Trees to Music Project
The Process
We believe in using our creativity to make a difference. Our passion project involves re-purposing the wood from trees being cut down for a major water main project, but we're not letting that wood go to waste. The process used for this, to come to fruition, requires commitment and dedication by all involved. Here is a snapshot summary of what has transpired to date.
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The Idea:
A walk in the park inspired us to consider the feasibility of saving some of the wood from the water main project and turning them into instruments (of various types).
Ideally representing instruments from the diverse cultural communities within the City of Coquitlam and the surrounding Lower Mainland area.
Propose Idea to City of Coquitlam:
Mr. Parks prepared a brief draft proposal of the overall project concept and submitted it to the City of Coquitlam. It circulated within a few Departments, and ultimately they responded to us that they supported the concept and would like to meet to discuss it further.
After subsequent internal meetings, the City discussed this with the water main owner and they also agreed in principle with the project and put forth their support.
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Sorting out a Mill to prepare the wood and be a partner in the Project:
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Upon the apparent support of the Project Contractor, we approached one of the top instrument wood suppliers in BC (Wood-to-Works (Cascadia)) to present the concept and to further assess the viability of the project.
We met them at their mill in Chilliwack and they agreed to go further into field investigations with us, etc. We will be transporting the wood to their mill site for cutting and preparation.
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Conducting a Site Visit:
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In order to identify the particular trees (or portions of trees), that would enable reasonable instrument construction and longevity, the team met on site and walked the length of the construction zone noting preferred trees.
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This information was passed on to the Felling Contractor to ensure all desired tree portions are rescued/saved during the cutting process.
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Specific considerations were:
- species of tree (Maple for back/sides and necks, Cedar for tops, Oak for trim, Cherry for back/sides, etc. -- Note: there were many Douglas Fir trees on the project however the species was deemed not preferred for instrument making).
- size of tree (typically larger the better - to allow for creation of backs/side of instrument).
- limited or no knots or branches in section (resulting in cleaner grain lines and easier woodworking, etc.).
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Tree sections we specified to be in 2ft and 3ft sections to allow us to more easily transport the wood from the site to the mill. We were not able to obtain a tree hauling vehicle, so we had to resolve to these section sizes as optimal for this project.
Typically: 2ft sections will allow for full size guitar tops/backs; and 3ft will allow for necks and sides.
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The selected trees were then identified in the field with an "A" for Artisan ! ... as opposed to the "X" mark for cut and dispose on the remainder of the trees.
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Tree cutting begins:
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As of Sept 26th the tree cutting is underway. Our selected trees are marked and will be cut/bucked to size per our instruction. The bucked sections will be stored for our pickup and transportation to the mill.
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We were able to meet with the Felling Contractor on site and discuss the cutting methods/approach they were going to use.
Luckily the Felling Contractor was very open to what we are trying to accomplish and they are making a special effort to save portions of the designated trees that meet our criteria.
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Initial review of the Oak tree bucked sections (cut as of Sept 28) indicate great care and attention is taking place with our "Artisan" trees !!
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Transporting from construction site to mill:
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On October 11th we loaded up 2 pickup trucks of wood (about 3/4 of the wood we had selected). The remainder of the wood (and some yet to be cut) will be transported next week most likely. Project volunteer Jake is to be recognized for his time and vehicle use. Thanks Jake !
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The contractor for the waterline project helped us, with the use of their backhoe (and some labor), to make the loading as safe and feasible as possible - thanks to them !
The 100 km drive out to Chilliwack was uneventful (yeah !)
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At the mill they were ready for us and we off-loaded using their forklift. After off-loading we had some time to discuss our wood cut thoughts and now its up to the mill and sawyer to decide on some optimal approaches to actually cutting the wood for us.
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Also, it was a good opportunity for them to show us around the mill and to talk about the great wood products that they (Wood-to-work (Cascadia) are shipping all over North America.
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At the mill:
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Final delivery of wood to the site on Nov 21 2023. Wood-to-works (Cascadia) has milled all the pieces earlier delivered and we met with them to discuss the remaining wood delivered today, and the preferred cuts, etc. We have hope for some good pieces from the cherry trees we just delivered -- time will tell.
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The earlier cut pieces are in the air-flow chamber and are being air-dried. 3 pallets of wood !
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READY TO BUILD :
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The 1st batch of wood is now at our shop AND WE ARE READY TO BUILD SOME INSTRUMENTS !! We have:
9 Maple Back set
10 Maple Side sets
18 Western Red Cedar Tops/Back sets
10 Maple Neck 1" x4" x 26"
AND a whole lot more >> !
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