Читать книгу The Handcarved Bowl - Danielle Rose Byrd - Страница 19

19

T H E H A N D C A R V E D B O W L

Chapter 1 | H A R V E S T

WHERE TO LOOK

These types of wood are popular choices not just because of their inherent properties,

but also because of their location. Because it’s important that wood has a high moisture

content, and that cutting a log means it will immediately begin to lose water, harvesting

starts happening a lot closer to home. There are ways to transport logs long distances,

and shipping small billets has become common practice in the green woodworking

community, but most of the time it makes the most sense to go out and harvest your own

material or grab some from a friend close by.

A TREE AMONG TREES

Clear, straight logs are perfect for

bowl carving. If you are looking to

cut down a tree, be mindful and

patient—the tree took its time

growing, so respect and careful

selection is the least that can be

paid for that grand effort. If you

are selecting a tree to cut down,

look for a tree that has grown

among other trees. If a tree begins

its life around others that have al-

ready put out branches to capture

sunlight, it won’t waste its energy

putting out branches until it has

grown tall enough to compete with

the others. In good conditions, it

will grow a straight trunk without

branches as it makes its expedi-

tious ascent to available sunlight.

While this situation makes

for better bowl carving wood, it

also could be more of a felling

challenge with so many other

trees around. Practice all safety

precautions if doing this work

yourself. Although a tree in the

middle of a field may seem like

the easier felling option, it may

yield very little viable material for

bowl carving because it’s likely to

have put out many branches while

growing, causing interruptions in

the clear grain in the trunk.

BRANCHES = GRAIN CHANGES

As branches grow from trees, the

grain changes, which presents

difficulties in the carving pro-

cess. Long-ago broken branches

that have healed over can be-

come knots that are very good at

disguising what lies beneath the

surface, and the issues may only

present themselves later on in the

carving process.

KNOTS AIN’T SO HOT

Knots are also undesirable for the

most part. Some may behave and

stay put, but most times they dry

at an inconsistent rate from the

wood around them and result in

checks. Others may pop right out

either during the carving or drying

process, or later on in its life. Small

pin knots may not present any

issues at all. Sometimes they’re a

nice design feature—just beware of

the risk when considering them.

ALREADY FALLEN

OR FELLED TREES

Opportunistic harvesting is

another option that has both its

advantages and disadvantages. In

the spring when trees are getting

trimmed, or after a storm with

high winds, are good times to go

looking for carving wood. Often-

times people are excited to have

someone clear some of the mess

left behind in exchange for mate-

rial, or to save them the trouble of

having to chip it.