apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

hi!
my org works closely with a woodworker who makes items like this as well as other art and furniture from city trees that come down. currently he has a LOT of wood that he could use to make something like this. you can find him at
urban tree forge (click)

Be sure to check out his blog. He made and installed our office's hardwood floor. We are in pittsburgh, but i know he travels cross country sometimes with his work, so i am sure you could contact him about that... or visit us!

EBAY

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cedar-Burl-Wood-Slab-Blank-Table-Top-Unique-Shape_W0QQitemZ260396348550QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item260396348550&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

We had a HUGE (an Osage orange, about 100 years old) tree fall down in our yard during a storm last spring and had the man who came to remove it cut off two large chunks for just this purpose! It's been curing for a year and we have a friend who does metal work who will do the legs for us, in return, he gets the other piece.

That one looks almost like a flower; what a find, Vanessa!

i just cut down and sold the wood from my enormous oak tree and had several similar pieces. if i had only known, Leslie, i would have saved you a slice. maybe you could ask a local landscape company near Boston.

I have one you can have in West Chester PA
wallybuckets@verizon.net
Will send pic if need be.

I know a man who makes tables like that and he gets all the wood from his brother, who's a tree trimmer/remover. After a huge storm last year, a ton of old trees fell down -- that's generally where they get slices with the diameter you're looking for. The best way to get one is to find someone to give it to you, like Wally, or get a landscaper to cut you a piece from a job.

too bad the tree that fell in front of my house was sliced up and there was a tone of pieces like this.

Umm, the woods? I don't recommend a state or national forest due to legal questions.

If you take a drive through the sticks (the country) stop at just about any gas station/convenience store and check out their bulletin board. Look for anyone selling firewood. They'll probably be able to hook you up with a beautiful cross piece of tree for cheap. You won't even need a chainsaw. Just a truck, a good sander and a lot of varnish.

You're thinking "well that's not very environmentally conscious". Oh yes it is. Think use it or lose it. They're going to clear that swath of trees for a new subdivision whether you like it or not. You might as well take advantage and glean a nice piece before it's run through the splitter, chucked in a fireplace and gone forever.

Besides, we can always plant a new tree.

We had a table made from piece of wood from Hearne Hardwoods in PA: http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/. Check out their website - they have a huge selection of unusual woods.

Hi, that's my living room and thanks for the compliments! My father in-law happened to be cutting up firewood in his backyard, and I was interested in a slice for the sake of it's natural beauty and form, not necessarily to make a coffee table in particular. I think the beauty of diy-anything, is that it's not planned- otherwise it becomes commodity/ commercialization- especially when we live in a world of "everything has a price tag". I think the best things in life are derived from coincidence creativity, like found art. I have a bowl of broken light-bulbs piled among a small 20w light for instance as a table lamp, but that was only spawned from the fact that the light bulb shapes were so pretty and I couldn't bear to toss them out when they died. That said, I would never suggest anyone should go cutting down trees to make art- it's everywhere you just need to run into it.

Is there anyone out there who can tell me who to contact about buying the wood from the 100year old humongo maple (I think) tree i my backyard? I'd like to offset the cost of cutting it down by selling the wood but don't know who buys it. Im in New Jersey. Thanks if anyone can help!

For finding a wood slice, I agree that you might contact tree trimmers, landscapers, and lumber mills (if any are near enough.) Do it soon -- there were ice storms this year and lots of trees that fell are getting chopped up as we speak!

For selling maple, call the tree cutting services and ask THEM if they would take and sell the tree in exchange for cutting it. Quality hardwood like maple does have value, but I don't know how closely it would be offset.

Another place to ask for advice might be the city's parks and rec department, or, again, a lumber mill.

Hi - I've see nice large pieces of wood like that outside Rockler Woodworking which is right in Cambridge (outside Davis) on Mass Ave.