Project:Tree Trunk Tealights: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 18:43, 3 September 2023

ProjectInfoBox Tealight Holders out of Birch Logs

Status:	about 40 made, now documenting
Release Date:	spring 2018
Initiator:	Lukas
Team:	Gesa
Materials Used:	birch logs, coconut oil, steel tealight cups, tealights
Tools Used:	chop saw (and crosscut saw where too thick), drill press & Forstner bit, eccentric sander, sandpaper

documentation unfinished, please just ask if you have urgent questions ;-)

I made a bunch of tealight holders out of birch trunks as a wedding decoration and will now work on turning this project into a woodworking seminar for beginners.

Materials

Birch Logs

from Bauhaus, very wet!
- better cut & dry in advance next time??
- risk of mold forming at the cut faces...

Tealights

steel holders from <smile link>
"eco" tealights without aluminum cases <smile link>

Making

Need to test whether this can be sped up - drilling into the wet wood was very difficult! Lots of unforeseen mold problems..

cut with chop saw - log often too thick for the small Herkules saw...switch to bandsaw next time?
sand cut faces with eccentric sander
let dry - continue & seal ends immediately next time?
drill with 1-5/8" Forstner bit
let dry/seal again so the bottom of the hole is protected
insert steel holder before the log shrinks too much!

gallery
the store-bought logs were very wet and quickly became moldy...
cutting approx. 8-10 cm long pieces with the chop saw
the logs were often too thick for our (then) available power saws and needed to be finished off by hand with a crosscut saw
a lot of mold formed again within a week after cutting...
we then sanded off the mold and force-dried the cut faces with a heat gun
after superficial heating, we applied hard wax oil in an attempt to protect the wood
another week of drying on my workbench with better spacing
there was still some new mold after all this, but it was easily sanded off by hand
finally, the logs were ready for drilling with a large Forstner bit
more drilling...good to have a drill press available!
after shaping, the ends were finished with coconut oil
make sure to insert the steel cups soon afterwards, the wood (and the hole!) will shrink as it keeps drying

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-''documentation unfinished, ignore this page for now ;-) ''
+{{ProjectInfoBox
+|project title=Tealight Holders out of Birch Logs
+|image=birch tealights 10.JPG
+|status=about 40 made, now documenting
+|date=spring 2018
+|initiator={{£}}
+|team=Gesa
+|materials=birch logs, [[Coconut Oil|coconut oil]], steel tealight cups, [[tealights]]
+|tools=[[Chop Saw|chop saw]] (and [[Crosscut Saw|crosscut saw]] where too thick),<br>[[Drill Press|drill press]] & [[Forstner Bits|Forstner bit]], [[Eccentric Sander|eccentric sander]], [[sandpaper]]
+|cost=
+}}
+''documentation unfinished, please just ask if you have urgent questions ;-) ''
 I made a bunch of tealight holders out of birch trunks as a wedding decoration and will now work on turning this project into a woodworking [[seminar]] for beginners.
@@ Line 5: / Line 16: @@
 == Materials ==
 === Birch Logs ===
-* Bauhaus
+* from Bauhaus, very wet!
-* very wet!
+** better cut & dry in advance next time??
-** cut & dry in advance??
 ** risk of mold forming at the cut faces...
@@ Line 15: / Line 25: @@
 == Making ==
-Need to test whether this can be sped up - drilling into the wet wood was very difficult!
+Need to test whether this can be sped up - drilling into the wet wood was very difficult! '''Lots''' of unforeseen mold problems..
 * cut with [[Chop Saw|chop saw]] - log often too thick for the small Herkules saw...switch to [[bandsaw]] next time?
 * sand cut faces with [[Eccentric Sander|eccentric sander]]
 * let dry - continue & seal ends immediately next time?
-* drill with <specific> [[Forstner Bit|Forstner bit]]
+* drill with 1-5/8" [[Forstner Bit|Forstner bit]]
 * let dry/seal again so the bottom of the hole is protected
 * insert steel holder before the log shrinks too much!
-<!-- maybe:
+<gallery mode=packed-hover heights=150 caption="gallery">
-[[Category:Quick Projects]] -->
+File:birch tealights 01.JPG|the store-bought logs were very wet and quickly became moldy...
+File:birch tealights 02.JPG|cutting approx. 8-10 cm long pieces with the [[Chop Saw|chop saw]]
+File:birch tealights 03.JPG|the logs were often too thick for our (then) available power [[saws]] and needed to be finished off by hand with a [[Crosscut Saw|crosscut saw]]
+File:birch tealights 04.JPG|a lot of mold formed again within a week after cutting...
+File:birch tealights 05.JPG|we then [[Sanding|sanded]] off the mold and force-dried the cut faces with a [[Heat Gun|heat gun]]
+File:birch tealights 06.JPG|after superficial heating, we applied [[Hard Wax Oil|hard wax oil]] in an attempt to protect the wood
+File:birch tealights 07.JPG|another week of drying on my workbench with better spacing
+File:birch tealights 08.JPG|there was still some new mold after all this, but it was easily sanded off by hand
+File:birch tealights 09.JPG|finally, the logs were ready for drilling with a large [[Forstner Bit|Forstner bit]]
+File:birch tealights 10.JPG|more drilling...good to have a [[Drill Press|drill press]] available!
+File:birch tealights 11.JPG|after shaping, the ends were finished with [[Coconut Oil|coconut oil]]
+File:birch tealights 12.JPG|make sure to insert the steel cups soon afterwards, the wood (and the hole!) will shrink as it keeps drying
+</gallery>
+[[Category:Lighting]]
+[[Category:Quick Projects]]
 [[Category:Woodworking]]
+[[Category:Wedding]]