I had my work cut out to complete 25 oak marker posts and 5 log benches for Barlow Common Nature Reserve (Selby) before the end of September ~ but I did it! Working from a list of wildlife/flowers supplied by the volunteers, I started carving the marker posts, methodically going through the sheet at a steady pace. I’d calculated a maximum of 2 days per post to enable me to keep within the time frame, and in the end I managed it with a week to spare.
The oak posts freshly milled and delivered ready to be carved.
With green oak it’s inevitable cracks will develop, but I kept it to a minimum by waxing the ends of the posts and working on the sides furthest away from the heart ~ the plan being that if any splits did occur they would naturally be worse on the side nearest the heartwood. Any small cracks that proved distracting were filled with slivers of oak and wedged and glued in.
A batch waiting to be oiled ~ all had three coats of Rustin’s Quick Drying Outdoor Danish Oil, which gives a great finish.
Once the posts were delivered, the volunteers at Barlow Common got to work digging and setting them in :
As usual, the delivery and positioning of the log benches was in the more-than capable hands of Pete Bowser (Pete Bowser Tree Services) ~ I’m indebted to Pete as I really couldn’t do these benches without him: he sources the timber, stores it and saws it, and then (once I’ve carved them in his barn) delivers them and places them in position. He’s also come up with a great method of providing a sturdy base for the benches, by using the cut-out section from the log to create solid, unmovable feet. Thanks Pete!
Even the drama of the fork-lift fan-belt coming off couldn’t stop him!
