zerowaste

Pine isn't the perfect material for tool handles, I wouldn't use it for anything that's going to bear an impact like a hammer or axe handle. But it turns easily, and cleans up pretty nice. I've used lengths of Christmas Tree trunk both because it was quick/easy (as for this quick handle for a file) and because it's nice when the materials have their own story, and I can preserve a bit of a special time in something I make.

I don’t know what the slrpnk.net opinion on Christmas trees is. Around where I live, when a farm or orchard goes out of business, developers turn it into another subdivision. A tree farm might not be an ideal habitat, but I’m willing to bet on it being better than another clearcut, paved, human neighborhood. So for us, we figure we can give some money to the Boys and Girls Club, help keep a farm solvent, and then use the wood left over for projects. I think this fits the zerowaste ethos well enough.

I've got two examples to show off today. The first one was actually the very first thing I made on the lathe after I got it restored . We had a few years of Christmas Tree trunks drying at the time, so it was an easy, low-stakes material to start with, and already round, which makes starting on the lathe easier.

The finished version was obviously pretty crude, but I didn't want it to go to waste, and I liked the feel of it, so I attached it to an old file I got at a junk store awhile back.

I've been using it for several years now with no problems.

The second example is a knife repair, (though on this one I chose the Christmas Tree wood more for sentimental reasons than for convenience). This was a gift/repair for my grandmother - a few years ago she threw a party, and someone dropped this knife on the floor. The bakelite handle shattered near the top. She was going to throw it away but I said I'd make a new handle for it, though I'll admit it took me a few years to get around to it.

Step 1 was to take the handle the rest of the way apart and get just the blade and it's decorations separated from the broken plastic.

I cut this piece of pine from the trunk of our 2020 Christmas tree after it had had awhile to dry. It was the same piece I carved most of the koroks from though this piece was too skinny to fit any koroks inside easily.

I'm still very much an amateur at turning, and made some mistakes as I went, but I learned a lot on this one, and was able to get some results I was pleased with.

I cut the top to fit the little decorative cap, drilled a line of holes for the tang of the blade, and did some test fits and adjustments. I also cleaned up the bottom end and sanded it with all the same grits of paper the rest of it got.

I wanted the stain to be a reminder of the original handle, so I started with gunstock (a very bright, orange-red color) and then while it was still wet, I worked in Red Oak, which is darker and more brown. This deepened it and brought out some nice detail in the grain. The red oak on its own turned the test pieces very dark brown, and it wasn't as visually interesting, so I'm glad I did it this way.

I followed that up with four coats of high-gloss polyurethane, with some light sanding in between. The pine was thirsty - drank up the urethane in some spots on the first coats so you wouldn't think any had been applied. Eventually I got a nice, even finish.

On the Zerowaste side, the blade was old and I was able to put it back in use. The wood was left over from a Christmas tree. All the stains were found on our local Everything is Free group, or left over from old projects. The urethane was also leftover. The project cost time and electricity, but nothing beyond that.