Video: Rare deadwood feature (to me) that has me thinking about what we're trying to achieve with carving

[BillsBayou]

As a branch grows from bud to limb, the beginnings of the branch can be found deep in the trunk. As the center of a tree rots out, it can leave behind evidence of the beginnings of branches or branches we no longer see. This particular tree got me thinking what all of this means with respect to carving deadwood trunks. How will we try to replicate this? No, really, I want to know how to replicate this. I'm not sure we can. This may be a feature you find or you just don't. There may be no way to replicate this.

 

[BillsBayou]

T-shirt I made for ABS. Funny/Not funny?

 

[nuttiest]

yes it's like you say in the video they are hidden gems, will be interesting to see if you can keep these longer, like of knots are harder than other deadwood. Woundwood tends to be harder.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Only natural entropy can do the job properly/believably.

 

[rockm]

Can't fake real age on a tree. Real age (as opposed to artificially introduced "age") produces interesting stuff, which is why you collect trees.

 

[Kievnstavick]

As you mentioned in the video, we can't replicate the collar to a convincing degree as the wood grain grows around it over time. I think the only way to make it look like a collar was there would be in the "after image". Carving a hole in the trunk larger then the collar would be to simulate the act of decay removing the edges of the collar.

What we could do though is attempt to locate old branch collars during our carving of the trunk. Leaving the core of the "interior branch". It does bring up a question to be asked by a knowledgeable viewer. Why didn't the core of the branches rot with the core of the main trunk? I think that aspect of the design would be hardest to complete a believable image.

(Forgive any weirdness in the sentence structure, as I was fighting off sleep typing that.)

 

[leatherback]

How will we try to replicate this? No, really, I want to know how to replicate this. I'm not sure we can.

You mean like this?

 

[leatherback]

 

[BobbyLane]

You mean like this?


View attachment 492391




View attachment 492392

Tearing away at the grain and leaving to weather for a while can give a very natural look over time. The result you get from tearing can be quite similar to a heavy branch/subtrunk splitting from a from a mature tree.

 

[Kievnstavick]

You mean like this?

I believe he was referring to the remains of branches on the interior of a hollowed trunk rather then pulling fibers/ traditional deadwood on branches.

 

[BobbyLane]

Remains of branches and old knots from long gone branches.
Will baddelly is pretty good at that.

I agree though, when presented with trees that have inherant deadwood features such as old knots in the grain, or remnants of old branches we should try to enhance these features. They help tell the story.

 

[Cruiser]

Another view of the phenomenon in a dead conifer. The internal remnants of branches and the trees younger self within the hollow, rotted trunk.

Why didn't the core of the branches rot with the core of the main trunk?

The causes are differing agents of decay, branch origin, and differences in wood strength due to growing conditions.

The internal trunk and branches didn’t rot away as quickly as the rest of the tree because they were formed in less favorable years. The tree grew slowly so tighter rings were formed. Tighter rings make stronger wood that takes longer to decay.
At some point growth rate increased, leading to wider rings and weaker wood. The weaker wood has since rotted away, the stronger interior hasn’t caught up yet

 

[BobbyLane]

This is pretty cool

 

[19Mateo83]

Another view of the phenomenon in a dead conifer. The internal remnants of branches and the trees younger self within the hollow, rotted trunk.

View attachment 492425
View attachment 492426



The causes are differing agents of decay, branch origin, and differences in wood strength due to growing conditions.

The internal trunk and branches didn’t rot away as quickly as the rest of the tree because they were formed in less favorable years. The tree grew slowly so tighter rings were formed. Tighter rings make stronger wood that takes longer to decay.
At some point growth rate increased, leading to wider rings and weaker wood. The weaker wood has since rotted away, the stronger interior hasn’t caught up yet

A lot of it has to do with where the tree deposits resins. Take southern yellow pines. They tend to deposit resins in the heart wood, branch collars and where the branch heart wood meets the trunks heart wood. If you have ever used heart pine to start a fire you know how resinous it is, it burns with black sooty smoke. This same resins also make the wood very rot resistant. Like in your picture, the sap wood has rotted away and all that is left is the resinous core. When I go camping I actually look for stumps like you pictured to get fat pine to start the fire.

 

[19Mateo83]

Here are some prime examples, these pieces were all that was left of trees. The first one is a piece of old growth eastern hemlock. Notice the heavy resins, this was cut off a rotting tree at the branch collar

You can see the same thing on this piece of southern yellow pine as well. It was taken from the same place on a rotted tree.

This last one is a piece of heart wood from another southern yellow pine. This one is all that’s left of a crotch.

 

[leatherback]

I believe he was referring to the remains of branches on the interior of a hollowed trunk rather then pulling fibers/ traditional deadwood on branches.

Well, that is what the pictures I shares show, where in the deadwood styling care was taken to preserve the natural structures in the wood.
I really do not understand the point then.

Most people do not pay attention to what they are doing, and/or have poor deadwood working skills. That is the reason why a lot of deadwood looks crap and unnatural. If you pay attention you can create the same structural deadwood. And then you need to leave it to age for a few years or more to get cracks and fissures by natural aging, which can be sped up with sandblasting and frost blasting.

 

[Potawatomi13]

View attachment 492393

View attachment 492394

Looks plastic/phony.

 

[Cajunrider]

Bill,
I would love to hook up and go on a tree hunt with you before I leave Louisiana!

 

[leatherback]

Looks plastic/phony.

Interesting contribution. When will you start showing something?

I can recommend people interested in looking up the artist doing this work.