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Step 9Finishing
As I said before, some parts of the wood were still slightly wet since the tree had recently been cut down. Applying any sort of surface treatment or finish to wet wood is not the best idea, so I chose to leave it completely bare. Even if the wood were completely dry though, I think that I would have left the wood unfinished because I wouldn't want to do anything to change the awesome designs that were already present on the surface of the wood caused by the bark beetle. Leaving the wood unfinished, untreated and ultimately untouched is a small homage to it's inherent value as a tree, and would only have been one more step down the road to processed lumber, something I was actively trying to avoid in making these speakers.
Dutch Elm Disease is caused by a fungus that the elm bark beetle carries into the tree. The bark beetle itself is not what killed this particular elm, but it is the horse that the fungus rode in on so to speak.
The story of the bark beetle's reproduction leaves behind the unmistakable pattern on the surface of the wood that is pictured below. The beetle first burrows through the bark and into the outer flesh of the tree to create the dark line. It then lays it's larvae all along that burrow. When the the larvae hatch, the baby beetles dig and eat their way through the tree's flesh to escape, causing the lighter lines which radiate off of the central dark ones.
Oh bark beetle, I wish you never infected this lovely elm tree in the first place, but I am mesmerized by the beautiful artifacts of your stay that you left behind.
Dutch Elm Disease is caused by a fungus that the elm bark beetle carries into the tree. The bark beetle itself is not what killed this particular elm, but it is the horse that the fungus rode in on so to speak.
The story of the bark beetle's reproduction leaves behind the unmistakable pattern on the surface of the wood that is pictured below. The beetle first burrows through the bark and into the outer flesh of the tree to create the dark line. It then lays it's larvae all along that burrow. When the the larvae hatch, the baby beetles dig and eat their way through the tree's flesh to escape, causing the lighter lines which radiate off of the central dark ones.
Oh bark beetle, I wish you never infected this lovely elm tree in the first place, but I am mesmerized by the beautiful artifacts of your stay that you left behind.
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I am a wood turner and often use driftwood with lots of worm holes the more the merrier. I love it check out my web site click link www.scorpionwoodcraft.co.uk
I'd love to find a tree wide enough to house a subwoofer speaker. I'd make one for my house and for my car. i think it would be awesome to have a sub each end of a tree trunk with the amplifier slotted in the middle. drooool...
To be really safe it would probably be best to let the wood dry out for a couple of months (if you are in a dry climate) after you have made the holes.