Finding Trees

Over the years Brian...

... has located through various means fair and foul a lot of interesting timber. The Wood by Post newsletters tell many a tale of trees either spotted by Brian as he drives around or from his many contacts locally.

He gets around a pub or two (admittedly not as much as my late lamented old man who must have kept at least half a dozen hostelries in the Bourne Valley afloat) and has been responsible for finding most of the fantastic Walnut we have acquired in the last few years.

One last Spring...

... wasn't much of a challenge to him as it was felled opposite Mew & Son the great and sadly soon to be late Blacksmiths in St Mary Bourne (another story me thinks). Anyway, Brian helps out Len and his brother Rob most weekdays and when the tree fell down last February he arranged for us to have it once the ground had dried out enough, which turned out to be April.

So on a sunny April day Gordon having collected half a load of Oak from Christopher at Bramley Wood called by en route to the wood to pick it up for me.

Part of the deal...

... was to get rid of the stump. Brian is pictured in a borrowed Massey tractor as Gordon dumps the trunk on Brian's trailer with his ever impressive timber crane. The two lumps (technical term) we were having are still on the ground in the back ground.

I haven't said what type of tree it is because I don't know. Brian had a theory of what it is and he may be right but several knowledgeable people have seen it, in the round and now slabbed and there is a difference of opinion as Jimmy Tarbuck rather excitingly used to say in 'Winner Takes All '- if I was Brian I'd only gamble half his money.

So back to the woods it went and several months later it looked something like this:

It's not one of my...

... better pictures but I think you can see some rather interesting burr both inside and out. Bizarrely once you go in about 4 inches it's quite plain and Sycamore like but I don't think that is what it is.

A couple of customers have taken away some of the burrs to turn green but there is still another bit to be cut if you are interested.

John the Madge purely for the purposes of scientific research and not because he wanted a free bit of wood generously took and turned a rather good little bowl out of it:

I'm sure you'll agree...

... it looks interesting. I noticed John popped it quickly back in his Audi after showing me in case I reclaimed it. If you think you know what it is or you'd like to buy some, get in touch.

Brian was soon back on the prowl for timber. Not long after he found Irwin up a Wellontonia in Stoke one day and before you could say " Oh go on then let's have it " it was at Mark's sawmill, on his forklift (pictured), cut, brought back to the woods and stacked. We don't work at that speed very often!

The Wellontonia having had a year drying and being a softwood is just right to make some different coloured garden furniture or something of that order so come and get it- or have a look at what else we have acquired.

Regards,