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View Full Version : I went to Hartford, and stuff



Fred Perreault
06-22-2010, 3:58 PM
My wife and I were going to go to the AAW event, so we took a few days and had a side trip. We visited the Mystic Seaport, on the Conn. shore. It was a great couple of days, and the shipyard is a treat all by itself. I am a big fan of maritime history. They have the 1841 whaler, Charles W. Morgan in dry dock for 3 years, to restore much of the lower half. They have monster live oak logs there, to cut the knees, planks and whatnot. Anyway, I was chatting it up with a worker, and he indicated that the shipyard had a "cull" pile, for cutoffs, crotches, etc. It is in the woods behind their major parking lot. Soooo, when we left the second day, to head to Hartford, I loaded several chunks of live oak into my SUV for the ride home.
At the AAW event, we spent a lot of time viewing the turning displays, and shopping for tool that I wanted, but probably didn't desperately need. I spent a while chatting with Vince, of Vince's WoodnWonders. He is a character, and a good man.
Below are pics of three items I turned from the live oak. It is green, and I was unfamiliar with it, so I spun some simple shapes to start with. They are mostly 8"-9" wide, by 3"-5" high. And one of them is cracking already. I turned it too thick.

John Hart
06-22-2010, 4:03 PM
Nice story Fred. It's cool to get the backstory on the piece you're presenting. Where do they get the Live Oak? I thought that was mostly a Texas tree.

Beautiful bowls by the way. Nice form and finish. Interesting color variations between the three...considering that they are all the same wood.

John Keeton
06-22-2010, 4:07 PM
Fred, sounds like you and wife had a great trip!! And, finding the stash of live oak is icing on the cake!! You sure have the knack for being in the right place at the right time for wood. I still remember the pics of your backyard!

Very nice bowls, with good form and beautiful color.

bob svoboda
06-22-2010, 4:13 PM
Good story, nice wood and nicely turned. John, there's a lot of live oak in Louisiana--very prominent tree on the old plantations. They can live for 500 or 600 years or more.

Steve Schlumpf
06-22-2010, 4:23 PM
Sounds like you had quite the trip! Beautiful bowls! Love the wood!

Faust M. Ruggiero
06-22-2010, 4:58 PM
You visited one of my two favorite New England sea side destinations. The other is Newport RI. We go there every couple of years to tour the mansions on the ocean bluff. They are quite a treat. It takes a special sort of personality to strike up a conversation with someone who invites you to some wood. That speaks well of you. Nice bowls, too.
fmr

charlie knighton
06-22-2010, 5:08 PM
i enjoyed your story, try putting any live oak that has not cracked in cardboard barrels or cardboard boxes for 5 to 8 months

David E Keller
06-22-2010, 5:24 PM
Nice looking wood and a nice back story to boot! Looking forward to seeing some more of that pretty wood.