Combining several thoughts in one post for economy.
1. got me a pine stump (I know it's pine b/c ruined clothes with pitch). I'd like to use this stump as a chair in the garden as it has a natural look; it actually is natural come to think of it.
Should I strip off the bark? Can the bark be preserved? How long to let it cure (dry)? Would shellac seal it?
Sorry for all the questions.
2. My most useful garden RR tool is the "digger" an 8' long steel digging tool with one end pointed and the other chisel; as my soil contains many rocks, this has been indespensible.
another useful tool is this here Fiskars shovel (same company that makes the crimper). It's good at digging and it even has a handy platform to step on so you don't slice up your footwear
Dave;
The bark should stay on for quite a number of years. If it's not a major issue to you, I'd just leave it.
You COULD put a thin coat or two of flat polyurethane on the stump where seating will occur to prevent people from getting pitch on their a$$. Flat would be better as it won't be obvious that it's there.
Mark
Dave,
The biggest nemeses to your plan for a stump seat are moisture and various wood boring beetles. Keeping it dry will go a long way to keeping it around for awhile. Setting on a base of gravel to keep out ground moisture and a hunk of flagstone on top will do most of it. Not much you can do about the beetles without using nasty chemicals (not good for humans or hounds). I used the stump of a big oak hit by lightning as the base of a stone bench on one end and some cedar logs on the other. I built a frame from some PT 2x4's.
-Brian
P.S. - I'll give you some vine ideas later on when I have some time
Me, I would chunk it and or make a concreet stump. I have to say I love the hound in all the shots because he always has a great look on his face.
Why I would is because of pine bark bettles, there bad once you have them.
I'd get rid of the stump! It will be more trouble than it's worth!
Looks to me like you were experimenting with the digger on that brick in the patio, the one that's missing! Guess that's one way to learn how to remove rocks!
Wait! Don't these beetles feed on live trees? Never heard of a beetle feeding on a dead stump.
We have a big pile of 12 to 30 inch diameter sections of maple and oak that I have been making my way through for firewood. Even the stuff on the top of the pile gets beetles in it, especially these 1.5 inch long big ugly ground beetles.
Thank you Brian!!!!!!!!
When I did landscaping and showed or ask people when I did there yards for tree service too they acted like I was crazy!!! And these trees were 100yrs + old (some). So we just did mow, weed eat, flower bed, blow. Sad for the trees! Still makes me mad.
I had taken schooling from Texas A&M on trees and other Ag. stuff.
Sorry for the rant but was not aimed at any one.....Thanks guys/gals for hearing me out
Just my two cents, for what it's worth. What about ants. They love dead wood and can do some major damage to your home.
I know that we've been fighting carpenter ants in our wood pile for the fire place, and we have to spray at least once a month, just to keep them in check.
I would love to have a seat like that, but wouldn't just because of the problems it could cause.
Melissa
while beetles, termites, carpenter ants with power tools, and toads could invade my stump, there are wood roaches that might need to contend with too
(maybe I'll coat the stump with creosote, or just get a stack of ties to sit on)
Rene Schweitzer
Classic Toy Trains/Garden Railways/Model Railroader
I took and old shovel and cut the sides down, the shovel part is 6" wide--Trenching tool.
My club was doing some work on a members layout and the trencher was the hit for roadbed .
Pick is the next for rock removel.
And of corse the 8" tanmper!
If the tree is still alive or recently died it could be as you suspect, riddled with insects. However you can treat the wood with several different insecticides, organic and otherwise. If the tree is a hardwood (oak/Maple/poplar/birch/alder) or some of the fruitwoods like cherry, I would take a chance on the project. The wood if not rotten can be beautiful.
I had to cut down an approximately 120 year old pecan tree that had died 3to 5 years or so before I bought this place. It did have a bunch of beetles and some carpenter ants in it, but they were easily dispatched with some quick steps. The key here is having the time to let the wood cure and dry as you work with it.
I cut a 12" by 16" slab out of it to use as a mantle in our house as it was being constructed. To do that I chain sawed it down, slabbed it out (again with the 20'chainsaw) and I basically soaked the slab with a product called Viper and let it dry thoroughly (about 15 days) and then repeated the process again.
With that done I then took the slab to a sawyer to get it to approximately 8"x12" size, then planed and sanded the top surface. I oiled the wood multiple times and filled the checks in the wood with epoxy colored with black enamel to further stabilize the piece (pecan has a bad tendency to warp and split). I chose to leave the worm/ant tracks that were in the pith wood on the surface because I liked the rustic look.
I finished it with tung oils and a gloss polyurethane finish on the top and a satin or matte poly on the rough surfaces.
Just because the possibility exists for insects doesn't mean you can't still have a great table or chair. However, I'm not sure I would try to work the stump due to the amount of pitch they generally contain. If the piece was from higher up the trunk maybe, but the pitch will come out overtime no matter what finish you put on it.
mark
Wow, lots of answers. All sorts of Bugs, beetles and ants. Here in the woods of Delaware I have had nice sections of oak, beech, and pine, and if they are in contact with the ground, the rotting fungi turn them into dust in about two years. First the bark falls off, then the bottom and center rots. This is accompanied by all of the afformentioned insects. I would recommend that you will get more out of the stump by splitting it into firewood NOW, before it turns to dust. This is not furniture.
Paul
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