Tru-Craft
Selecting Wood
For the most part log furniture is made with dry wood and standing dead is the most accessable. The drawknife is
the tool of choice for removing bark and it leaves behind a distinctive mark. Using long strokes is preferable but if you have a piece of
wood with lots of knots this can be quite taxing on the arms. If you choose to use green wood and let it dry before you build, then the
bark can sometimes be simply peeled off while still green. This is called "sap peeling" and generally works better in the springtime. This is an excellent
method and if you have access to a kiln the results are very desirable.
The cracks that appear in dry wood are natural and not really a problem if you position them corectly when building.
Kiln drying produces far less cracking than air drying but may be restrictive in price and availability. Wood will generally take about a year
to air dry and moisture content must be down to 16% or less before it becomes workable. When using standing dead the main problem encountered is
the fact that you don't know how long the tree has been dead, therefore you may encounter rot. This is really discouraging if you don't
discover it until after the holes are drilled and you are sanding, thus putting time and effert into firewood. Sawmills are another source of wood
but i've had the same problem with rot when getting wood from them.
Firekilled is a good alternative to all of the above for several reasons. First
of all, you are not killing a live tree to make your favorite piece of furniture. Secondly when the fire goes through the forest it will generally
burn the rotten trees to the ground but healthy trees will remain standing and dry nicely. The bark will eventually loosen and most will fall off,
the remaining bark can be removed with tools like putty knives. Another advantage is that with the branches burnt off it is much easier to select
the pieces that you like and there are are many more trees in a close area to select from.
Whichever method you decide on will be greatly influenced by your geography, you may not have access to firekilled or you may
not be allowed to cut green trees by law. Species selection will also be influenced by geography and it would be difficult to cover them all here.
We are fortunate here in my area, in that the pine grows tall and straight with little taper and there are just enough disformed trees to get those
special pieces. However you get your logs, the best part of building your furniture will most likely be in the logging process. It's great to get out
of doors and hunt for that special piece of wood.
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