Carving Alder, possible aquisition

[Retired Member southey]

(((( Please read second post for correction the tree is infact a Lime ))))))

There is a large Alder in the garden that will be having a major trim in the next week or so by so tree surgon chaps, I will be badgering them for some, and was wondering if any can suggest something to carve that is especially good when made from Alder, the branchs that will be comming down are from 1 to 1 1\2 foot in diameter,

 

[Retired Member southey]

AHAHAHAAAAA ALL LAUGH AT ME! I have made a silly mistake, it is a Lime, same question though,

Southey,

 

[badgeringtim]

Wow ive always heard lime is fantastic to carve, not had the chance to play with any!!

Shame you are not closer or i would be there asking for some meself!
I would be looking at bowls, kuksa's and keeping al least a few logs around the back of the shed for projects that occur to you later! they wont dry off too much over the winter.

I would also try some chip carving and cut some blocks for knife/tool handles.
Make a large Maul (nothing to do with it being lime just cos i need one), lime is supposed to make a good hearth board for fire bows too
In fact im not sure they would be taking any of it were in my garden!

If you actually do carve then a green man would be cool, if there are any branches that have a kink or join another to make a joint then i would be looking at a large ladle/flour spoon.

hope that helps!

 

[FGYT]

bring some round here ive got a lot of carving tools need testing

 

[Retired Member southey]

bring some round here ive got a lot of carving tools need testing

Hahahe good effort, you might be on though, there is a lot to come down, I will get as much as they will let me have,

 

[Retired Member southey]

HOLY SMOKES! the tree choppy chaps are here today, I have a lot of lime, there good chaps too chopping it into reasonable lengths for me and stripping off the smaller branches, it is an impressive pile concidering they are only trimming it back, ill have to start a propper wood pile with a shelter an everything,

 

[ex-member Raikey]

a foot thick?

if you got some long pieces try a totem style piece with a small hand axe,..

i got a birch the same size,..its nearly two years mature on the rak in my garage,..

my old man has it pencilled in for bowls, but if he makes one more bowl i swear i,m gonna, *insert comment about causing pain with a bowl here*

i told the kids we were having a totem pole for them to paint up and this is what we shall have,...

Me dad will have to eat his rice crispies out of summat else....

 

[tombear]

Traditionally lime was used for making shields and is excellent for splitting into boards should you want to make any boxes. I think they also used thin boards of it to paint religous images on.

It's great for carving and was used extensively in medeival times, google "Tilman Riemenschneider" and be gobsmacked by what was done with it.

They use it for bits of musical instruments as well but thats not something I can comment on.

Best of luck, I'm most jelous as all I got when they had to take down some wood out back was thin silver birch and some scrawney sycamore.

ATB

Tom

 

[fishfish]

its good for pyrography and carving fishing lures too!

 

[dwardo]

Remember to keep the lime bark for cordage Its very strong stuff.

If i remember correctly the name "lime" is a stray from the word "line" and the bark was used for cordage for shipping etc.

Very soft stuff to carve too.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I am having a crisis of confidence, Ill get some pics up but I have a sneeking suspition that I have been wrong again,

 

[ex-member Raikey]

lol,...

are you sure its actually part of a tree??

 

[Retired Member southey]

Ha ha Yup it is definatly wood! but what would, leaves are roundish,small toothed, come to a wide but abrupt point, veins prominent, opposing, twigs are segmented and very flexible, the bark of the main trunk is deeply fissured, its overall shape is very full\tall but it looks to have been heavily trimmed through its life so its growth could have been directed, the bark is tough to cut through with a thick pithy layer underneath that is initially whitish the reddens after exposure then goes brown after a while, the branches I have all have a ruddy color in the core, I think it is la common lime but like i say I'm not sure, the wood is hard i can only just make an impression with my nail on a freshly exposed bit,