http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/9446543.htm?ERIGHTS=6934204770704499054philly::[email protected]&KRD_RM=8oprpxvtwrpwusqxpppooooooo|Tom|Y
Regards,
Tom.
Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1
Tom Watson wrote:
> http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/9446543.htm?ERIGHTS=6934204770704499054philly::[email protected]&KRD_RM=8oprpxvtwrpwusqxpppooooooo|Tom|Y
> Regards,
> Tom.
>
> Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
> tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
> http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1
Tom, your paper pushing roots are showing: everything in triplicate!
--
Gerald Ross, Cochran, GA
To reply add the numerals "13" before the "at"
...........................................
People will occasionally stumble over
the truth, but most of the time they
will pick themselves up and carry on.
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Sigh...
They require registration, and I get enough spam as it is. What's it all
about, Tommy?
Bob
"Tom Watson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/9446543.htm?ERIGHTS=6934204770704499054philly::[email protected]&KRD_RM=8oprpxvtwrpwusqxpppooooooo|Tom|Y
> Regards,
> Tom.
>
> Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
> tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
> http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1
On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 20:13:47 -0500, "Bob Schmall" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Sigh...
>They require registration, and I get enough spam as it is. What's it all
>about, Tommy?
>
>Bob
Finding beauty in fallen trees
Woodworker gives downed trees a new life.
By Larry Fish
Inquirer Staff Writer
If a tree falls, Tom Pleatman would like to hear about it.
The Media resident honors trees felled by storms, disease, insects or
other natural means, and brings the beauty out of them by making
bowls, vases and other items from their wood.
Only doomed trees get the special treatment, Pleatman said. "I view my
bowls as a tribute to trees and not as a tribute to bringing down
trees," he said.
Pleatman, 57, has been woodworking in earnest for about four years. A
software developer by trade, today he modestly supplements his income
by selling his work in a few arboretum gift shops and at craft shows
and horticultural conferences.
Each bowl or other piece requires about a year to finish, mostly to
let the wood dry out slowly so it does not crack. Small pieces sell
for about $25; larger bowls go for about $200.
Red oak turns out a russet-colored bowl strongly marked by its
distinctive grain. Honey locust glows with a shimmering gold. Kentucky
coffee trees, redbuds, and yews have their own characteristic beauty.
Pleatman said that his father had a lathe, the power tool that spins
wood for shaping, all the time he was growing up, and that he made his
first bowl in high school shop class.
But it was not until a fall northeaster four years ago brought down a
cherry tree and then some black locust trees on the extensive property
he shares with his fiancée in Media that he got a lathe of his own.
Most of the bowls are cut from a lengthwise section of the tree,
rather than from across the diameter, because center wood tends to
split and crack.
When Pleatman looks at a downed tree, "I'm hoping to find wood that
typically is not from the main part of the tree. Something that might
expose something that is a little bit different," he said.
When he gets the chunk of wood home - his workshop is in the basement
- he puts it onto his heavy-duty lathe and turns it until he gets a
crude version, rough and blocky, of what he is trying to make.
Then the aging begins.
First the crude bowl is treated with a preservative chemical and
wrapped in a plastic bag to sit - with any others started at the same
time - in a bin for a month to begin the slow drying.
Then it is transferred to a paper bag for three months, for slightly
faster drying. Finally, it spends about nine months exposed to the
open air.
Only then does it return to the lathe for the final turning and for
sanding.
The finish is six coats of tung oil, derived from the seeds of a
subtropical tree, which gives the wood a lustrous sheen and brings out
the subtle colors.
The wood comes primarily from Pleatman's own lot or from some of the
many arboretums in the Philadelphia area, which inevitably lose a
prize specimen once in a while.
"I went to the arboretums and basically made them a deal," he said.
"You give me wood, and I'll give you a bowl."
His work is scheduled to show up soon at Morris Arboretum in northwest
Philadelphia under such an arrangement.
That has usually gotten him enough raw material: Incessant storms have
made this a banner year for fallen trees.
Pleatman said he had never tried to get wood from fallen trees on
private property, although he says he might seek permission if the
tree was a wood he really wanted.
But he won't go cruising around after windstorms hoping to get lucky.
"I wouldn't be like an ambulance chaser," Pleatman said, especially
because a downed tree likely means the homeowner has other problems,
such as power failures or property damage.
But there are four types of wood he really wants, wood he so far he
has been unable to get through his regular sources. The basic deal is
that the donor of the wood will get a free bowl from it.
The four are sweet gum, catalpa, black willow and Osage orange. Any
tips would be welcome at [email protected].
Regards,
Tom.
Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1