What to do with these

[LCHIEN]

I got these from my daughter - Birch logs about 3 inches diameter and 3-6 inches long. The coke can is for reference.

Anyway, what can I make of them. The wood is nice and white. The bark tens to want to fall off. I tried drilling one in the end with a forstner once and its hard going IIRC.

I was thinking about cutting off the top and bottom and hollowing out the inside with a bandsaw. then gluing the edge closed and putting the end back on the bottom to make a pencil cup.

Any other ideas?

They're a bit sentimental, my daughter used these for candle supports at her wedding and I crosscut a bunch to 1/4" thick for her to write the guest names on for their seating. But they're in the way now and we're cleaning up.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Loring - I may be the only one, but can't open the picture (?). Are you interested/able to use the pieces for turning? Many things, including cups, ornaments, candlesticks, handles, pens, etc. come to mind for turnings. Is there interesting grain figure in the wood?

[JoeyGee]

I can't see the picture, either.

[LCHIEN]

sorry - tried to link it to a mail file and apparently no one else can see it.
SHould be visible now.

[phrog]

Even I can see them now.

[gerti]

Hard to tell how deep the checking goes, but they could possibly be turned into a number of items, like boxes, cups, small platters for candles or as coaster etc. And if the checking goes too deep (which I suspect), some smaller items like pens, handles for all kinds of gizmos (see wood turner catalogs) etc might be another option. Or small turned picture frames with wedding photos. Or small christmas tree ornaments. Or if you are a carver they could become a wooden train set for the first-born.

[LCHIEN]

not into turning... no lathe etc.
Grain is very straight, no figure, no knots to speak of.
checking appears slight, it did not make the name disks (which I sliced off at about 1/4") fall apart. I think the bark will all probably fall off, you can see how its separated.

[JoeyGee]

Not my type of projects, but Steve Ramsey did some stuff with logs:

http://www.woodworkingformeremortals...-with-log.html

The band saw box idea is interesting, but your pieces might be a little small.

[LCHIEN]

Here's a better shot of a couple of the logs.
Don't forget they're only 4-6 inches long and about 3" in diameter.

Very slight checking in the ends of some of them.

[jussi]

Coasters? Pencil box ( you could drill them out wit dp and refine with a rasp)? Wall dividers?

[capncarl]

Ideas? Send them to your daughter so she can add them to her keepsakes, wedding dress and other wedding day memorabilia.

[LCHIEN]

so I knocked this one out in a couple of hours with a bandsaw.
The cover pivots and of course has a plug to hide the screw.

As an aside, I got the lamp from Ikea Thursday. JANSJO $9.99
AC powered and has a 24" gooseneck and is LED of course.
Similar work lamps, but with a much shorter neck, seem to cost $20 and up at hardware and tool suppliers.

comes disassembled with weighted base; it would be easy to ditch the base and attach to a table as it has screw sockets in the bottom of the neck... you would need longer screws and they're metric probably.

Good for workstations like drill press, router, etc. Gets the light close, but not in the way and definitely not hot at all.

[LCHIEN]

Ideas? Send them to your daughter so she can add them to her keepsakes, wedding dress and other wedding day memorabilia.

yeah, well the wedding dress is still at my house, been trying to get her to take that away... That's in another room from her old bedroom and my wife just dumped out a bunch of the high school stuff our daughter has been saying to keep but never would take away (she lives 6 miles away).

[Mr__Bill]

yeah, well the wedding dress is still at my house, been trying to get her to take that away... That's in another room from her old bedroom and my wife just dumped out a bunch of the high school stuff our daughter has been saying to keep but never would take away (she lives 6 miles away).

Dress is easy, a bit expensive but... Have it cleaned and then framed under UV glass with archival backing and mating etc. Then give it to her on their anniversary.

Whatever you make out of the birch could be Christmas ornaments. Again, several years worth of gifts.

Bill
on the left coast

[Clock Maker]

I did these salt and pepper shakers and a toothpick holder from similarly shaped cylinders. I used Forstner bits and drilled from the bottom to within about 1/8 inch from the top and then a few small holes on top. Cork in the bottom.



These were the "cutouts" from the salt/pepper box for the wife.