Fortunately Nature has provided us with 100s of species of wood. From exotic Amazon woods to the abundant oaks, maples and elms of America. One will never run out of options. The limiting factors are the wood's location, rareness and cost. It is cheap to find a stump in your neighborhood, but if you want a beautiful piece from Africa, the cost will be high. Rather than looking for a specific species, you can simply start with an interesting piece of wood or stump you find. The key is to keep your mind open for all possible uses of a piece of wood. I started my stump table making by going to a local landscape dump. I noticed a pine log that was all dried and a nice size - I had noticed stump tables in designer magazines and thought it would be fun to try and create one. I went home, picked up my chain saw, went back to the dump and cut a couple of logs, took them to my garage workshop, and a hobby/business was formed.
My first stump tables
I will assume exotic woods are out and you want to keep the cost and availability reasonable. This will mean finding a local piece that will make a good table. Stumps can be unique in their configuration which results in a true one of a kind piece, or they can be uniform in shape - round, square, etc. The unique stumps will have unusual shapes, voids from fungus or rot, or be tree base roots. I have found soft woods are easier to work that hard woods like oak. There always seems to be a lot of sawing and sanding, so the softer the better. One thing about pine - the sap never stops running and is very messy.
OK, so where do you find a great log for a stump table? Again, one needs to keep their mind open for possibilities - think "yes, that would make a great table." I have found that many diamonds are hid in an ugly, mud covered log. Early on, I was lucky enough to find a relatively local saw mill. Not a big one, but something that is run by locals, out in the woods. Sure, New York and Chicago do not have a lot of "local mills." But their are mills a few hours drive away, in the woods someplace. Often these mills will have scraps and remnants from large logs, that can be reclaimed into tables. But remember, these might look like "scraps" to you, but they are the assets of the mill. You should be paying for these rough pieces.
Where else could you look for rough stumps? Whenever there is a bad storm, trees are blown down, especially those with a shallow root system. Go out after the storm and find a tree expert who is cleaning up the damage and buy one from them. They will love not to have to haul it away. How about your back yard? Are you planning to take down that old maple? Maybe a true treasure. Contact local tree experts to keep their eyes open for possibilities. Offer them a decent price so they will keep you in mind. Check out your local city. They are always clearing out some area which might have great stump potential.
A final word of advice - never pass up a possibility. Some of my best work started out as ugly little ducklings.
Rough cypress from the mill. Reclaimed from rivers.
Me and 2 of the 4 finished pieces.
The 3rd of the 4 finished pieces.
The 4th of the 4 finished pieces.
Have fun creating diamonds out of Mother Nature's wonders. It can be a true labor of love, creating one of a kind stump tables. However, never feel it could be a good money maker - IT ISN'T - trust me. It is just fun. Fortunately, I am retired and can afford to work my little creativity in this way.
Have fun. Remember: we are only here for a brief visit, so enjoy every moment.
Smell Mother Nature's roses whenever you have a chance.
ENJOY
John "Gabby" Gabrielson
Natural Creations
www,naturalcreations.me
(Look for Part III - Finishing)
