+The Weasel Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I recently obtained some logs from a relative who cut down a tree. I was thinking of making a cache out of some of them, but was wondering what was the best way to hollow them out. I was wanting to hollow it from the top or bottom. I have been using a 3/8 drill bit and a wood chisel, but this is a neverending task. I figured it was going to be hard drilling and chiseling with the grain, but this seems like it will take a year to complete. What I plan on doing is making the hole 4 inches in diameter, and 8 inches deep. I was wondering if anybody else has done this, and what they found was the easiest and quickest way to complete this. If you have done this and have some pics of the end product, I would love to seem. If you do not wish to post them on the board to give the cache away, feel free to email me at weaselts1@mchsi.com Thanks in advance!!! Quote Link to comment
+Planet Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 pour a little sugar water on it and find a bunch of carpenter ants. Actually, I have a friend who is a logger and he makes the most awesome christmas cards each year by carving huge logs into something cool, once it was a full set of drums and guitars, and he called it Woodstack, and even lit them on fire for the photo, once it was a rocket ship hanging by a cable which you couldn't see in the snow and he was seated on it, once it was a big race car out of huge logs and he even got a town cop to "pull him over", another time he made a big ol' ski and put it in a river and looked like he was water skiing. He does most of this carving with chain saws. Very carefully. Don't try this at home unless you are capable with a chain saw. I have some of his photos somewhere. When I get home I'll try to post one or two. Very cool stuff. Ants are the lazy way to go and will take a long time. Try asking your local lumber mill (if you have one) if they can hollow it out for you. Might cost something, but they might be able to give you an idea how to do it yourself. Look in the yellow pages under "sawmill". Cache you later, Planet I feel much more like I do now than when I first got here. Quote Link to comment
South_Cache Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 To chuck it up in a lathe and hollow it out. The hollow would be round of course but slow speed and carefull work would hollow it out nicely. Vini Vidi Velcro I came I saw I stuck around. Your results may vary. Capn Skully Quote Link to comment
South_Cache Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Capn_Skully:To chuck it up in a lathe and hollow it out. The hollow would be round of course but slow speed and carefull work would hollow it out nicely. _Vini Vidi Velcro I came I saw I stuck around. Your results may vary. Capn Skully_ I know everyone doesn't own a lathe. I don't either, I do have a shop and various tools and I could fashion a log turning lathe pretty easily. Another option would be a router or the roto-zip. Either tool would remove a bunch of wood really fast. * Vini Vidi Velcro I came I saw I stuck around. * Your results may vary. Capn Skully Quote Link to comment
+Squirrel Nut & Beersnob Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 While you should be fine in Iowa, Weasel, I just wanted to let people know (again.. but we might have some newbies now) that if you're along the Great Lakes, and especially if you're within about 100 miles of the Metro Detroit area, Please do not move ANY Ash Tree wood. The reason is that we are infected with the Emerald Ash Borer, introduced to the area by some pallattes shipped from overseas. There is little hope for treatment, so prevention is key. It's been said that this can be as bad as dutch elm disease, wiping out the entire ash population. I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is Quote Link to comment
+Newenglandah Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 What I did was Drill a few wholes with an oversized drill bit. Then I took a chain saw to the middle and took most of the middle out. Then I used chizles for the shaping.. See you in the woods! Natureboy1376 Quote Link to comment
Micqn Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Squirrel Nut:While you should be fine in Iowa, Weasel, I just wanted to let people know (again.. but we might have some newbies now) that if you're along the Great Lakes, and especially if you're within about 100 miles of the Metro Detroit area, _Please do not move ANY Ash Tree wood_. The reason is that we are infected with the http://www.msue.msu.edu/reg_se/roberts/ash/, introduced to the area by some pallattes shipped from overseas. There is little hope for treatment, so prevention is key. It's been said that this can be as bad as dutch elm disease, wiping out the entire ash population. I walk the Maze of Moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish... -Enya, Anywhere Is Darn things look like tapeworms! Happy. Hunting. Quote Link to comment
+The Weasel Posted February 20, 2003 Author Share Posted February 20, 2003 http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/pii/5/9/6/7/A37695_3.JPG Quote Link to comment
jackbear Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 A friend and I while working in the Catskills of New York wished to practice our primitive wilderness skills. We taught ourselves how to burn out bowls made from wood, a method used for thousands of years by the american indians, especially when constucting canoes. You start by making a good hot fire, then remove a large hot coal, and hold it down on the spot you want to burn using another stick, or something less flammable. Then blow...the coal will heat up, and begin slowly to burn the spot beneath it. When that coal is exhausted, replace with another and repeat. A chisel or sharp rock can help to hollow out the burnt material. Now I will admit, I never made anything larger than a cereal bowl, but the method is sound. Maybe for you on a larger scale. Hey, you asked... Grrrrrrrrr... jackbear Quote Link to comment
Aladin Sane Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I have used one in the past to hollow out birch logs to accept a candle holder in the end. When set upright on a table or mantle piece, they look very nice. To get the depth you need, you will have to cut several plugs out of the end of the log. You can get about 2 inches in depth with each cut. I then use a chisel to break the core out of the log. Aladin Sane Quote Link to comment
+parkrrrr Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Capn_Skully: quote:Originally posted by Capn_Skully:To chuck it up in a lathe and hollow it out. The hollow would be round of course but slow speed and carefull work would hollow it out nicely. I know everyone doesn't own a lathe. I don't either, I do have a shop and various tools and I could fashion a log turning lathe pretty easily. Not a flame, but just a reminder on the "slow speed" thing. If you put anything irregular onto a lathe, make sure you first rotate it by hand to make sure it clears the tool rest, then run it at the slowest speed your lathe can run at - while standing behind the headstock and out of the path of flying chunks - and check it for vibration. Stop the work frequently to make sure it isn't working loose from the headstock, and wear a face shield and a heavy apron at all times while the work is turning. One thing logs are good at is concealing rotten pockets of wood, and when one of those lets go it can let some pretty big chunks of wood fly in any direction they choose. quote:Another option would be a router or the roto-zip. Either tool would remove a bunch of wood really fast. However, you might have trouble getting a router bit long enough to bore an 8" deep hole. Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is a large Forstner bit, a floor-standing drill press, and a shank extender. Expensive, and endgrain work isn't what Forstner bits excel at, but it beats a spade bit hands down. Finally, a "maybe good enough" solution: bandsaw 4" off the end of the log twice. Bandsaw your hole into each 4" piece, a little oversize to make up for misalignment. Fill in the gap in the outer layer (you can't cut an inside hole with a bandsaw) with sawdust and glue, then glue the whole thing back together. If you used a thin enough bandsaw blade, nobody will ever notice the cuts. Obviously, this works best with wood with a rough bark; if you have cherry logs, use them for something more worthy of their beautiful grain and color. Creating a lid for your hollow log is left as an exercise for the reader. If you don't have the tools, your local parks department might have a workshop you can use for small projects; it can't hurt to ask. Quote Link to comment
South_Cache Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by The Weasel:http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/pii/5/9/6/7/A37695_3.JPG Actually that is a uni-bit to create holes in sheet metal. You need something like this and something to turn it: Rotary Rasp Vini Vidi Velcro I came I saw I stuck around. Your results may vary. Capn Skully Quote Link to comment
+worldtraveler Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 The item you linked is a unibit and is intended primarily for thin, soft metals. You'd be better off with a wood bit it you're going to drill. A drill press combined with a large diameter, long-shank wood bit will make the work go pretty fast. The lathe idea posted earlier won't work. Lathes are for removing exterior material, not interior. And if you want to try burning it, I recommend a torch rather than hot coals; you'll have better-controlled and more concentrated heat. Worldtraveler Quote Link to comment
South_Cache Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by The Weasel:http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/pii/5/9/6/7/A37695_3.JPG Actually that is a uni-bit to create holes in sheet metal. You need something like this and something to turn it: Rotary Rasps Vini Vidi Velcro I came I saw I stuck around. Your results may vary. Capn Skully Quote Link to comment
+parkrrrr Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by worldtraveler:The lathe idea posted earlier won't work. Lathes are for removing _exterior_ material, not internal. It could work. You just can't use a tailstock, so you'd better have a sturdy headstock and a really good chuck or faceplate, and you'll probably wish you had some good bowl-turning gouges before you've finished. A hole that deep isn't beginner work, to be sure, but it's far from the most difficult thing to do on a lathe. Quote Link to comment
South_Cache Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 quote:The lathe idea posted earlier won't work. Lathes are for removing _exterior_ material, not interior. Excuse me... A lathe with a face plate attachment can remove interior wood. I turned many bowls and cups in high school shop class. Vini Vidi Velcro I came I saw I stuck around. Your results may vary. Capn Skully Quote Link to comment
South_Cache Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 At Home Depot look under Power Tool Accessories / Grinders and Bits Vini Vidi Velcro I came I saw I stuck around. Your results may vary. Capn Skully Quote Link to comment
+Team Lightfoot Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 If you have access to a large bandsaw, Yyu could use the same technique used to make bandsaw boxes. The length to the log would be limited by the throat depth of the saw though. Quote Link to comment
Tickridge Photo Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I've done this very thing using spade bits. They are about 6" long and can get them 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. You can also get an extender that is 12" long. Just drill several holes on the outside edges, then drill at diagnal (SP). Chiseling out whats left. It is a job, but can be done. Tickridge Photography Where we "Line'em up and Shoot'em all" Quote Link to comment
+Logscaler and Red Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Forsner bit required. What ever diameter you need up to about 4 inch. Get a extender and away you go. logscaler. Quote Link to comment
Broncoholics Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I could probably shave with my skill saw. Hollowing out a log would not be a problem. All you have to do is shim the guard and use the blade very carefully. Duane Upinyachit Our feet go where the caches are! Quote Link to comment
Arkman18 Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 But if you carefully cut the log in half and then cut out a triangle shaped piece of wood form each half when you put them back together they would look like a square that might be easy Quote Link to comment
+The Weasel Posted February 23, 2003 Author Share Posted February 23, 2003 quote:Originally posted by logscaler:Forsner bit required. What ever diameter you need up to about 4 inch. Get a extender and away you go. logscaler. Thanks for the advice logscaler. I have gotton about 1/2 way done, but it looks great!!! Quote Link to comment
+Matt1344 Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 The guys who build timber frame houses use a tool called a chain mortiser to cut the joints on their beams. It's basically a chain saw mounted on a plunge device. Turns a two hour mortise job into an effortless 2 minute proposition. Maybe you could rent one of these bad boys or just go find a timber framer and ask him to do a couple of logs for you. Quote Link to comment
3fros Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Here's a picture that looks similar to the drill bit I used to use as a kid when helping my dad with plumbing. We had to drill holes in the floor beams for the pipes to go through. I recommend a good drill like maybe a 1/2" drive one. http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004SXSF.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg From here Amazon Quote Link to comment
+The Weasel Posted February 24, 2003 Author Share Posted February 24, 2003 quote:Originally posted by 3fros:Here's a picture that looks similar to the drill bit I used to use as a kid when helping my dad with plumbing. We had to drill holes in the floor beams for the pipes to go through. I recommend a good drill like maybe a 1/2" drive one. http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004SXSF.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg From here http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004SXSF/102-6371832-3691339?v=glance&s=hi&n=552392&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&vi=pictures&img=14#more-pictures Yup, this is what I used. Still takes a little while, but not nearly as long as a regular drill bit and a chisel!!! Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.