Tree trunks are far too good to burn or throw away. They can be used to create a variety of objects that beautify the house and garden. Wood is an ideal natural material that is also suitable for everyday objects. With the right pre-treatment, tree stumps last longer.

A beautiful, natural flower box can be built from a tree trunk

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Furniture made from logs
  3. Tree trunk decoration
  4. DIY ideas
  5. machining methods
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Seating, lamps or beautiful flower boxes (€16.99) can be made from tree trunks.
    • Before processing, the log should dry for at least a year.
    • In order for the wood to last a long time, it should be sealed.
    • Mushroom cultivation on an old tree trunk is also conceivable.

    Build furniture from logs

    Tree trunks can be beautified with few resources and a little creativity. They are ideal for designing furniture and furnishings. Wood is robust and, with the right preparation, extremely durable. The annual rings, which are visible in the cross section, make each piece unique and give the apartment a rustic character. Therefore, images of tree slices can also be found on seat cushions or carpets.

    Make a tree trunk table yourself

    You can use slices of a tree trunk to build a spacious dining table, or you can use a tree stump as a side table. Stumps are easier to obtain as they are obtained during logging operations. Large tabletops are more difficult to organize. Since the demand is not so great here, you should look for suitable material in second-hand shops, at flea markets or on Ebay. It doesn't matter whether the table is to be round, oval or bulky - there are no limits to the imagination when it comes to implementation.

    These materials are suitable for wooden tables:

    • coffee table: Tree disc makes an attractive coffee table, protected by glass top
    • bedside table: simple tree stump with a flat surface
    • dining room table: elongated solid wood panel with sealing

    Beautiful furniture can be made from tree trunks

    Creative lamps

    Tree trunks can be used to design floor lamps, lanterns or individual lighting for indoor and outdoor use. Any type of wood is suitable for this. However, softwood is easier to work with than hardwood. You can use trunks with cracks and fissures as building material, because these later serve as light slits.

    How the lamp is made:

    1. draw a square on the bottom surface
    2. Pierce diagonally along the marking with a sharp edge
    3. Saw out lines with a jigsaw (€36.18) to create a pyramid-shaped indentation
    4. Saw lighting slots around the trunk
    5. Install light element in recess

    Original seating

    Tree stumps are ideal for designing a seating area. They can be converted into chairs in their natural state. If you have various sawing tools available, you can make a rustic and massive garden bench from a tree trunk. A seat is cut into the trunk for the wooden bench. Alternatively, you can build the bench from two wooden panels and attach them to smaller stumps. Such a bench creates a primeval atmosphere in the garden.

    "Glow in the Dark" stool:

    • Saw stumps 45 centimeters high
    • Thoroughly sand down the seat
    • Coat the top with glow-in-the-dark paint
    • set accents with luminous pigments so that dark colors shine brighter at night

    Convenient facility

    A real tree trunk as a wardrobe or clothes rack sets accents in every apartment. The natural material is not only suitable for coat racks, but also as a wine rack and place to store books. With a little manual skill, you can build a bed or washbasin with few resources. Be inspired by these ideas.

    wood type object implementation
    wardrobe birch, spruce tree trunk with branches debarked trunk is placed upright
    shelf softwood knotless trunk, not too thick Debark the trunk, screw on boards at the sides
    wine bottle holder pine, spruce thick stump Drill holes with a hole saw, mount on base
    bed oak, beech solid wood beams Dowel beams to form a frame
    sink Oak two wooden boards Drill recesses for the sink, screw to the side panel and use plexiglass as the front panel

    Ideas for the garden

    Handcrafted wooden fountains adorn the landscape in the Baden-Baden city forest. They consist of a massive tree trunk, into which a recess has been worked. For your own garden fountain you need a tree trunk with a diameter of at least 50 centimeters. Softwoods are unsuitable for this construction project, as cracks quickly form here. Oak and ash are more suitable. You can also hollow out the tree trunk from above and convert it into a rain barrel (€53.99). You can easily form a sandpit from long and thin tree trunks, which only needs to be screwed together.

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    Tree trunk decoration

    The ideas for decorating tree trunks are almost endless. Only your furnishing style influences the implementation. A tree trunk exudes a rustic and primitive character. It offers the perfect contrast to clearly defined lines in modern interiors. So that the object does not appear overloaded, you should use additional decorative elements sparingly. In the garden, on the other hand, playful elements are allowed, because they stand out particularly in the green oasis.

    How to decorate a cut tree trunk?

    Decorating a sawed-off tree trunk is child's play, because there are no limits to your imagination. You can remove the bark with a chisel and use the tree trunk as a decorative pillar. You can paint the tree trunk together with the children or design it creatively using templates. You can buy decorations or collect and use materials from nature. Tree trunks can be embellished with fabrics and colors.

    Make decoration yourself:

    • Glue napkins to the logs with glue
    • Transfer photos with transfer agent
    • Make natural paint from pureed berries, plants or sand and white acrylic paint

    What can you do with a cut tree trunk?

    If stumps occur during the next tree felling work, you can process them perfectly. There are numerous templates that you can use to process the sawn-off pieces of wood. You do not have to do any special pre-treatment for objects that are used by animals or that are intended to decorate garden pavilions and balconies. Natural wood is allowed to develop itself, which makes it more and more beautiful.

    Designing an old tree trunk:

    • sculptures: work out with chisels and saws
    • scratch tree: natural cat playground
    • plant pot: Plant deadwood stumps with woodpecker holes
    • lantern: Outdoor candlesticks

    DIY ideas for the garden and home

    Become a craftsman yourself and design your own individual commodities and decorative objects for the house and garden. A chainsaw makes your work easier. But think about a safe and stable attachment of the materials, because this work can lead to setbacks. A little practice in handling chainsaws is therefore of great importance.

    Tree trunk with lantern

    You need a log with a diameter of 30 to 40 centimeters and a height of 35 to 40 centimeters. Roughly hollow out the tree stump with a chainsaw. To do this, pierce the wood about 30 centimeters deep on the left and right and then rotate the stump by 90 degrees. Saw right and left into the wood again and repeat from the other side until you can push a square block of wood out of the stump.

    Carefully remove the wood on all four inner sides to create an even and round wall. Saw light slits in the front of the stump. You can make the indentations abstract or create a silhouette. Place the lantern on a tree disc and place a tea light inside.

    cutting board

    Durable cutting boards are made from the so-called end-grain wood of the tree trunks. These have the great advantage that their fibers are not severed when they are cut. They retract when the knife edge penetrates and then tighten again. This creates a pleasant cutting feeling and the work surface remains undamaged for years. With a chainsaw, you can easily cut an end-grain board out of a tree trunk yourself.

    Care tips for end-grain boards:

    • Rinse quickly by hand and dry
    • store upright
    • Brush regularly with walnut oil

    Build a bird house from a tree trunk

    To build a nest box, hollow out the tree stump. Proceed as you did when building the lantern. Thin tree slices serve as floor and roof. An entry hole with a diameter between 28 and 32 millimeters is drilled at the front. Such dwellings are readily accepted by tits.

    A birdhouse made from a tree trunk is quaint and original

    Easter and Christmas

    Easter bunnies, Santa Claus and Santa Claus are popular motifs that are simply painted on the tree trunk. You can also decorate the tree trunk for Christmas and decorate it with artificial snow, fabric ribbons and fir branches. Cut the tree trunk into thin slices and use them as Christmas decorations for the Christmas tree. The tree discs can be painted, glued or left natural

    Making an advent wreath:

    • four pieces of a birch trunk of different heights
    • place a white pillar candle on top of each
    • Wrap candles with ribbons
    • distribute Christmas ornaments and pine cones

    digression

    Recipe for a tree trunk motif cake

    To bake the cake, first mix together the flour, baking powder, water, and cocoa in a bowl. A little coffee powder refines the aroma of the chocolate dough. You need several layers of dough that are coated with buttercream and layered on top of each other.

    Then melt butter and mix it with cocoa powder. When the mass has hardened, it is painted on the side of the cake. Furrows and bumps are desired so that the cake later resembles a tree trunk. Spread a layer of cocoa butter on top and draw growth rings with melted chocolate.

    machining methods

    Before you use the wood for your building projects, you need to treat the tree trunk. There are various editing methods that should be worked through step by step. This gives you a robust and durable natural product, which becomes unique through individual processing. You can also leave a dead tree trunk in the garden and decorate it with flower pots. You can anchor the tree trunk to the ground for more stability.

    Tree trunk dry without cracks

    Slow drying in the fresh air is gentle on the wood. However, this process takes a long time. If you want to properly dry a log, it should be stored for at least a year.

    With this method, the wood always retains a residual moisture content of 15 to 20 percent, as it adapts to the moisture content of the outside air. To control the drying process a bit, you can place the log in a mortar tub filled with sawdust. Here the moisture can spread evenly and slowly.

    Seal tree trunk

    To ensure long-term protection, you must seal the log. It is important that the wood is completely dry. Otherwise, residual moisture can lead to mold growth. Natural substances such as coconut oil, beeswax or linseed oil are suitable for impregnation. Oil the wood until it is completely saturated. Allow about 24 hours drying time between coats, otherwise no solid layer can develop.

    tips

    If you cut tree slices from a fresh branch, you should also seal the cut. Otherwise, germs can quickly penetrate the wood.

    Saw and hollow out

    If you want to slice or saw a tree trunk, you need the right tool. Which saw you use depends on the thickness you want. Chainsaws can be used to cut thin slices of trees, but they won't be perfectly straight. For a straight cut you need a band saw. A circular saw is useful for cutting thicker slices.

    You can hollow out the tree trunk with a hammer and chisel. However, this method is not suitable for larger projects because it takes too much time. You do the rough work with a chainsaw. You can also fine-tune later with a draw knife.

    Debarking and grinding

    If it is softwood, you can debark the log very easily. Poke a chisel between the bark and the wood and carefully hammer the bark off. It usually separates automatically so that you can simply pull large pieces of bark off the wood. Hardwood is more difficult to debark.

    advantage disadvantage
    high pressure cleaner leaves no traces Wood gets damp
    drawknife suitable for small areas strenuous, traces possible
    Water easy stripping of the bark drying necessary

    To get the surface smooth afterwards, you have to sand the wood. 150 grit sandpaper works well here. You can experiment with different grits. When sanding, the wood is roughened because the fibers stand up. This also happens with a very fine grain, which is why the wood looks dull afterwards. You can get a really smooth surface by planing.

    Cut lengthwise

    There are special ripping saws where the teeth are filed at a 90 degree angle to the saw blade. They act like tiny chisels and cut directly into the wood fiber. With this tool you can saw along the direction of the grain. The saw is guided over the wood in progressively longer movements until the full length of the saw blade is used. When you have sawed the board two-thirds through, it is turned over and cut from the other end.

    tips

    Grow Mushrooms on Tree Trunk|Grow mushrooms
    Mushrooms on the tree trunk are actually not desirable because they slowly decompose the wood. However, there are numerous edible mushrooms that colonize dead wood as decomposers. With the right material, you can grow your own mushrooms in the garden.

    Which tree trunk is suitable?

    Use trunks that have not been cut for more than three months. Older stumps can be contaminated with spores from competing fungi or microorganisms. This prevents the growth of cultivated mushrooms. Fresh wood that looks healthy, has no mold or mildew smell, and is damp is ideal for growing mushrooms.

    Trunk size and wood species

    For easy handling, the trunks should not be longer than one meter. The ideal diameter is 40 centimetres. A minimum diameter of 20 centimeters is recommended so that the wood does not dry out too quickly. However, there are some types of mushrooms, such as shiitake, that are relatively immune to drought. You can also settle such mushrooms on a trunk with a circumference of 15 centimeters.

    These types of wood are suitable for mushroom cultivation:

    • Oak: pom pom, chaga
    • Beech: Shiitake, Oyster Mushroom, Judas Ear
    • Birch: mutabilis, lime mushroom
    • Poplar: Pioppino, Oyster Mushroom

    vaccination methods

    A tree trunk is the ideal substrate for mushrooms

    The mushroom mycelium spreads fastest in the direction of the wood fibers because there is the least resistance. Therefore, the cut inoculation method is ideal for inoculating tree trunks. A large incision is made against the fibers, which is then completely filled with the mushroom spawn. In the disk inoculation method, the mushroom spawn is applied directly to a fresh cut and covered with a tree disk. Here, too, the mycelium can spread quickly in the wood.

    tips

    With a self-made tool, you can carry out the filling of the mushroom spawn more conveniently. Cut off the bottom of a can and shape it into a slotted funnel.

    storage

    After the tree trunks have been successfully inoculated, they should be stored at a temperature between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. A shady, wind-protected and as humid as possible place ensures rapid growth of the mushrooms. You can keep humidity at a constant level by wrapping the trunk in damp burlap sacks. The growth phase, in which the mycelium spreads through the wood, lasts about eight to twelve weeks.If you used the disc inoculation method, you can remove the tree disc after this stage.

    grow-through test

    If you want to check whether the trunk has already grown through, you can saw off a two to three centimeter thick wooden disc from the trunk. The white-grey mycelium becomes visible at the moist interfaces. If you don't see any mycelium, the stem should be watered and stored at 20 to 25 degrees Celsius for the next ten days. If the trunk is fully grown, any coverings are removed.

    culture growth

    Place the trunk upright in a shady spot and bury it halfway into the ground. This pulls moisture from the soil into the trunk. Now the mushroom mycelium can grow into the soil. Depending on the type of mushroom, you can harvest the fruiting bodies after five to 18 months. The mycelium lives on after the harvest, so that fruiting bodies develop regularly over the next four to five years.

    The total yield of cultivated mushrooms is usually 20 percent of the wood weight. With good care, the harvest can be much higher.

    frequently asked Questions

    What can you do with a tree trunk?

    The possibilities are almost endless. You can try your hand at creative building projects and repurpose tree trunks into seating, shelves or tables. Smaller tree stumps are ideal for crafting. With the right tool, you can design lantern holders, cutting boards or flower pots. Tree trunks can be painted with acrylic paint, embellished with photos or covered with various decorative items. With the right tool, you can carve sculptures or faces into the tree stump.

    Creative ideas with a wooden look:

    • round rug with tree trunk motif
    • Pictures of the wood texture on canvas
    • drawn clipart as a template for wall stickers
    • abstract drawings and templates for coloring

    All kinds of furniture can be made from tree trunks

    How can I repair a cracked tree trunk?

    Epoxy resin is ideal for repairing holes in logs and filling drying cracks. The synthetic resin combines perfectly with the wood and closes the gaps. Epoxy resin is particularly recommended for large gaps. To keep it from leaking out, you can stick a piece of tape over the crack after filling. After the resin has dried, it can be easily sanded and painted over.

    Where can I buy a tree trunk without bark?

    Getting a suitable piece of tree trunk at a reasonable price is usually not easy. The supply in the hardware store is limited because the demand for logs is not very high. Keep an eye out for coveted items at flea markets. You can also ask the nearest forest ranger. However, you must then remove the bark yourself.

    It becomes even more difficult if you want to buy a tree trunk with branches. For this you have to inquire with specialized dealers or in a tree trunk furniture shop. These offer such objects already completely processed, which has its price. Therefore, take the opportunity when trees are felled in the community or neighborhood.

    Which wood is suitable for handicraft ideas?

    If you want to build furniture yourself, you should give preference to hardwood logs. Lime, maple, ash, birch and oak are particularly solid and durable. Plates and boards are ideal for creating natural seating and tables.

    You can use softwoods such as spruce, pine and fir for decorative items. These are easier to work with and can also be hollowed out or peeled with simple means. Root wood offers the ideal material for individual objects such as planters or candle holders.

    Why is a tree trunk sawed at the wedding?

    It is a well-known custom that a bridal couple has to saw up a tree trunk at the wedding. The trunk symbolizes the first major hurdle that the bride and groom have to overcome together. A slightly modified form of this custom is the wedding cake in the shape of a tree trunk. This obstacle is easier to overcome and brings a sweet surprise with it. In general, wedding gifts made of wood are very popular. A heart made from a tree trunk symbolizes eternal love.

    What to do against ants in the tree trunk?

    Ants on the tree often indicate an infestation by aphids. The insects feed on the honeydew secreted by the aphids. A kind of community develops from which ants and aphids benefit. To get rid of ants, you need to fight aphids with appropriate home remedies.

Category:

Trees