and living room (I sold the dining room table!) :D.

My current ideas revolve around doing a lamp of somekind, or cutting a nice 1" piece off and making a clock. I know lame....but gotta start somewhere.


a log cabin? a chainsaw carvin' of a bear? totem pole? cigar store Indian? the possibilities are endless.

Log cabin is planned...I need the land to put it on first though! My chainsaw carving skills are lacking a bit....I *thought* my ice sculpture of a knight chess peice was awesome but the teacher couldn't tell what it was....

[Edward]

Yup firewood and take her someplace special (dinner /show) !

[labradigger1]

Entry level stuff.
Napkin holder
Coasters
Paper towel holder
Spice racks that attach to inside of cabinet doors.
Cutting boards, but I wouldn't use oak.

[runfiverun]

build a bed.
simple, square, and mostly drilling and shaving is involved.

[jsizemore]

Whiskey barrel

[fryboy]

Toothpicks are easy .... ;)
If you didn't seal the ends check for cracks ( end checks ) work around as needed
Picture frames and many other projects leads me to suggest making lumber out of some of it first ,not knowing the size of the logs precludes some ideas but ... Split one in half smooth the top add 4 short legs and you'll have a rustic heavy bench

[CastingFool]

Make a trivet out of a 8" square piece of oak, 3/4" thick. cut a series of 1/2" deep kerfs on one side, equally spaced, all going the same direction. Turn the piece over, then rotate 90 deg, and repeat the kerfs. You could use a round over router bit on all the edges before cutting the kerfs, too. Sand lightly and put 3 coats of polyurethane varnish.

[jcwit]

I 've seen a few beautiful floor lamps made from logs where the branches branch out.

[Mk42gunner]

A table lamp isn't too hard to make. Take about a two inch thick slice from an eight inch round log, and use a three to five inch diameter piece for the upright. Drill somke though holes for the wiring before assembling, may want to put the wire in before gluing things together.

Gnarly wood looks better than smooth straight grained pieces. The toughest part is coming up with a shade that matches.

Robert

[SSGOldfart]

Hey your in Texas,get her a smoker and stack up logs cut to fit it, then give her a brisket to cook for The Dinner, humm guess I didn't know five was wood,don't remember that far back these days,any idea what 45years is?

[OS OK]

Der...you could use some of that oak to build a fire in the back yard, throw a sleeping bag out with a bottle of wine some coat hangers and weenies n marshmellows...and 'make love' instead!

[starmac]

Man only five years, she can't even expect you to remember it in that short amount of time, just forget it and you won't even be out the peice of flowers.

[Wayne Smith]

Have you had any of it cut into boards? Do you have equipment? If you want to make a clock go to clockkit.com and dream. They have everything you need. A lot of what you do depends on the form of the wood and the equipment you have. Lamps are easy, but take my advice and build the lamp but let her choose the shade!

[DerekP Houston]

Have you had any of it cut into boards? Do you have equipment? If you want to make a clock go to clockkit.com and dream. They have everything you need. A lot of what you do depends on the form of the wood and the equipment you have. Lamps are easy, but take my advice and build the lamp but let her choose the shade!

I can buy boards if I need to, was just trying to find something simple to make at home. This collection of logs is ~12-18" long and varies in thickness. Been aged about 2 years now. I use it for bbq all the time, but my smoker has officially rusted out and fallen apart. It is next on the list of things to replace "eventually".

Table saw is also on my list of things to buy so I can rip cut them in to useful pieces. My original plan was to make a knife and a handle for it from my tree, but the knife making will take me a bit longer than I'd planned.

Yall know I was gonna make dinner either way! Trip to Sam's club is in the works for a nice juicy tenderloin, some twice baked potatoes, and roasted veggies.

Thanks for all the recommendations, I'm a bit lacking in the creativity department so I appreciate all the ideas. I can usually figure out how to do stuff once I've seen it, but don't really think of it on my own.

[DerekP Houston]

Toothpicks are easy .... ;)
If you didn't seal the ends check for cracks ( end checks ) work around as needed
Picture frames and many other projects leads me to suggest making lumber out of some of it first ,not knowing the size of the logs precludes some ideas but ... Split one in half smooth the top add 4 short legs and you'll have a rustic heavy bench

I'll rig up my chainsaw to rip cut a log and see if a chair is doable. Thanks! Would make a nice toddler size one out of what I have, and give my son somewhere to sit while he watches me cast boolits.

[44man]

I have the Alaskan mill for my chain saw. I cut planks of white oak and made this for Carol.175056 Then the coffee table in the family room. Also my lathe bench.
I have a good Ridged saw with every home made thing to cut anything. A planer, jointer and sanders. You need tools.
Moisture will be your enemy. I found to pre cut and stack, sticker in my basement for a month or more stopped wood from changing, same with rifle stocks. Moisture down here runs 34% to 41%. You need a moisture meter to see.
No easy way. The worst is to not stabilize so when you build, wood swells or cracks.

[44man]

Aged outside will beat you. NOT good. Rain and sun. Make wood stable and dry. I don't even trust wood stored in the barn. A rifle stock will sit in my basement for months before I work it.
Yeah you can make a table with rough sawn but it will split. There is a solution made from anti freeze that will stabilize green wood. Ethylene Glycol.

[DerekP Houston]

Aged outside will beat you. NOT good. Rain and sun. Make wood stable and dry. I don't even trust wood stored in the barn. A rifle stock will sit in my basement for months before I work it.
Yeah you can make a table with rough sawn but it will split. There is a solution made from anti freeze that will stabilize green wood. Ethylene Glycol.

Darn I didn't think of that. It was in a covered patio up against the brick. I've already cut the log lenthwise to make a 9" seat for my son. I'm just going to finish it out for the practice at this point. Basically a small backless stool with some dowels to keep the legs together. I can always turn it back into firewood later :D.

Don't have basements here so garage would be the only other covered place out of the elements. That is where all the new cut wood is aging now. Better go buy something shiny doesn't sound like my plans are gonna work out.

[beezapilot]

Primitive woodworking is fun, I've done some stuff with a froe, shave-horse, hewing axes and all... this guy makes it look pretty easy- FINDING some of those tools is a challenge, but doing things by hand is very satisfying-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv2kGmdENl8

[Garyshome]

Maybe you could get them sawn up into something you can use, maybe at a local mill?

[OnHoPr]

Oh, I suppose you could do a bunch of things with it, depending on the diameters. Got a chainsaw, drill, circular saw,a few other things or possibly pick up a few simple tools maybe?

-Trivets are good and simple.
-Rip some boards with the chainsaw and make a porch/deck table for your lemonade, sweet tea, or BEER.
-Get a draw knife, hatchet and take a couple of the smaller dia 18"ers and whittle them down to make Longhorns, then take a thick 12"er and make a bull cow head then put together for a little Texas decor.
- Rip a couple of boards, get a forstner bit drill 3 or 4 holes in one of them then whittle down a few small round sticks long enough to hold a coat, stick in holes, then butt joint the other board to make a 90 degree, hit with a can of lacquer and mount it to the wall
- Get a hole saw or forstner bit for the drill big enough for a beer can and a wood chisel and drill a few of the 4" dia sticks about 3/4 of a beer can to holds beers in as insulated beer holders
- Make a pic frame with a couple of chainsaw ripped boards and put one of the wedding fotos in it.
- Rip a few boards and make a simple rustic box for the kitchen counter for a fruit basket
- Make a toilet paper holder
- Maybe a paper towel holder

The list goes on and on. Think of something useful and where she might appreciate the rustic wood look

[DerekP Houston]

Oh, I suppose you could do a bunch of things with it, depending on the diameters. Got a chainsaw, drill, circular saw,a few other things or possibly pick up a few simple tools maybe?

-Trivets are good and simple.
-Rip some boards with the chainsaw and make a porch/deck table for your lemonade, sweet tea, or BEER.
-Get a draw knife, hatchet and take a couple of the smaller dia 18"ers and whittle them down to make Longhorns, then take a thick 12"er and make a bull cow head then put together for a little Texas decor.
- Rip a couple of boards, get a forstner bit drill 3 or 4 holes in one of them then whittle down a few small round sticks long enough to hold a coat, stick in holes, then butt joint the other board to make a 90 degree, hit with a can of lacquer and mount it to the wall
- Get a hole saw or forstner bit for the drill big enough for a beer can and a wood chisel and drill a few of the 4" dia sticks about 3/4 of a beer can to holds beers in as insulated beer holders
- Make a pic frame with a couple of chainsaw ripped boards and put one of the wedding fotos in it.
- Rip a few boards and make a simple rustic box for the kitchen counter for a fruit basket
- Make a toilet paper holder
- Maybe a paper towel holder

The list goes on and on. Think of something useful and where she might appreciate the rustic wood look

Dang thanks man. The pic frame with a wedding photo was my original gift idea.

[Sur-shot]

Houston is way too humid, just like NW FL, you need kiln dried wood and it ain't going to happen in 5 days. If you just gotta have something out of oak, go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy the oak there in boards ready to use. But you have really waited to long, unless you want to make napkin holder rings out of limbs. Cut them off, drill them out, clean them up, sand, then a coat of poly....... goes with the dinner. But do not be surprised if they split later. But you can do the same thing with the oak board and a hole saw.
Ed

[JWT]

Do you have room in the kitchen for a butcher block type table? Three legs under it and finish the sides leaving the top sanded smooth.

Don't use oak or ash for butcher blocks or cutting boards. They are ring porous woods so they have tube like structures that will allow for bacteria to grow. Maple is a good choice for a butcher block. A knife block would work.

[JWT]

Table saw is also on my list of things to buy so I can rip cut them in to useful pieces.

Don't do this. Only run wood with a straight edge through a table saw. Attempting to run a log through a table saw will at best result in having it thrown at you HARD. Sawing logs is bandsaw work.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Ice sculptures lend themselves to a more flamboyant and creative style, because they go away before you get fed up with them. If a chainsaw sculpture is to be indoors, who do you plan to dust it? I am led to believe the Siamese kinds didn't actually give people white elephants as a cruel jest, but a chainsaw sculpture might work out that way.

I have got to be older than some fair to middling oak trees, but if yours go back far enough, how about a transversely cut tabletop or wall plaque with the important events in your family's life marked with pins or plates at the appropriate tree-rings? I hear a lot of men forget anniversaries, so it might help get you off the hook that way for evermore.

I know someone who cut a 14 inch Oregon yew for bowmaking and found it to be, by a small margin, pre-Columbian. He also located the oldest known American yew, which the US Forest Service dated by taking a core sample to about 2510 years old. A medium-sized oak won't be anywhere near that old, but it might surprise you.

[Hardcast416taylor]

About the most simple and easiest wood project would be a box of chainsaw chip sawdust!Robert

[fryboy]

AKA flux ( to be fair pine type woods work best for that but... Oak will still work ;) )

[OnHoPr]

I might know why you have had a little blockage on the issue. Being only the 5th, you probably been thinking about something sweet, loving, and maybe just a touch nasty, ah, you know that gift that just keeps on givin. Oh, and to see how soon you could get your son to sleep.lol

[DerekP Houston]

Houston is way too humid, just like NW FL, you need kiln dried wood and it ain't going to happen in 5 days. If you just gotta have something out of oak, go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy the oak there in boards ready to use. But you have really waited to long, unless you want to make napkin holder rings out of limbs. Cut them off, drill them out, clean them up, sand, then a coat of poly....... goes with the dinner. But do not be surprised if they split later. But you can do the same thing with the oak board and a hole saw.
Ed


Lol yeah I noticed even after sitting for 2 years it was still damn. Oh well I'll find something else. Didn't think of it honestly until she was asking about a babysitter on friday...and I gave her the confused look. The sawdust will mix in great in the compost with all the dang grass trimmings from the past week. I've gotta visit my knife guy to pickup my equipment anyways maybe he'll have a small scrap laying around I could do something with.

Maybe if I get started now it'll be ready for christmas at my rate.

[starmac]

Several things here.
If I understand it, you have already cut it to lengths of 12 to 18 inches, if that is right it will have checked from both ends so virtually useless to make boards out of.
I know of no mill that would cut such short pieces anyway, 4 footers are a challenge on most mills, even hobby mills. It can be done but is labor intensive.
It is basically impossible to air dry wood in the round, especially with the bark on.
It sounds as if much of this was limbs, which makes good firewood, but too much stress for wood working projects, as even cut, stickered and properly dried it will curl, bend and twist on you.
Many types of wood especially if left for any length of time with the bark on, will get beetles in it that you do not want to keep in your house, furniture wood is generally dried down to around 8% percent moisture, then heated enough for a day to kill any eggs before using for interior use.
When cut green and not going to be milled right away, you need to seal the log ends, anchor seal is the proper sealant, but even cheap paint reduces the checking tremendously. The problem is the fresh cut ends will dry and shrink quicker in the first few inches causing it to check badly.
For future reference, if you want someone to mill lumber out of your tree, cut them at least 4 foot, and there is probably someone within a few miles of you that does custom milling with a bandmill.

[starmac]

I do not know about oak, but our spruce sawdust has to be composted before you can use it in a garden, I do not know the reason, but was told not to spread it fresh.

[DerekP Houston]

Several things here.
If I understand it, you have already cut it to lengths of 12 to 18 inches, if that is right it will have checked from both ends so virtually useless to make boards out of.
I know of no mill that would cut such short pieces anyway, 4 footers are a challenge on most mills, even hobby mills. It can be done but is labor intensive.
It is basically impossible to air dry wood in the round, especially with the bark on.
It sounds as if much of this was limbs, which makes good firewood, but too much stress for wood working projects, as even cut, stickered and properly dried it will curl, bend and twist on you.
Many types of wood especially if left for any length of time with the bark on, will get beetles in it that you do not want to keep in your house, furniture wood is generally dried down to around 8% percent moisture, then heated enough for a day to kill any eggs before using for interior use.
When cut green and not going to be milled right away, you need to seal the log ends, anchor seal is the proper sealant, but even cheap paint reduces the checking tremendously. The problem is the fresh cut ends will dry and shrink quicker in the first few inches causing it to check badly.
For future reference, if you want someone to mill lumber out of your tree, cut them at least 4 foot, and there is probably someone within a few miles of you that does custom milling with a bandmill.

Hmm well now I know at least! I'll just purchase some lumber for my uses. It was more for the 'sentimental' value of it being our first house I thought I'd make something with it. Obviously didn't know what I was getting myself into. oh well, still makes delicious bbq so I'll save it for that.

[jsizemore]

If it's 12-18" long, I'd split it and dimension it and make bird houses and feeders.

[MaryB]

Buy a new smoker then make her a nice dinner!

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Aged outside will beat you. NOT good. Rain and sun. Make wood stable and dry. I don't even trust wood stored in the barn. A rifle stock will sit in my basement for months before I work it.
Yeah you can make a table with rough sawn but it will split. There is a solution made from anti freeze that will stabilize green wood. Ethylene Glycol.

Ethylene glycol has been used for treating rot in wood, so it isn't impossible that it might have some beneficial effect in seasoning. But the main substance used for this is polyethylene glycol (PEG). The first time I saw the Tudor warship Mary Rose, she was under a non-stop spray of it. While ethylene glycol is used in its preparation, I believe its preparation is outwith the scope of the amateur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_glycol

A very humid climate will indeed slow down seasoning, but won't prevent it, and may perhaps be an advantage. Wood is more likely to crack when the outside dries faster than the inside. In the days when oak was a vital war material they used to weight logs down underwater for much of their seasoning. Those were the days when Lord Nelson's Admiral Collingwood used to carry a pocketful of acorns when he was invited to country houses, and used to walk around planting them. They are probably about ready to fight the French by now.

[Wayne Smith]

You say your smoker rusted out? Did you keep the smoke chamber? I did, and turned it into a cool smoker with the AMAZIN smoker - google it. Uses sawdust and provides recipes as well. I like the smoked nuts.

[johnson1942]

one thing not to make out of oak is a gunstock. made a real nice one once and every time the gun went off, off would come a small piece of wood and i would have to glue it back on and finish that spot again. way too brittle for a gun stock. finally took the gun apart and threw it away and made one out of cherry. oak doesnt stand up out side in the weather at all, it will last for ever in the house out of the weather. pine is the wood for out side and will last in the weather a long time.

[44man]

Ethylene glycol has been used for treating rot in wood, so it isn't impossible that it might have some beneficial effect in seasoning. But the main substance used for this is polyethylene glycol (PEG). The first time I saw the Tudor warship Mary Rose, she was under a non-stop spray of it. While ethylene glycol is used in its preparation, I believe its preparation is outwith the scope of the amateur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_glycol

A very humid climate will indeed slow down seasoning, but won't prevent it, and may perhaps be an advantage. Wood is more likely to crack when the outside dries faster than the inside. In the days when oak was a vital war material they used to weight logs down underwater for much of their seasoning. Those were the days when Lord Nelson's Admiral Collingwood used to carry a pocketful of acorns when he was invited to country houses, and used to walk around planting them. They are probably about ready to fight the French by now.
Yeah, sorry it IS PEG.

[NavyVet1959]

What type of oak? Some are easier to work than others from what I understand. Around here, we mainly see the "live oak" type. I collect a bit of it from limbs that I trim off of my trees and use it when I'm BBQing. Not as good as mesquite, but better than nothing.

You could probably make some sort of tablet computer (e.g. iPad) or smartphone holder for it. I saw a video on YouTube recently where someone was making one of those out of a piece of 2x? lumber. He made it with a different angled slot on each end to hold the tablet -- 15 degrees for when you need a more upright view and 26 degrees for when you are seated at a desk.

[country gent]

Depending on the shape,sizes and "form" a lamp would be doable. Mom Had a lamp made from a Cypress knee for years. It was the Knee with the bark removed a base and the lamp fixture. a hole would need to be drilled down to the base close to center and to fit the lamp fixture then a exit hole for the cord. A knotty Knarly bent up section with the bark removed and lightly finished on a nice stable base. If you have a piece 8-10" in dia a 1-1 1/2" thick section with bark removed would lame a nice matching base for the stand and lamp if table top lamp is made. If smaller is available a towel holder rack is doable or a paper towel roll holder. Maybe a Door knocker? The mind is the limit here.

[edler7]

How about a ring ? Fairly small project, easy to fashion with normal hand tools or a dremel. Pretty quick project, too.

Women love jewelry....

[Wayne Smith]

If you have pieces big enough and not split, using a lathe or drill press you could make a set of napkin rings.

[44man]

Red oak does not last long and trees that die and stand a year or so will rot fast. White oak will last much longer.
I don't know about live oak but it might have a higher water content and take longer to dry.

[floydboy]

Being somewhat of an amateur woodworker myself I have to say I have never found a simple easy project that can be done in a week. Especially if your starting with a log. I have to say the ring idea did intrigue me and is probably doable if you have a dremel and are careful and don't take a finger off. Just my two cents.

[DerekP Houston]

Being somewhat of an amateur woodworker myself I have to say I have never found a simple easy project that can be done in a week. Especially if your starting with a log. I have to say the ring idea did intrigue me and is probably doable if you have a dremel and are careful and don't take a finger off. Just my two cents.

Yeah it was just one of those random thoughts that didn't pan out. I've found a nice restaurant and a baby sitter, picking up a shiny sparkly this afternoon instead ;).

This is live oak, makes for good bbq wood I hadn't put enough thought into the project. My bad! I've got a few plans for a work bench and shelving in the garage, I'll start with purchased lumber for now and start building stands for my equipment before i do anything more involved. Would eventually like to get into the hobby a bit more but I have a lot more reading to do on the subject first.

Thanks for all the advice yall.

[JWT]

There are 2 major classifications of oak. Red and white. Red oak family all have pointed leaves and white oak family has rounded leaved. White oak is much more rot resistant than red. Most of the famous mission furniture was made with quarter sawn white oak and finished using aquaeous ammonia fumes to darken the wood.

Another oak quirk, never use iron or carbon steel fasteners. Moisture combines with the iron and tannins and turns the wood black.

[starmac]

It is my understanding that live oak does not mill well, nothing like white or red oak.

[NavyVet1959]

It is my understanding that live oak does not mill well, nothing like white or red oak.

But it's good for BBQing, so that makes up for it. :)

[starmac]

And SHADE, god knows ya'll need shade down in that live oak country, maybe more than anything else. lol

[slim1836]

175162
How about a table?

Slim

[NavyVet1959]

And SHADE, god knows ya'll need shade down in that live oak country, maybe more than anything else. lol

Yep, they provide good shade. Plant one, wait 200 years, and you have a good shade tree. :(

The developers these days will buy a large forested piece of land, cut down all the existing trees on it, then lay out row after row of cookie cutter houses on postage stamp size lots, and then plant some small trees in each yard, all exactly alike. All those mature trees that would provide good shade (and significantly reduce our air-conditioning costs) are bulldozed down and burnt. All because it's easier for them to do that and only need a half dozen different floorplans for a subdivision than fitting each house to utilize the existing tree cover.

[DerekP Houston]

Yep, they provide good shade. Plant one, wait 200 years, and you have a good shade tree. :(

The developers these days will buy a large forested piece of land, cut down all the existing trees on it, then lay out row after row of cookie cutter houses on postage stamp size lots, and then plant some small trees in each yard, all exactly alike. All those mature trees that would provide good shade (and significantly reduce our air-conditioning costs) are bulldozed down and burnt. All because it's easier for them to do that and only need a half dozen different floorplans for a subdivision than fitting each house to utilize the existing tree cover.

I've watched them do that to add new subdivisions and it is kinda sickening. The 3 trees on our lot provide shade through most of the day and reduce our AC bills by quite a bit. Only down side is the yearly trimming and thinning to help the yard grow. Our trees were probably planted in the 80's when the subdivision was built.

[starmac]

I had a hand in building a lot of subdivisions in the houston area back in the 70's and 80's. We started out trying to leave the trees, which causes problems, roots under foundations and such. The trees always died within just a few years, with very few exceptions for several reasons. One of the big reasons is the excavated dirt for the streets was almost always put on the lots to build them up, it doesn't take a lot of build up to kill the trees. Roots were always cut to install the underground and even the street itself, then there is the lines that runs to the houses themselves. Most of these subdivisions have fairly small lots, and in most of the Houston area drainage is tricky to say the least, so the trees did not survive. On places where larger tracts and lots were built it is easier to save some trees, but the ones close to the house still rarely survives.
Trees are worth lots of money, if the builders could leave them they would, but it got to the point the lot (house) was worth less, because the savvy buyer knew they would be looking at some expensive tree removal in the next few years.

[DerekP Houston]

I had a hand in building a lot of subdivisions in the houston area back in the 70's and 80's. We started out trying to leave the trees, which causes problems, roots under foundations and such. The trees always died within just a few years, with very few exceptions for several reasons. One of the big reasons is the excavated dirt for the streets was almost always put on the lots to build them up, it doesn't take a lot of build up to kill the trees. Roots were always cut to install the underground and even the street itself, then there is the lines that runs to the houses themselves. Most of these subdivisions have fairly small lots, and in most of the Houston area drainage is tricky to say the least, so the trees did not survive. On places where larger tracts and lots were built it is easier to save some trees, but the ones close to the house still rarely survives.
Trees are worth lots of money, if the builders could leave them they would, but it got to the point the lot (house) was worth less, because the savvy buyer knew they would be looking at some expensive tree removal in the next few years.

That makes sense, just a shame to see the large decades old trees ripped up and tossed in burn piles. The roots do seem to get everywhere...I'll eventually be planning to get the driveway redone due to root growth underneath. Our have watering pipes built into the yard near the base of the trees so I can water them deeply and try to prevent the roots from surfacing. Up the road from us a rental had half a tree fall on the house due to neglect and overgrowth.

[NavyVet1959]

Well, another way to shade the house would be to plant some kudzu...

http://nmnh.typepad.com/.a/6a01156e4c2c3d970c01a511be17ea970c-pi

[Wayne Smith]

I've got a few plans for a work bench and shelving in the garage, I'll start with purchased lumber for now and start building stands for my equipment before i do anything more involved. Would eventually like to get into the hobby a bit more but I have a lot more reading to do on the subject first.

Thanks for all the advice yall.

Years ago I told LOML to plan that each project I did (usually at her request) would cost at least one new piece of equipment. We have been married 41 years. The last four projects cost no new tools!

[WRideout]

one thing not to make out of oak is a gunstock. made a real nice one once and every time the gun went off, off would come a small piece of wood and i would have to glue it back on and finish that spot again. way too brittle for a gun stock. finally took the gun apart and threw it away and made one out of cherry. oak doesnt stand up out side in the weather at all, it will last for ever in the house out of the weather. pine is the wood for out side and will last in the weather a long time.

I made a beautiful ax handle out of salvaged oak once; a couple of uses, and it split in two.
Wayne

[WRideout]

Red oak does not last long and trees that die and stand a year or so will rot fast. White oak will last much longer.
I don't know about live oak but it might have a higher water content and take longer to dry.

Red oak is not used for structural pieces in boat building, because it has hollow tubes all through it. White oak has lignin (I think) barriers all across the vessels that run through the wood.


Wayne