NOT YOUR AVERAGE DRIFTWOOD

[Wild Will]

http://wildwill.smugmug.com/photos/244712397-L.jpg

The recent winter storms brought both 30 foot waves and lots of new driftwood.
This piece of douglas fir caught my eye, so I arranged to pull it up with the Point Arena boat lift and set it down on my trailer.

Now it sits on my land, where this summer I'll carve it into an intriguing bench.
I like sculptural things in my yard, which is rather large. This is my second large piece of driftwood. It's 20 feet long and weighs about 6,000 pounds. Doug fir is a beautiful light color when dry, and has a very nice grain. It's the hardest of the soft woods, and most structural timbers and 2X4's are milled from doug fir, at least out here in the west.

http://wildwill.smugmug.com/photos/242284354-L.jpg

Here's the piece when I first laid eyes on it, washed up on shore with tons of other debris that was hurled by the huge wave power. In '84, a storm destroyed the entire wooden wharf, and they built a new one out of concrete and piled huge boulders all around the shore line to stop most of the storm surges. All the fishing boats are pulled out with a big crane, the one I used to load my prize.

http://wildwill.smugmug.com/photos/242283422-L.jpg

This is some of the storm surge we endured for days. The power was out for 4 days, but the woodstove worked overtime, and never complained once.

http://wildwill.smugmug.com/photos/242284975-L.jpg

Here you see the behemoth being wrestled onto the flatbed. It cracked some of the fir floor boards. The tree must have been growing along a river bank, due to its twisted shape, and the shape is what intrigued me initially.

http://wildwill.smugmug.com/photos/242284260-L.jpg

Here's the large parking lot of the cove, covered with rocks and debris.

http://wildwill.smugmug.com/photos/242284164-L.jpg

[Tassie Devil]

Quite a prize indeed Wild Will.

Strange looking kelp you have over there on the beach?
Reminds me of King Island in Bass Strait.
http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/LVAE-4ZP99F?open

Your sea shots are beautiful. Let's see what the finished product looks like.

Thanks and cheers,

JQ.

[Sweet Lorraine]

Absolutely amazing! Just curious how long you think it will take to turn that bad boy into a piece of furniture? Looks like you would be giving up a lot of 2-wheel time there, WW. Nice find, though. You know you are going to have to send pics as you carve ol' Doug! All "construction" projects require pictures!!!

SW

[Wild Will]

Au contraire, Sweetness; in season I ride daily. It keeps the debbil away. There's a 50 mile loop I do that contains countless turns, litle traffic, and I'm not tired of the ride. Hey, I heard a song about you once upon a time; now I can't get it out of my head!

I'll work on it little by little, with a small chain saw and a grinder with a chain saw cutter head. The a disc sander with a coarse grit pad. I'm in no hurry.

The site on bull kelp harvesting is very interesting. Wish I'd visited that area when I was a young man; I might not have come back. Thanks JQ.

[Tipstall]

Wow, that parking lot is a mess. Living in the Midwest the power of the ocean amazes me.

Ken

[jamming]

Will, I'd like to see your place someday. You are truly a man of astonishing talent, and an artist to boot.

[Deans BMW]

WW's place is truly a wonder, to say nothing the surrounding countryside.

[Rchop]

I'll work on it little by little, with a small chain saw and a grinder with a chain saw cutter head. The a disc sander with a coarse grit pad. I'm in no hurry.


That piece of wood is quite impressive Will. What is your plan for it?

[Wild Will]

That piece of wood is quite impressive Will. What is your plan for it?

My first thought was to cut the big end flat, and stand it up, like my first one.
But as I looked at the log while sipping a local ale, I decided it would make an interesting, plain old bench. But, just to have an ocean-shaped huge chunk of wood to enjoy wouldn't be bad either. I may just clean it up and see what I might see. That's part of the fun.

If you take a log, it's just a log; but a log that's weathered strong Pacific storms is another piece altogether. I have loads of fine, small polished redwood pieces, but these large ones only come along a few times a decade. It will now require a crane to move it; lucky for me my neighbor operates a crane.

[Rchop]

My first thought was to cut the big end flat, and stand it up, like my first one.
But as I looked at the log while sipping a local ale, I decided it would make an interesting, plain old bench. But, just to have an ocean-shaped huge chunk of wood to enjoy wouldn't be bad either. I may just clean it up and see what I might see. That's part of the fun.

If you take a log, it's just a log; but a log that's weathered strong Pacific storms is another piece altogether. I have loads of fine, small polished redwood pieces, but these large ones only come along a few times a decade. It will now require a crane to move it; lucky for me my neighbor operates a crane.


Nice, I'm sure whatever you do will be good. It is a work of art just as it is, isn't it!

[DarthRider]

Cool old tree there Bro...!
I can't wait to see what you do with it...maybe a statue of a car dealer !? :028:

[Rchop]

How 'bout a carved Paul Bunyan like this one in Flagstaff:

http://www.frsengineering.com/AZFLA.jpg

Or not!:doubt:

[Wild Will]

Cool old tree there Bro...!
I can't wait to see what you do with it...maybe a statue of a car dealer !? :028:


Sorry Bro... insufficient girth.

[bmwdave52]

Awesome! Great color.
I love that part of Calif.
Please post pics of what you do with it.

[DarthRider]

Sorry Bro... insufficient girth.

Hee...hee..hee !

[Wild Will]

Awesome! Great color.
I love that part of Calif.
Please post pics of what you do with it.

Ride over and see it!

[fganger]

WW,

Take a look at this: http://firstcoastphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/3958862#P-2-20

Your tree could make a number of them, not that you could use the money.

Frank

[Wild Will]

You want a stinkin' table like that, Frank? Come out and get it. Gratis. You'll be like Andy Rooney...but younger and far sexier.

[Steve Carlton]

I'm impressed with your project and ambition, Will! Look forward to seeing pics of it as it progresses.

[fganger]

Wow! Now how do I talk the Pit Tootsie into letting me go? This is not a simple operation. A good "simple operation" was when I was ordered to take pictures and get samples of a Russian centrifugal operation, I had to determine if it was weapon grade uranium or not.

That was a lot easier than what you ask. I still have the belt buckle I smuggled out of the Soviet Union, the one which told the truth about the Soviet operation. But that was before the Pit Tootsie and her "discussions" regarding the abilities of the Soviets and her husband. Sad but true.:icon_redface:

My Bonnie, just in case you read this, please know that I love you more than anything.:remybussi: :pftroest:

Stinkin' Frank

[Wild Will]

Stinkin' I saw that very belt buckle. As far as getting out here, maybe when you're feeling better. It's a long haul, but if Dean and I can do it to the tune of 36,000 miles and I forget how many times, you and the beautiful Bonnie can too. I hope you're feeling better every day.

[bmwdave52]

It's a deal Will. I'll make a special trip just for that.

[DarthRider]

It's a deal Will. I'll make a special trip just for that.


That's cool...

[Wild Will]

I got the log off the trailer today with a backhoe. Here it sits in my yard, and I'll work on it there as time allows. I'm looking into some attachments that will work on a 9" grinder; ones that'll eat the wood away in a controlled manner. Life is interesting, no?

http://wildwill.smugmug.com/photos/246327163-L.jpg

[DarthRider]

Wiley Coyote - You need to come and help me landscape this place...you have a beautiful yard.