A custom woodworking project featuring an epoxy river, rustic design, and milled from a local historic neighborhood. Eucalyptus trees, while not native to Southern California, are found everywhere throughout San Diego and date back to the 1800’s. Around the Gold Rush Era there was a shortage of lumber due to the increased construction and population boom of California amongst prospectors and businessman hoping to strike it rich. While Eucalyptus trees were largely used in Australia at the time for their prized timbers, they were imported to California as a potential solution to the increased demand for lumber. They were planted in the current Fairbanks Ranch / Rancho Santa Fe neighborhoods and left to sit for about a decade before the importers returned to harvest the trees. When they returned they were shocked to see the trees had grown like weeds, however twisted and unusable for anything but firewood. The prized lumber from Australia was old-growth Eucalyptus which had grown slowly in virgin forests for centuries, making the wood strong, straight and stable. Many of the trees were eventually sold for decorative purposes or firewood, and are considered an invasive species due to their rapid reproduction.
During a construction project in early 2020 we were able to acquire a section of a previously felled Eucalyptus tree, planted sometime around when the home was built in 1920. The tree had developed serious rot at the base, and was destined for the landfill after the homeowner salvaged some of the more stable sections of the tree. When we cut into the log there was a beautiful exotic color to the wood and a wide range of figure and character. Unfortunately given the advanced stage of the spalting and rot, there was no way to make the lumber into usable sized pieces for any type of furniture.
We did not want to completely abandon the custom woodworking project just yet, so the plan was to stabilize the spalting using a two part epoxy, and see if we could make a functional furniture piece from the rest of the wood. With the limited amount of usable lumber we had to work with, after the tabletop pieces were selected we had to design the bottom portion with what was left. Given the history of this wood species we decided to make something that had a more rustic feel and construction method. The base is a design called a trestle table, and is able to be completely disassembled for easy transportation. The legs have a mortise cut all the way through them with a tapered double tusk tenon connecting the legs to the trestle. While all the lumber was surfaced with a slab flatting jig, we left the live edges on the wood table.
This project was a lot of fun, allowing us to control the process from the milling all the way to the finish. With the lack of usable lumber it challenged us to create something from nothing, and improvise when needed to create a fitting design. Our goal with this project was not only to create a unique piece but to show that lumber often thought unusable can be given a second life. This log was transformed into a living room centerpiece coffee table, instead of being sent to the Miramar Landfill. Hickory Heart specializes in custom carpentry and woodworking, and with over a decade of custom home remodeling, creative problem solving is a must! In addition to custom carpentry we also offer custom building and remolding. No two projects we worked on were alike, and we enjoy the challenge of bringing customers visions and designs to life!
Completed with a water based finish, and hand rubbed for a gentle satin silky feel. The water based finishes are great at creating a color “pop” and highlighting the natural beauty of the wood.