Dennis and two fellow woodturners cut down an ailing honey locust tree in Skyway during a warm spell in October. This little forest was made from the branch wood.
Branches are always challenging for the woodturner. They move and sway in the wind, so there may be unusual stresses in the wood. They are often nearly horizontal, which means that the lower side is more dense than the upper side, creating ‘reaction wood’ on the dense side. It can sometimes split when the weight of the branch is changed.
These trees are relatively easy for an experienced turner to produce. Some flaws add a record of the tree’s life to the project. Others may split wide open on the lathe, or even later as the wood continues to dry out.
Dennis made four different sets of the trees, with crushed stone added on the edges, and a lovely platter to organize the trees as a centerpiece or mantel decoration. The set pictured here includes crushed malachite.