Revenge of the shop

[John Trax]

I have heard that the best revenge is to live well. If so, my shop got a little back today.

In December of 2006 a 36" douglas fir came apart in a wind storm. Half landed on the front of my house and the other half came rest standing at a 45 degree angle inside my shop. It blocked the door from inside so that we could not even get into the shop to cover up the tools for several days.

I kept several large blocks around after the clean up and re-build not really knowing what to do with them. This was before I had ever turned anything. Cleaning up the wood shed last week I suddenly realized I had saved turning blanks without even knowing it.

The bowl is rustic and not the best I've done but it has great sentimental value. I did not want something fancy, doug fir isn't really, it's strong steady and utilitarian so the bowl reflects the life and times of the tree.

There are a number of rotten spots in this piece that I just could not turn out, but I think they just help to tell the story of a tree that lived as best it could and died only when it had to. The bowl is 3.5" high and about 9" across. It has three coats of deft on it but has not been buffed out yet.

[Mark Hix]

I like it. There is nothing better than a story to go with the project.

[Donny Lawson]

Love the growth rings.I hate it for your shop though.
Donny

[Justin Stephen]

Nice bowl and an appropriate final chapter for that tree.

I love me a metal roof. They are tough...but not that tough. :)

[John Keeton]

John, nice work on the bowl, and a neat story with pics and everything!!

Those sure are some tight growth rings - old tree!

[David Christopher]

John, that is one of the best stories that goes with a project that Ive heard

that is a beautiful bowl

[charlie knighton]

very nice bowl, i'm glad no one was hurt

[Matt Ranum]

Nice bowl but I cringe when I look at the shop though. Yikes! At least no one was hurt, I hope anyway, it could have been real bad if someone was working in there when it happened.

[Robert McGowen]

Very good story to go with the bowl and that is a very appropriate bowl name also.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great story and great bowl.

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - thanks for sharing the story with us - really makes the bowl special! Love the tight grain and color! Will make for quite the keepsake!

[Tom Giacomo]

There is nothing like a bowl that comes with a story. I think you'll keep that one.

[Charles Bouchelle]

nice bowl,great story!!!

[Alan Zenreich]

Please keep the bowl inside the house. If the other trees see it, they might be inspired to do copycat lumbercide in hopes of being turned into a bowl.

[Joe Little]

That's quite a tree and a great story. I bet that's an expensive bowl!

[steven carter]

John,

Based on your location, it looks like you zigged when you should have zagged:eek:.

Seriously, really nice bowl, I love all those growth rings, glad you recovered the shop and I hope it never happens again!

Steve

[Gary Chester]

WOW!!!

I like turnings with a tale as well, hope you never have to tell that one again!

Nice grain on a nice bowl...

[Hilel Salomon]

Boy what a way to get wood blanks into your shop!!! Nice work.
Hilel

[David E Keller]

Great looking piece. Great ring pattern in that wood.

[James Roberts]

Wonderful story and a very nice bowl. Glad to know no one was hurt and things are getting back to normal for you.

[Ray Bell]

Great syory, and bowl. I bet you are very glad you weren't working in the sop when this came down.

[John Trax]

Thanks everyone! I think I can improve on the bowl, I'll try on the next one. I'm hoping the other blocks do not have the rotten spots in them. I had to leave this bowl thicker than I wanted because I was afraid it was going to come apart at the bad areas.

Fortunately my wife and I were out to dinner when the storm came through. We could not get back to the house because of downed trees and power lines. Over 30 trees down on our road alone. We ended up in a hotel with no power for the night (they gave us a discount;)). Had to hike in the last half mile the next morning. First thing we saw was a huge pile of doug fir branches covering the driveway and parts of the house. Still did not realize we had been hit. Then we saw the damage to the roof and front. Only later did we notice the shop. What you saw in the pictures is actually the middle third of the tree. It broke off about 40 feet up, top third hit the front of the house, middle third hit the back of the house and ended in the shop. Bottom third remained on the stump. We had no power on our road for 6 days till they could get things cleared enough for the power company to get in.

The house is post & beam construction, the ridge that was hit is a 4" x 16" glue-lam beam. The tree broke it and drove it down about 2' but it held the tree. The crew that did the repair said if it had been a conventional stick built house the tree would have sliced it in half all the way to the floor. Worst thing for my wife was that the furnace was running when it hit. The drywall in the room just under the hit was literally blown off the walls with a corresponding dust cloud. Which got sucked into the return air vent and redistributed throughout the house. What a mess!