Todays bargain

Being an oak framer for a living does has some advantages when it comes to sourcing cheap wood, and today was one of those days.

All this lot for £20.00.

The first piece measures 53" x 17" x 17" and weighs in at approx 310kg!



Next up is this piece that measures 57" x 6" x 14" and weighs in at approx 97kg



And finally these logs that caught my eye. First off I thought about making them into bird boxes, then after unloading them I instantly thought that they would make a couple of very quick and easy rustic benches. I just need to hollow them out into a heart shape, bolt them together, fit a bit of slab wood to the top, and the job is done.





Rough guide to show what I mean.



I now need to come up with a plan of what to make or carve from the big pieces.

Any ideas??


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What a bargain!!!!

Val

 

Fab bargain, Eddie

Love the heartshaped logs - just a thought: if you make them into a rustic bench, their beautiful shape gets a little "lost"

 

Eddie, how about a wooden version of a 'standing stone' with the second piece of wood. Celtic knots and such like.

 

Eddie, you're so talented and creative that whatever you come up with will be fabulous. I LOVE the bench idea! Would it be possible to use some of the pieces for the back rest too?? And maybe the arm rests?? Not sure if that would be OTT or not.........

 

Well the following was going to be my most ambitious carving project to date, but sadly it all went wrong after just 20mins of carving.

I was desperate to make something special and magical with this piece of oak, and decided upon carving a figure of a girl sitting on a log with one leg up and her arms/hands clasped around the shin, with her head almost resting on her knee, whilst the other leg hung down over the side of the log as though gently kicking the air. I imagined long flowing hair, and a lovely summer dress. All in all, a scene that would look as though she didn't have a care in the world and was just enjoying a bright sunny summers day.
I spent the whole morning planing and marking, frightened to start. Then when I did start, the face area just fell apart. :( I knew that the piece of wood had faults, but had hoped that they would have just been cracks.

Oh well, perhaps another day. :(

 

Unless I just leave it as a solid block it will just continue to fall apart. It sadly has ring shake.
I knew that it had a bit of heart crack, but assumed that I could just get over that one.
I'm just glad that it happened on the first few cuts, rather than the last.