Nine months ago, was asked to cut 20 inch rounds for center pieces at a wedding reception. They then took them and sanded them a little and coated with polly so they wouldn't dry and crack. 4 months ago did it again. Then two weeks ago, had a bride come to the wood pile, she choose black walnut out of my variety pile, and just wanted one for the cake and one for the small cake for the couple. I did this for free as they are all friends, but now I hear everyone wants something like it at casual wedding receptions. Even hundred of little ones for drink coasters. Maybe a new line of business for you guys? Will have to get pics of these black walnut ones once they were sanded and sealed. Wedding is Sunday afternoon.
Was at a reception this past weekend where there was plenty of the same around the whole reception hall. Even made a "cupcake tree" or "cake holder tree" out of wood pieces.
I square cut stumps for people. None of the tree services have a long enough bar for the really big trees. The stumps they leave are all hacked to hell on top. First one was a fluke. After a storm I was in the middle of the street in town with the 395 cutting a huge cotton wood when an elder lady came up behind me and scared the crap out of me. She was wondering if I could use my big saw to square up the big stump in her yard, she wanted to set flower pots on top and they kept tipping over. I did that one for free and left a business card in case she ever found someone giving away wood. Soon I started getting calls about more stumps. I never charge a price but when they ask how much a saw like that costs they usually will give me a few bucks. Sometimes I get a couple loads of wood out of it. My favorite are the older widows, usually good for fresh cookies, then some lemonade, then after the work is done some lunch then sit on the porch and yak til dark.
Yeah it was on Pinterest or something. I also made some for my best friend's wedding last month. His wife actually ended up selling them to one of the wedding guests instead of taking them home! The young lady she sold them to was does wedding planning, and I guess she was looking for some more too.
Friend of mine made a full set for his daughter and then she wanted special small ones for his grand daughters birthday party - cupcake coasters. He pretty much said enough was enough. Sanding takes forever on a chainsaw cut you've got patience . The few coasters I've made were cut with my 12" radial saw. Bandsaw would be ideal
These were made by basod, as a Secret Santa gift. They are absolutely beautiful and holding up just fine. A must in any wood hoarders home decor.
Jon in my learning experience those were a bit too tall and not really wide enough(even though I gauged them against an actual store bought coaster) I really liked the character of the sourwood bark and that pearl pith. Glad they are still holding up The dogwood coasters were a nicer rose color but I could not keep them from cracking.
My regular coffee mug is a bit tapered in at the bottom and they work fine. I would imagine if it is too thin, you lose structural integrity. I have a nice walnut limb put up for making coasters next year. I have some apple, but that is not fun to work.
I put a bolt of dogwood up last fall just to try again this fall and it has a split in all useable wood. Stands to reason every dead dogwood I cut for firewood has a continuous split on one side of the tree Tried leaving the pucks in a paper bag for weeks, wrapping bolts in craft paper with sealed ends they just spider crack to the point poly won't set in the grain. I might try epoxy on the fresh end cut let set and then cut, might stabilize one face?
I have a couple of large, kind of oddball pieces of walnut from the tree at my sister's place. I'm thinking about making some oval shaped cookies out of them - sliced on a bias basically diagonally through the log. The grain is a little bit longer that way and tends to be more stable. Maybe you could try that?
In middle school shop we cut a branch on an angle on the band saw, sanded, finished, glued a pin on the back, and gave them to our moms. I think mine was Sugar Maple.
Shawn a slab like that for a dinner plate coaster would look awesome. getting coasters you're cutting cookies from smaller trees/limbs and betting they won't split - cooking them will give an idea of what wood is worthy
