Thread: WIP White Beech

As long as you are OK, none of the rest of it matters by the end of the day.
I see Ammonites in that wood, do you?

Thanks, the bus co did coff up some insurance, but not enuff to cover everything that needed to be replaced new. A mattress got caught under the engine at the back and once the fibreglass shell gets going its all over pretty quickly. Ammonites may well be there. There is a healthy spiral developing in the composition which I hope will make one want to dive in and have a refreshing dip. This chunk of wood was immunized and stored to dry back in the 1960's and was from a sizable tree to begin with.

You wouldn't happen to recall the Latin name for what you call white beech, would you?
It looks to be nice carving wood.
I've moved so many times over the decades that my Australian Trees book has gone walkabout. Funny, my South African tree book (K.C. Palgrave) is still right beside me.

Gmelina leichhardtii
Another name is grey teak.
I tried propagating a tray of WB seed some years ago and got about one - I may have let them dry out a bit much in the too sandy mix I put them in I'll take a pic of one at work today (I'm still doing a little work at the coffee plantation).

Thanks. Plant propagation is a favorite subject of mine (retired dendrology/forest science prof) . Given your location, I'd guess that an impermeable seed coat might be a bigger issue. File a groove in a bunch and try again.
Here at 53N, a 30-90 day cold stratification in damp sand at 4C usually sets them off. I'd fill the plastic containers 1/2 full of quite wet sand. Then a sheet of plastic window screen (fly-wire to you?) and the seeds go on that. Then more sand 1-2cm. Makes the seeds/sprouts easier to find!
Good, clean spruce (Picea glauca) seed used to be about $4,000/kg.

Plan B is to start from cuttings. I have 120 grape vine cuttings, about 40cm, just about ready for sale. $5 each, good way to get rid of pruning garbage, no?

Can see nice movement starting to devolop Movay. Keen to see more as it moves along.

They struck, but from what I recall it was a drought year and I wasn't mindful enough of water in the porous trays - which with sandy mix is death. I have worked for years in a native nusery, but as the guy doing the maintenance stuff. We built some pretty mean prop houses though - made concrete benches with pipe in it for water heated beds. Do you use hormone powder with the cuttings?

I've been using (Nu-Gro P Inc.) StimRoot #3, 00.8% IBA powder. Excellent results.
Vitis riparia (Riverbank grape) is native to N. America. Vitis vinifera it is not. I know Vr roots so easily the #3 may not be at all necessary. So far, I'm not willing to fool with success.
I got only 5/45 black currant cuttings and maybe 20/45 gooseberry cuttings to take.
But as replacements for garden shrubs, I'm happy with that. Easily sell off what I can't use.
Oh, boy! Heated prop benches? I'll think of you at -30C

When we hear of you folk living at -30... we don't just think... but we KNOW you are really aliens.

You're cover is see through: Robson - sons of robots, turning trees into robot trees in their secret greenhouses to take over the world.

That is looking realy good Movay!!

Sorry to hear of your near disaster but happy it wwas just that!

Thanks artme. Terry... Movement is happening very slowly with this piece - that's two months output from the workshop you're looking at.

Pics of the White Beech from the farm:

Just need to fill some holes - am thinking ground green glass in epoxy...???? This will be framed eventually (I hope) with a very dark background.

Looks great, Movay, everything seems alive and moving.
How would it look with a mirror behind it in the frame. Will be great to see the completed piece.

I see the motion in the piece, especially the bird forms. The reptilian heads certainly adds to the paleolithic notion in the work.

I, Robot? Wait until I get rugged up to go outdoors at -20C. Limited mobility.
Loading 2,000lbs wood pellets into the house and restacking the 40lb bags doesn't take the agility of a squash player.
Nights are +4C now, days are shortening fast and maybe crawl up to 17C in the afternoon. Bugs are gone, my grapes are coloring up. Won't pick for 6+ weeks yet.
Haven't seen any new snow up top but that could happen any day soon at 7,000'
I sold 88 grapevines in the Farmer's Markets @ 2/$5. Bought some new carving tools.