![]() First, I try to decide what size buttons I want or need. Then, of course the hunt for the right branch gets underway. ![]() Maybe I'll find the perfect branch in this stack of wood ...Yep, found it! The branch for these buttons was blown out of the tree by tropical storm Beryl, a recent visitor to our area. ![]() Using my band saw the branch is sliced into eight little pieces. Man-o-man, they look rough and that bark doesn't look very sturdy. Hmmm... ![]() The bark had to go and two of the slices did not pass my stress test. I tried to break each piece to make sure it was strong enough to be a button. These strong little guys will work :) (They feel a bit naked) ![]() The Dremel tool smoothed out the saw marks and the sander took care of the fine-tuning. It's tricky holding onto these little suckers while doing this. ![]() These buttons were so tiny, I used pliers to hold them in place while drilling two holes. I want to keep my fingers for another project. ![]() All surfaces were sanded several times until they were super-smooth. The edges were rounded a tad to soften them up. I included a pencil to help you see the size of these tinies. ![]() I applied wax and set them out to dry. Any extra wax will easily be buffed away. ![]() Finished branch buttons! These are the tiniest I've ever made, but little beauties. Complicated? You decide. Find more buttons at Hendywood on Etsy. Shop Hendywood for unique handmade jewelry.
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![]() I love to work with old, gnarly wood that I can reclaim or salvage. This piece was a pine plank taken from a very old house during a remodeling project. The wood was over 100 years old and, well, didn't look that pretty as you can see. ![]() Oh, but the ugly was only skin deep. The beauty within was amazing. ![]() After attaching the block of wood to my lathe and giving it a whirl (not to mention using a few cutting tools) an interesting little form began to emerge. The aroma of pine was strong and the sticky sap meant many stops to clean my tools. ![]() At the halfway point, the newly formed block was flipped over and reattached to the lathe. More ugly... ![]() A little more turning and cutting - it finally started to look like a bowl. ![]() Not only was the grain beautiful in this old wood, but look closely and you can see the nail holes. Sweet! ![]() Done. A beautiful little bowl from reclaimed antique pine wood that was once destined for the trash heap. One's trash, another's treasure. |
Karen HendersonWife, Mother, Grandmother, Teacher, Lover of Animals, Woodworker, Jewelry Designer, Owner of Hendywood. Archives
June 2016
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