From Tree to Table

Making lemonade out of lemons? The ultimate in recycling? When a huge cedar tree in our yard had to be taken down, I asked to keep the largest part of the trunk and the arborists kindly agreed to cut it in sections for me. My brother-in-law had recently inspired me by making stools out of logs, and I thought this beautiful cedar had such potential!

With all of its gorgeous coloring, scalloped edges, and cracks and crevices, I decided one of the bottom pieces would be a beautiful base for a glass table top.

Such potential!

I cleaned off the stump as much as I could and let the stump dry out in our garage. Then the hard work began. Using a hammer and chisel, I painstakingly chipped away the bark to reveal the wood underneath. It was A LOT of work - but so worth it. I also chiseled away the dead and rotting parts of the interior of the stump. Then I sanded. And sanded. And sanded some more, smoothing out the sides, top, bottom, and inside the nooks and crannies.

Finally it was time to seal it. Lots of coats of polyurethane with plenty of drying time in between. At long last it was finished and ready for its glass top. What do you think?

It definitely was a lot of work, but I love the way it came out!