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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

Free wood is always a bonus

but I keep my eyes open when

presented with these opportunities

because the material is more often

than not less than optimal. As a

beginner, this may be less of an

issue as you cut your teeth with

a new process, but as you begin

to look for reliable material for

projects, a more selective eye may

be necessary.

LOTS OF UNKNOWNS

The problem with these scenarios

is you can’t always be sure when the

tree was cut down, where it grew,

or if it has any obvious deterring

features. Lawn trees, especially

older ones, are good candidates

for strange embedded objects. A

lot of kooky things can happen in

the time it takes a big tree to grow.

And for some reason, it always

seems to be something capable of

dulling a saw or tool edge: a fence,

a bullet, part of a shovel. It’s such

a disheartening feeling to start on

your first batch of bowls, then take

a ¼" chunk out of your axe before

you even start with a design.

More often than not, when trees

come down in a storm, contacting

you isn’t always the landown-

er’s first idea, which means the

tree could have been down long

enough ago to allow significant

checking or rot, thus rendering the

pieces either useless, or at the very

least iffy. The larger the tree, the

less of an issue this will be because

the middle section of its trunk is

less likely to have been affected by

drying checks.

STORM TREE SPLITS

If a tree comes down in a storm,

it is sometimes indicative of an

underlying issue with the tree;

either a disease or physical weak-

ness may have been the reason it

couldn’t weather the storm. When

trees come down this way, it’s not

always so neat and tidy, either,

which can prove challenging when

attempting to harvest larger, clear

pieces. Lateral stress from wind or

neighboring trees causes the tree

to snap and makes it very suscep-

tible to splitting inconsistently and

unpredictably up the trunk.

Sometimes the extent of this

split isn’t obvious until later, which

can mean that lots of time and

effort could yield either little or no

usable wood for bowl blanks. I’ll

admit, searching for spoon wood

in storm-felled trees is much eas-

ier than searching for bowl wood.

And this is by no means meant to

deter you, because it is entirely

possible to find material this way,

but knowing some of the troubling

factors will help you to know what

to avoid and where your time is

best spent.

ROADSIDE TREE WORK

Line crews may also leave trees.

Always ask for permission to be

on and harvest from properties

that are not your own! And I would

hope that this goes without saying,

but ask a crew member if it’s safe

to rummage around that space

before you start. If you’re able and

it applies to the situation, offer the

landowner a small carved token

of appreciation, and always leave

the area tidier than when you

arrived. Ask for the opportunity to

come over and assess the situation

before committing, and I cannot

emphasize enough the importance

of very clear communication

during these interactions. Pretty

soon you will build up a reputation

around town, and mutually bene-

ficial relationships will form. I still

get random phone calls and emails

about wood, and more than once

it’s truly been a godsend.

ARBORISTS

It never hurts to ask your local ar-

borist if they can keep an eye out

for you. Make it as easy as possible

for them by letting them know

what kind of trees you’re looking

for, bring a small carved gift to

show them your appreciation

(even if they decline!), and tell

them what kind of compensation

you’d be willing to offer. But also

understand that their first priority

is their job and be respectful of the

fact that they may not be able to

accommodate you. Your kindness

in this situation may mean that

they tell a friend about your in-

terest, or change their mind when

they find the log you were asking

for because you were easy to deal

with the first time. Seriously, it

goes a long way.