Where to find a tree stump?

[vw1262]

I'm trying to find a tree stump, but I'm not sure where I can get one?

[Indianer]

Call your local forest administration on the lowest levels. Here we have foresters. They designate areas of the forest for trade and single out trees that need felling for reason of wind damage or parasite contagion. Hunters can point you to them as well.

Getting a tree singled out from them is easy. Bring a chainsaw and a sturdy trunk.

[Sean M]

Or call a local landscaping service and say "hi, I am getting in to metalwork and I need something to pound on. I can pay x for a section of nice hard wood tree about y high and z diameter."

Parks services also chop trees into short sections and have to get rid of them after.

[Indianer]

Once you get it, make sure to seal the open cut edges with wood glue. Place it on a clean concrete slate. This helps prevent cracking.

[Gordon Thompson]

Or lumber mill. I went there to buy a tree stump and guy I talked to went behind a corner and brought me one for free.

[Kristoffer]

I got mine from a local farmer that use firewood to heat his house.

You can also post a wanted ad in your local facebook sales group.

Or find someone who sells firewood who lives close to you.

[vw1262]

Thanks for all the replies. I went to a local tree removal service and they had a yard full of stumps.

I got some really nice, level stumps. Problem is, there's some sap, which is annoying. The bigger potential problem is that the wood is quite soft. I can easily make a mark with my fingernail. I chiseled out a bowl for dishing. Does the wood need to be rock hard to dish on? Will this be an issue?

[John Vernier]

Depending on the type of tree, the stump wood will toughen up some as the wood dries. Freshly cut wood is often quite soft but as the sap cures it will harden. This can take quite a long time, however. You can get away with using a fairly soft wood for a dishing form, bear in mind that your dish does not need to be very large or deep to serve for a lot of forming, and if the wood is soft your hollow will tend to enlarge itself as you work into it. So start with a small shallow bowl and see how it behaves as you work with it.