Fallen Garry Oak gives Fine Furniture students unique opportunity

Released: November 29, 2022 | Last Updated: November 29, 2022

Story | School of Trades and Technology

The destruction that came when one of Lansdowne’s Garry Oak trees collapsed during a wind storm this fall will luckily end on a positive note for future classes thanks to �þ��Ƶ College’s Fine Furniture students.

Students use chainsaw milling attachment to cut large slabs of wood from a fallen oak tree.

Fine Furniture students use a mill attachment on a chainsaw to process the trunk of the fallen Garry oak tree into large slabs.

The large tree that fell and struck Lansdowne’s Library building is being carefully processed into sought-after lumber by students in the 10-month Fine Furniture/Joinery Trades Foundation program as a part of continued applied learning projects within the school.

“It’s wonderful to be able to put this material to good use and it’s a fantastic learning opportunity for students to be able to take what we’re leaning in the classroom, then actually see and work with these huge pieces of natural material, outdoors, where they fell,” says Fine Furniture program leader and instructor Sandra Carr.

As two students remove the outer bark on large slabs being prepared for transport, carpentry instructor Theo Riecken fits an Alaskan mill attachment on his chainsaw to prepare another cut. From woodturning blanks, to table tops and public seating, each piece of the oak tree’s twisted trunk and limbs will be chosen for specific project that will make best use of their features.

“I’m excited to be able to have my first experience woodturning on pieces that I helped process myself,” says Sinead Strijack, who also got a chance to cut large slabs from the trunk for future projects. “Since you don’t need to let the wood dry in the same way before you turn a bowl, it’s great to be able to actually work with the pieces we’ve cut to make a project.”

“It’s wonderful to be able to put this material to good use and it’s a fantastic learning opportunity for students to be able to take what we’re leaning in the classroom, the actually see and work with these huge pieces of natural material, outdoors, where they fell,”
- Sandra Carr, Fine Furniture program leader and instructor

While the large slabs that have been smoothly milled and sealed will have to air dry for at least two years before they’re usable for fine woodworking, lumber that was reclaimed from the results of a 2019 storm is almost ready for students to work with. Replenishing the stash of �þ��Ƶ grown lumber means more options for future projects, something that Carr is excited to make use of.

“In the past we’ve used these reclaimed materials to create projects like public seating for new buildings at �þ��Ƶ, it’s always nice to see the lumber being used and given a second life on campus,” adds Carr.

�þ��Ƶ’s Certificate in Fine Furniture/Joinery Trades Foundation is a 10-month program that gives students the knowledge and skills necessary for entry into the furniture design, construction or finishing/refinishing industries. Learn more.