In her front yard stood the cherished neighborhood tree. A huge Monterrey Pine with the sturdy branches where all of the children would climb, the shady spot where imaginations ran wild creating stories with toys, and everyone around could hear the laughter and conversations of those gathered under it. Every holiday it was decorated to full glory with help from all of the neighbors. It was the gathering point of the neighborhood that drew old and new, children and adults, couples and singles together. The tree was dying...
Her request was for Don to take a look at her tree and help her determine a way to preserve it...in some shape or function. She had spent thousands of dollars trying to revive it but to no avail.
A visit to the site, a few ideas tossed about, and the result was a plan of action.
The crew of five arrived to start salvaging the tree early on that July morning. With Don in the tree removing limbs and Zak on the ground keeping the team running, the tree started shedding its branches. A trained tree surgeon, Don carefully removed the outer limbs leaving the solid core.
Large 8’ sections were cut and loaded onto Daisy (our company mascot) to be hauled back to the Old Fashioned Lumberyard.
Using the Alaskan chainsaw mill, Don and Zak milled the sections into 3” slabs. Useable pieces that would soon become the sketched idea. Months of kiln drying would bring the slabs to the desired point in order to start constructing the final masterpiece.
As slabs were dried in the kiln, Zak went to work creating the design and layout for a table. An industrial engineer, his training in traditional furniture making allowed him to mix the old with the new.
Both Don and Zak had collaborated with the owner to sketch the desired piece of furniture. Client had a piece of square glass that she wanted to incorporate into design.
We traced some lines and created digital file to use waterjet machine to cut the shape we need:
made sure glass fits snug:
after applying oil, the wood grain became so much reacher and complemented blue tinted glass so well.
We also added clips on the ends, to be able to take table apart and transform into a one long table with lazy susan in the middle. Work in progress...
The legacy of the Monterrey Pine will continue in its original location...this time as the neighborhood gathering table. A community dining table that will bring those who used to gather under its branches to sit at it and celebrate Thanksgiving.
In similar fashion to Shel Silverstein’s “Giving Tree,” this Monterrey Pine provided the gathering spot for neighbors to become friends, children to grow and now for all to gather to continue sharing life’s stories.
From the other live edge slabs that we had sourced from the same tree we crafted, live edge benches, live edge coffee table and live edge chandelier light.
Let Old Fashioned Lumber help you create legacy pieces that can be treasured for generations. The story of your tree doesn’t have to end when it reaches the end of its life. Our belief in the repurposing of our natural resources allows for our environment to heal and grow. A sustainable approach to a better future.
