A log can help build a house, keep fires burning, and as of lately, has become a favorite amongst DIY enthusiasts.
People have been creating all kinds of imaginative items out of logs like patio furniture, flowerbeds, and lamps. One ambitious family even floored their entire home with discs made from logs.
All of these log DIY projects come in all shapes and sizes, but the one thing they all have in common is that the end results are always gorgeous, proving that logs are a solid piece of wood worthy of wonderment and beauty.
Yet, I have never seen anything quite like what Instructables user, seamster, made out of a log. It is really cool and is an object that is highly coveted by most people. In fact, you can find this item on eBay selling anywhere from $8 to $5,000 — and to think, he made it out of a throwaway wood stump. I’m seriously in awe…
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First he started with a decent log from a 25-year-old cherry tree.
“When the log was cut several years ago, the ends were properly sealed so it dried without any severe checking,” he said. Next he eyeballed some proportions, and cut a 12-inch section out of the log on a band saw.
Once he the log was a 12-inch cylinder, he split it in two.
Then he broke down the log, getting the smoother wood from within the log’s core.
He then cut all different components he needed.
Once all the different pieces were cut, he glued them all back together “matching up the grain and checks.” He then duct taped everything tightly and clamped the two side-pieces together. “Then clamps were used to glue the top and bottom discs in place.”
He then smoothed out the edges, making a slick base shape.
Next he began carving some details.
Then he began to carve some more distinctive details.
Once all the detailing was complete, he took out the wood in the center and hollowed out the piece.
The jar was stained with golden oak colored oil-based stain. The jar was then coated with about a dozen coats of semi gloss spray lacquer, both inside and out.
To lighten up the letters “ever-so-slightly color-wise,” he said. “I sanded them gently with 220 grit sandpaper. I then rubbed them with my hands until they absorbed a bit of my natural oil, and I called it good. That's it.”
It’s hard to believe this elegant Mason jar came from that log!
“I especially like the unique characteristics of the wood on display, such as the multi-toned grain, the angled checks, and that dark swath of bark. Those are the actual highlights of the piece to me.”
The 12-inch-tall wooden Mason jar was a gift for to his wife. “She hates mass-produced, made-overseas home decor stuff, so our house is decorated with all sorts of homemade items like this.”
“It could be used as a vase, but it will very likely end up on display in a corner somewhere filled with wheat stalks, reeds, knobbly sticks, or some other earthy things she finds out on a trail somewhere.”
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