turnerted
26th February 2012, 02:13 PM
Hi
I arrived home a few days ago to find a team of workmen cleaning up the jungle in the backyard of the house next door . I new there were olive trees growing there so I asked if they were cutting any down . They said no but they were going to cut down the one in the front of the house which was the biggest one of all and I could have anything I wanted from it.I had often looked longingly at this tree for ages since the butt was covered with small burl like growths which I suspected was indicating some interesting grain.
To start off with I got about three metres of the trunk which yielded about ten rouged out bowls between 250 to 300mm diameter and small bowls cored out from them plus a load of billets which have now been split and sealed.
Now came the butt which was reasonably sound despite the workman's gloomy predictions .I got him to cut it in half, then with a lot of struggling we loaded each half into my wheelbarrow and I wheeled the halves one at a time into my backyard . As it was getting late now I wrapped it all in a tarp. and left it next day to slab.
As I have only a small chainsaw I was expecting a struggle but it only took about an hour to cut it up and produce the slabs in the pictures.Tha slabs are between 100-75mm thick and the largest is 600mmx470mm.
Hopefully in about six months I will have some nice olive bowls and platters to post.
Ted
I arrived home a few days ago to find a team of workmen cleaning up the jungle in the backyard of the house next door . I new there were olive trees growing there so I asked if they were cutting any down . They said no but they were going to cut down the one in the front of the house which was the biggest one of all and I could have anything I wanted from it.I had often looked longingly at this tree for ages since the butt was covered with small burl like growths which I suspected was indicating some interesting grain.
To start off with I got about three metres of the trunk which yielded about ten rouged out bowls between 250 to 300mm diameter and small bowls cored out from them plus a load of billets which have now been split and sealed.
Now came the butt which was reasonably sound despite the workman's gloomy predictions .I got him to cut it in half, then with a lot of struggling we loaded each half into my wheelbarrow and I wheeled the halves one at a time into my backyard . As it was getting late now I wrapped it all in a tarp. and left it next day to slab.
As I have only a small chainsaw I was expecting a struggle but it only took about an hour to cut it up and produce the slabs in the pictures.Tha slabs are between 100-75mm thick and the largest is 600mmx470mm.
Hopefully in about six months I will have some nice olive bowls and platters to post.
Ted