Making Sidetables from Stumps
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 08.26.05
The next time you see a fallen tree in your neighbourhood, you might ask somebody to saw a stump or two off of it, so you can make a side table for yourself. We'll leave it up to you to decide where the fine line between "overly rustic" and "wabi-sabi" falls. The people at Natural Home and Gardens say you can usually just peel of the bark with your hands and use a wire brush to clean off the exposed surface. Then sand the heck out of it with rough-grit sandpaper. You can apply some linseed oil to finish it off. :: Natural Home and Gardens
I tried this with some Eucalyptus trees I cut down in my yard. This type of wood tends to crack and split so it is really not good for indoor use or any fine carpentry. But I made some great outdoor stuff like benches and stools!
My grandfather used to make amazing benches (stumps) out of a Maple tree he had to cut down in his yard. If you varnish or oil them and keep them inside they can last a long time- I think ours is over 30 years old.