My new stump...

[rmwarren]

I've been wanting a place to chop/beat/bang/whack and just generally pound on stuff harder than is advisable on any of my benches/carts/etc. Kept thinking "dang, I could really use a stump...".  A couple weekends ago I was actually lying abed Friday night trying to figure out how to locate, secure and transport a good stump. Saturday morning rolled around and SWMBO greets me with "Morning honey, they are finally cutting down (neighbor) Don's tree".  [eek]

I was torn, I really liked the tree (not sure what it was but reminded me of a cottonwood from out west, deciduous softwood I think, used to rustle like one when the wind blew. Anyway I hustled over and $20 later I had my stump, which the guys were kind enough to trim nicely for me, sitting in the driveway. The boss took one look at it and thought it would look pretty with a plant sitting on it.  [doh]

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For reference - it is 20-some inches in diameter, perhaps 30" high, perfect whacking height for me. Darned near killed neighbor Dave helping me haul it around back, best guess is around 200#.

So, now I have a place to chop stuff, for the anvil when I want to whack stuff, etc. What I am puzzling over is how to secure something vise-like to it so that it is easily removable yet I can use it to bend/bang metal when the spirit moves me. I'm looking for some really clever farm-boy blacksmith kinda ideas.

Also wondering how to treat the top to minimize splitting and rot to whatever degree possible.

Any suggestions?

RMW 

PS - Don's house was torn down nearly 3 years to the day after Sandy flooded it. Of roughly 18-20 houses on our block we have (1) torn down, (2) vacant/abandoned, (1) raised/renovated but empty (elderly couple, he did not live to move back in), (1) vacant foreclosure and (4) raised/reoccupied. The rest of us were fortunate to sit high enough to avoid interior flooding. I haven't cataloged the other 4,800-ish dwellings on the island, but there is hardly a street without a house sitting up on cribs or otherwise under construction. Still amazes me how long it takes for a community to recover from something like that storm, & make me wonder what it's like in New Orleans or Joplin.

 

[jacko9]

I'm glad your house was spared from Sandy but the state of your neighborhood has to be a sad sight from what it was just a few years ago.

One of the TV wood guys has a bench hook that he uses to hold down stuff and just sacks the back end to loosen it up.  This one from Lee Valley is not it but a simpler version of this one.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=70930&cat=1,43838,43845&ap=1

or something like this from Lie-Nielsen;

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/lie-nielsen-ductile-iron-holdfast.aspx

Jack

 

[mouppe]

I have a similar stump which I use to split firewood, and it's been sitting outside for nigh on two years now. There's very little cracking as far as I can see. Because it's exposed to the rain and snow, that tends to keep it crack-free I think.

30" is a little high to split wood on as you want the axe to be more or less horizontal when it contacts the round (which are usually about 16"), but for roughing out a spoon or other stuff it sounds ideal. You can cut a notch in the side that may allow you to screw in a vise or something similar.

I've also found that the stump is much much lighter than it was when first cut down, presumably as it dries out. To prevent rot, just make sure it isn't sitting in a puddle. I also move mine from time to time.

 

[Billy stray]

I like the idea of having something like that around but I too would just leave it outside to weather naturally. ..

 

[Sparktrician]

What about using it as a functional test of the outdoor SurFix kit? 

 

[RussellS]

You paid $20 for a stump?  I guess things work very differently in parts of this country.

 

[chris s]

Living in New Jersey also. He paid 2.00 for the stump and 18.00 in taxes and and state and local fees.

 

[rmwarren]

Living in New Jersey also. He paid 2.00 for the stump and 18.00 in taxes and and state and local fees.

Actually it was a Stump-Owners license fee, complete with background check. Don't get me started... still have a hard time believing I ended up in Jurzy.

In truth the $20 was in appreciation for the 2 dudes felling the tree, lunch money in thanks for their courtesy in cutting it nicely and placing it in the driveway.

Can't believe Wayne [member=550]Tinker[/member] has not chimed in yet.

RMW

 

[Tinker]

Living in New Jersey also. He paid 2.00 for the stump and 18.00 in taxes and and state and local fees.

Actually it was a Stump-Owners license fee, complete with background check. Don't get me started... still have a hard time believing I ended up in Jurzy.

In truth the $20 was in appreciation for the 2 dudes felling the tree, lunch money in thanks for their courtesy in cutting it nicely and placing it in the driveway.

Can't believe Wayne [member=550]Tinker[/member] has not chimed in yet.

RMW

[member=8712]Richard/RMW[/member], The only reason I had "not chimed in yet" is that I had not come across the thread.  I did, as soon as alerted, go back and read your OP. but, it is past my bedtime so have not looked over the rest of the conversation.  That will have to wait until around 3am when i am ready to start crowing again.

For now, if you really want to keep that stump for whacking, thumping or whatever, or if THE BOSS takes over and you lose it to a potted plant, get some loggers wax into the ends (both ends) or a good soaking with any kind of oil to keep it from soaking up water. Or, plant another tree so in another 39 years or so, you can get another stump.  [poke] [poke] Also, keep a good supply of bungees around to tie it down when the next Nor'easter starts kicking up waves. [unsure]
Til later
Tinker

 

[bkharman]

The Lorax does not approve of this thread.

I am just glad the title was about a real stump and not a reason to run out and get a Sawstop.

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[Tinker]

I have a similar stump which I use to split firewood, and it's been sitting outside for nigh on two years now. There's very little cracking as far as I can see. Because it's exposed to the rain and snow, that tends to keep it crack-free I think.

When we first moved to Ridgefield (closing on house one day/married and moved in the next day) there was a heatilator fireplace. I had always recommended against such fireplaces as they could eventually become dangerous.  After a few years, i decided the fireplace had to go.  Poor design and even poorer craftsmanship and the heatilator really did not do the job it was supposedly designed for.  I tore the whole the whole thing down all the way to the house footing and rebuild to my own design. (During tear down, i discovered the insulation around the smoke chamber had disintegrated and the framing header above the opening was burned about half way thru.)  Two years later, I added a wood stove and for 21 years we heated the entire house with a wood stove.  I went thru many chopping blocks in that time until one day I came home to a heating crew working on a new furnace. My wife had decided pioneer living had gone on long Enuf.

30" is a little high to split wood on as you want the axe to be more or less horizontal when it contacts the round (which are usually about 16"), but for roughing out a spoon or other stuff it sounds ideal. You can cut a notch in the side that may allow you to screw in a vise or something similar.

For me, about 6" to 12" high.  I would watch for any Elm takedowns or hard wood with a large limb so there would be conflicting grain.

I've also found that the stump is much much lighter than it was when first cut down,
presumably as it dries out. (It is probably starting to deteriorate already) To prevent rot, just make sure it isn't sitting in a puddle. I also move mine from time to time.

A stump in a puddle and used as a chopping block  [scared]
Tinker

 

[rmwarren]

Well, it finally happened, I consulted the Oracle (google) and it has failed me.

Wayne [member=550]Tinker[/member] - what the heck is "logger's wax"?

RMW

 

[rvieceli]

Here you go Richard:

https://www.uccoatings.com/files/Attachments/Product%20Documents/ANCHORSEAL%20Literature.pdf

this is a commercial product, there are also some home brews with paraffin.

Ron

 

[RussellS]

In truth the $20 was in appreciation for the 2 dudes felling the tree, lunch money in thanks for their courtesy in cutting it nicely and placing it in the driveway.

OK.  That makes a little more sense.  I tend to forget those ancillary costs and don't include them in the cost of an item.  But they are real, out of pocket costs and need to be remembered.

 

[Tinker]

Well, it finally happened, I consulted the Oracle (google) and it has failed me.

Wayne [member=550]Tinker[/member] - what the heck is "logger's wax"?

RMW

What rvieceli found

 

[rmwarren]

Wayne/Ron - thanks. Ordered and on it's way.

RMW

 

[Tinker]

Wayne/Ron - thanks. Ordered and on it's way.

RMW

[member=8712]Richard/RMW[/member]: Use it both top and bottom. 
I am sure, from earlier threads about you shop construction, that your Stump will be on your wooden deck, or inside of your shop, also with wood floor.  If this is true, the "wax" will probably be sufficient to preserve against cracking, or spalting for years to come. 

Beware of storage on concrete floor, no matter how dry it might seem. Here are a couple of pieces of Walnut i cut from my daughter's back yard over 10 years ago.  I set them (in log form) to dry in my garage for a few years.  I had layed then on their sides and on a couple of 4x4 cedar posts, also on their sides and left way back in a corner.  During the course of time, my helper, who was more of a neat freak than his boss, decided to reorganize my work/storage space uon several occasions.  Unbeknownst to me, the two logs got pushed svn further into the back "storage" area and stood on end to take up less space.  The cedar post "rails" ended up being used for machinery supports.  I keep a lot of short 3 and 4 foot 4x4 pieces of cedar and treated yellow pine for just such use, so the new use for those two were not noticed.  The Walnut logs were located to a corner and totally hidden by landscaping tools.

When my helper went back to Brazil, i began to look around for my two logs and finally found them standing in the corner.  They were standing on end and directly on the concrete floor.  I took them into my shop and started squaring them with my bandsaw.  I was expecting some deterioration, having learned of moisture wicking thru a concrete floor many moons before the first time i left a few bags of cement high and dry on concrete.  the results then were not good.

Here are four of the results from one of the logs (I had shown these on another thread earlier with less explanation)
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The spalting pattern is interesting and I want to use the pieces to make some sort of a small box or jewelry cabinet for my daughter.  The pattern is sort of flame like and i want to make full use.  This result will turn out to have been a desirable result of the wicking effect of concrete.  Other results wood not always be so great.  Especially, you don't want to destroy your $20 stump.  Glad you are going the "wax" route.  I don't know if what you are getting will be in paste or liquid form.  For best results, use a little heat to boost the absorption a little.  Caution: Don't use flame.  A hair dryer wood do just fine
Tinker

 

[rmwarren]

Yep, I am familiar with the wicking problem of wood on concrete, in your case the spalting looks pretty cool though.

The plan is to leave the stump on the "deck", if I have to replace a few boards sometime in the future that is okay. The deck/boardwalk just sits on concrete pads resting on the stone in the yard. The Boss removed ever blade of grass during construction, had a good fabric laid down and covered it with washed river stone. I have owned my last lawnmower/weed whacker/leaf rake.

I received the gallon of Anchorseal and painted the bottom yesterday, as beautiful a fall day as you can ask for so we grilled some dinner as well.

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After flipping it over I was tempted to make this the top, it just has a cool look. Darned near popped a button on my girdle getting it turned back over.

RMW

 

[rmwarren]

Hard to believe it's been 5 years. The stump spent very little time being whacked on with cutting tools and mostly holds my beer while grilling, but the elements were getting the worst of it. Time to dump it or???

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Lost the bark years ago. Hacked out the top rot, torched/wire brushed/torched again & hit it with BLO. My concrete work needs, well... some work, I guess. 

Should get another 5 years out of it anyway.

RMW

 

[rvieceli]

Looks good  Just remember to reach a bit higher so you don’t knock your beer over.  [tongue] [tongue]

Ron