Sun Maple


I wish you could smell this wood. It’s sugar maple; my neighbor had a tree blow down and was out chainsawing it up.

I wandered by and, after providentially providing fuel for his chainsaw (which was running out, literally just as I walked up) he agreed to cut me a few 10″ x 6″ long rounds. Those will be delightful to turn bowls and whatnot out of on the lathe.

One fresh round came back to the shop with me. I chucked it up and turned it round very quickly, but it’s really too wet to work with. It smells fantastic and it cuts like butter, shooting long sticky wood-ribbons across the room.

Then, I bandsawed off the end to straighten it, and noticed how thin a slice I’d made.

When everything around me seems to be going to shit, I try to focus on the tangible beauties, and the things I can make. If that doesn’t work, there’s always wine.

Comments

  1. komarov says

    It looks like a glowing paper lantern.

    Regarding the storage capacity, for a few kilobucks I could sell you a used, manual graphite stylus lithography system that could improve the maximum bitnumber considerably, especially if you have steady hands and a magnifying glas. Read/write-speeds are slow at first but improve with practice. Most people find they’re already suprisingly good when they first start.

  2. voyager says

    Gorgeous. I love the warm glow of maple and think it gets better-looking with time.

    The crazier the zeitgeist gets the more I also look to the simple pleasures of life for comfort and joy.

  3. says

    This looks pretty. I’m looking forward to see what you make from the wood.

    The crazier the zeitgeist gets the more I also look to the simple pleasures of life for comfort and joy.

    Me too.

  4. Jazzlet says

    Beautiful, like partially mixed melted butter and maple syrup.

    The crazier the zeitgeist gets the more I also look to the simple pleasures of life for comfort and joy.

    Me also. I have been fondling some of my wool stash and contemplating starting a new project rather than finishing any of the ones on the go.

  5. Badland says

    Like a butterscotch lollipop.

    Doesn’t look like there’s any snow in the background, is that the norm for this time of year?

  6. says

    @Badland:
    The next day it snowed an inch and melted the day after. Some winters we get a few weeks with snow but usually its cycles of accumulation and melt.

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