Another Side Adventure...Wood

A few years ago we had to cut down a few pine trees that were crowding the oaks causing them to lean.   One particularly beautiful old oak tree was leaning heavily towards the house.  It was 10 feet or so from the actual house and just 2 feet off our deck...so it was close.  Unfortunately removing the pines did not stop the oak's problem so we had to have it cut down this past fall.  A sad day for me.  To make it somewhat better I asked the guys to leave the stump which they happily said 'no problem'.  We left it out all winter to dry out which wasn't such a bright idea, but figured it wasn't going to be too much of a problem.  Who wants to play "move the stump" around the garage all winter.

This project wasn't an original idea that I dreamed up.  No, I "stole" it from The Art of Doing Stuff...Karen really has a fun, informative blog.  A month or so ago I took off the outer bark layer in order to prep the stump for a table.  Of course I forgot to take pictures as I went so you'll have to visualize the dark black stump with it's loose rotting bark.  Ugly.  I really didn't have to do much other than use a flat chisel and a few shots with a hammer to get it all off.  We moved it into the garage to dry out for a few days then the fun began.

It was a bit uneven so my husband took a chain saw to it to make it "better".  He gave me a 'gift'...a belt sander...romantic isn't he?  After what seems like weeks I finally have a more or less even top which actually started out as the bottom...much more interesting looking.  The sides, top and bottom have all been hand-sanded smooth.  Maybe smooth isn't quite the right word...still have lots of worm holes and runs.  One problem with the stump sitting outside so long was parts had started to rot.  It's a shame, but it does create a certain "design element" to the wood.  At least that's what I tell myself.  My dear husband proposed getting another stump...less rotten...to which I said "not happening."  I wanted a reminder of the tree not something from just anywhere. 

Today I stained the stump using a combination of 3 stains...natural, dark walnut and golden oak.  The lighter sections where the rot was the worst I hit with the dark walnut a bit to help darken it.  After drying overnight the process of sealing it begins.  I have no idea how many coats of poly will be applied...could be five or it may end up many more.  The rotted spots soaked up the wood conditioner and the stains so you know the final step is going to take FOREVER.   Once it's dry the plan is to add some legs and a custom glass top. 

I hope that sometime next week we will manhandle the finished product into the house.  That will be one heck of a feat since this thing weighs more than the dog...a 85 pound yellow Lab.