For Christmas I recieved a shed/workshop for the back garden. To make way, an errand tree had to be removed. Having felled the tree it was chopped into chunks ready for the skip. It was at this point that one of the lumps was recognised to have a certain shape to it and was soon to become furniture.

Step 1: Planning

The stump was annotated with an outline to follow when carving

Step 2: Carving

It was now to the shed and the Dremel. Having never previously carved wood before this was a learning curve. I found my control over the Dremel was not what as good as I had hoped so I made an initial cut on the outline to guide the Dremel. This was done with a hand saw on the straighter cuts and an awl on the curves and more intricate cuts. I first chose a small cone shaped cutting bit and followed the initial groove. This was them widened with a ball shaped cutting bit.

Step 3: Sanding

After a rough sizing up with chain saw, the belt sander was required to flatten the top. Using an 80 grit belt the top was flattened. No further finishing was done here because the top still needed to be recessed to receive a candle. Before sanding with the belt sander., the stump was bound with string to prevent the bark from breaking off. Goodness knows if this works but the bark is still fully intact!

Step 4: Hole (ing?)

A recess was needed in the top to receive the candle. I started by removing the bulk of the material with a 32mm spade bit in the drill. This left a very rough and untidy hole. I used a router free hand fit with a straight bit to 'refine' the hole somewhat. this help flatten out the bottom sufficiently. The recess didn't need to be perfect as it wouldn't be on show at all. The shape at the top would be seen, so this was shaped using a Dremel with a sanding drum and flapper wheel.

Step 5: More Sanding

The top was now sanded in preparation for waxing. I started with the belt sander to remove pencil marks before progressing to the sheet sander. Working from #80 to #400 sand paper the top was sanded to a smooth finish.

Step 6: Finish

A mixture a beeswax and linseed oil was applied to the top. This left a nice colour and sheen whilst sealing the wood. The wax was applied with a cloth before being buffed off as per usual practise. The stump was now ready to take its place on the hearth and be lit.