Started making another yard tree table.

[Daren]

I brought this ugly tree up in the urban forestry section https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=26813.0 . I started a table with it today. Pretty killer looking wood. I have to figure out the legs yet. I was going to leave this book live edge...but had some problems. I have a few more pieces that will make a better live edge table. It is not finished in the pictures, just rough sanded and wiped with water to get a good look at it.



I made some legs for what I thought I was going to end up with, but they just don't match now that I had to cut off the live edge (rotten/busted in a million pieces). Maybe these legs will work on one of these pieces from the same tree. They seem to be holding together so far.



I was wanting to make something that looked like it crawled out of the woods into the living room, all scary and funky. The top I built today is going to look good, just need to figure out new legs. But not something boring, the wood in the top is FAR from plain.

[metalspinner]

That is some crazy grained wood there.  I like those red highlights throughout.  The base for live edges tops is always the tricky part.  Keep up the expierments.

[mike_van]

I see the face of Elvis on that slab!  :D Or is it an alien?  

[metalspinner]

That might be what Elvis currently looks like. :

[Daren]

This is what I saw the second I milled that book, H.R. Giger ,biomechanical surrealist (the alien from the movie "Alien" was based on one of his drawings) I am a fan.

[Dave Shepard]

I remember seeing that face when you posted it in the urban section. Kinda spooky actually.


Dave

[Kevin]

That may have been Bro Nobles picture just after snapping a cap on the barn vise with a hammer.  :D

[low_48]

That's magnificent Daren How did you get it dried so quickly? Wasn't it just mid July when you got the log? Do you know someone with a vacuum kiln?

I would go a little more understated with the leg or base system. That top does a lot of "talking" by itself. Complicated legs might actually distract from the top.

[Daren]

I would go a little more understated with the leg or base system.

Yea, I am going to keep it simple. The legs in the picture are now for another project. I already have an idea in mind, I will post pictures of that finished piece.

How did you get it dried so quickly? Wasn't it just mid July when you got the log? Do you know someone with a vacuum kiln?

What is a vacuum kiln  :D. D/H, here is a post from 2 years ago...still using the same $200 kiln, If you went and bought the stuff. I had it laying around. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=13557.0 And they said it would never work, check me out I never took a class on wood drying but do it every day, tricky wood like the stuff in this post and WIDE and curly stock. A little tinkering along the way, but 90% the exact unit. I can't dry 5000 bft a load, but for a hack woodworker with no patience to wait to have his wood dried it is the berries.
I have read all the drying charts blah blah, learn how to air dry and the rest is gravy. I had more wood ruined by the "pro" I used to take mine to because it was big loads and a % of loss is acceptable. And the setting in the yard waiting for my little loads to fit. I am not going to turn this into an hobby kiln drying thread. 2 years, same "kiln", same results...excellent. 

[Dodgy Loner]

I agree with low_48, I think an understated top would really complement the incredible figure in the top.  What kind of wood are you planning to use?  A darker wood like walnut would be very elegant.  Of course, the redbud will darken naturally with age.

[Daren]

.  What kind of wood are you planning to use? 

I have some mulberry with baby burls (like the size of a quarter) on it. The burls on it go all the way to the pith. It came out of a burn pile and was cut into 2' lengths. I rived some out the other day and turned it wet on the lathe, looked pretty good. I think I am going to rive out several more pieces and plane them square and dry them for the legs. That is my plan now, who knows what I will really end up doing.