Random Chunks of Wood

A couple interesting shaped surfaced chunks of the Cedar lane tree, and a bowl, slated for the Teaneck Creek Conservancy fundraising dinner.

The Fall

"But when the time comes to enter the darkness in which we are naked and helpless and alone; in which we see the insufficiency of our greatest strength and the hollowness of our strongest virtues; in which we have nothing of our own to rely on, and nothing in our nature to support us, and nothing in the world to guide us or give us light-then we find out whether or not we live by faith."
-Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Cedar Lane Oak Cross-Section

Picked up the cross section of the Cedar Lane tree today that was prepped and dated by the Dendrochronology lab at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Pretty cool, and currently taking up most of the back of my van. Interesting to see how different the size of a decade can be. This was cut from a spot that was probably 10-15 feet off the ground about half the base diameter. I counted ~180 to the hollow at the base. A wedge from the very base went to them as well, curious what the official dating will be, and the estimate for the ~2 foot hollow center. The outer corner of that post it points to about where I was born... Now to prep it for permanent display as soon as someone tells me where that's going to be.

Cedar Lane Wood Giveaway Update

Nobody actually reads my blog, but in the unlikely chance you do, and the even more unlikely chance you are in Northern Jersey, and planning (based on my usually reliable word) to come by Campgaw park in Mahwah Thursday, well disappointment strikes, all the boards were given away the first day, and only the Rochelle Park County Facility will be open Thursday giving away the uncut logs. If this leaves you totally distraught (and indeed it should) PM me.

Day by Day

Today got around to milling a couple thick slabs from a section of the Cedar lane oak. Having said this I'll likely make a mess of the next one I try, but I think I'm getting pretty good at eyeball ripping these slabs. For short ones I think its easier than using the Alaska mill. Most likely they'll wind up as uprights for one of a couple benches that are slated for construction using the mill cut boards from the Cedar lane tree. 

I also finished setting up the bench kindly given to me by a new friend.