# Curvy plane wood natural



## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

Hello and good evening to all. I thought to give it a go and show you my latest natural. It's made out of a dead branch of plane (Platanus oriental), I found stuck in a dry stream bed, hiking during early summer. Platanus is an iconic tree of Greece (and all south east Europe and Asia of course) nature, well established in our culture, back from the time of myths and legends. Even the marriage of Zeus and Ira's was supposed to take place under the branches of an enormous plane tree in the island of Crete.

The day I found it, I didn't have a saw with me, so I gave up the hike and spent quite some time to cut the fork with my hunting knife. Lesson n1 learned. Always carry a small saw with you, when you have a thing about slingshots.









After I spent some few hours of shaping with hand tools only (knife, rasp, sandpaper) and I already applied 3 hands of linseed oil, I discovered some fresh small holes from worms. I searched, in much frustration I may say, at the forum and I went straight to the oven to bake it for a couple of hours at 100 celsius. Lesson n2 learned. Always bake a dead wood fork, before proceeding. I hung two 16 klg kettlebells, one from each fork, and let them hung overnight, for peace of mind and started sanding and finishing all over again. I then applied some bee wax paste aaand, voila!

Hope you like the result. I know I do and I hope she is a fine shooter too. Tomorrow I'll know anyway.

PS.

Please don't be gentle at the newbie, but true. Any piece of advice will be much appreciated !


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

And here some more of her.


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## slingshotnew (Oct 29, 2014)

Very nice


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

slingshotnew said:


> Very nice


Thank you very much ! I'm fan of your work, so I especially appreciate your comment.


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## Quercusuber (Nov 10, 2011)

GREAT looking slingshot!!!

Plane is indeed excellent for carving.

But I could have sworn that, if I didn't knew it, that sweet shooter was carved from a piece of oak.

Thanks for sharing, my friend!!!

Cheers ...Q


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## Ibojoe (Mar 13, 2016)

She's a beauty! One to be proud of!!


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## Tree Man (Jun 30, 2016)

Gorgeous! Beautiful shape.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

Quercusuber said:


> GREAT looking slingshot!!!
> 
> Plane is indeed excellent for carving.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for the feedback Quercusuber! I'm really glad you liked it. We are the some age and, as I found out in your profile, we share similar slingshot background in our youth. BUT, I would be very pleased to have just one tenth of your skills and vision, in slingshot making!

I really don't have much experience with wood (although I always considered my self a mountain man, I used to be a sailor in tug boats and flowing cranes for a living) so I assumed that it was a plane branch, just because a line of them runs both sides of the stream I was hiking, from the start of it, all the way to the sea. It's really not an oak growing place, but maybe there is some I didn't notice and you're right. I plan to cut some forks from both trees and compare, just to be sure and exact.

Thanks again friend!!


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

Ibojoe said:


> She's a beauty! One to be proud of!!


 I'm mostly proud just to receive such kind words. Thank you very much for your comment, it means a lot to me!


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

treeman said:


> Gorgeous! Beautiful shape.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


Thank you very much sir! I'm very, very glad you liked it.


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## Sharker (Sep 15, 2013)

Heh, its so exotic for me, and for you they just grow up everywhere , nice work


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

Sharker said:


> Heh, its so exotic for me, and for you they just grow up everywhere , nice work


Thanks Sharker! I guess that's how it goes in general. I plan to look for some dead branches to cut some forks, since it's fine wood to work with, indeed. If you like, you can pay for postals and have a couple pieces of exoticness flying your way  .


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## alainguitars (Aug 5, 2016)

Love it. Especially the rounded handle grooves. I've never attempted that.


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

alainguitars said:


> Love it. Especially the rounded handle grooves. I've never attempted that.


Thanks Alain, glad you like her. Having not enough experience I didn't start with an exact vision in my head, just a rough idea. I started carving with a small knife and then with a round rasp. I kept grabbing and just went with the flow, till she felt comfortable in hand. Since she's surprisingly accurate and I get good grouping (when I shoot right, that is), I'm happy with the outcome myself. Thanks again.


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

coveman said:


> Sharker said:
> 
> 
> > Heh, its so exotic for me, and for you they just grow up everywhere , nice work
> ...


Couldn't help the urge to come back to this post in fear that somebody misunderstood it. I'm not trying to sell a piece of nature that I don't ow in anyway, instead just trying to make a fellow man happy (without any kind of profit). I think I was quite clear before, but just in case.


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## Tree Man (Jun 30, 2016)

I think Querkusuber is right. Of course I'm not familiar with the trees in your country, but the bark and grain resemble Spanish oak to my eye. A gorgeous frame nonetheless. Wonderful work!

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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

treeman said:


> I think Querkusuber is right. Of course I'm not familiar with the trees in your country, but the bark and grain resemble Spanish oak to my eye. A gorgeous frame nonetheless. Wonderful work!
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


Thanks again Treeman for your kind words. Well, both Querkusuber and yourself, are right and I'll immediately clear things out. Experience spoked!


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

Well, as completely inexperienced in processing wood I misjudged the origin of the branch, that the slingshot came from. I assumed that the branch was a plane one, just because it came from this place, were huge plane trees runs along the stream bed, from start to finish.









When first Q stated that the wood seems to come from an oak, I was a bit sceptical. We call Oaks, Velanidia or Dri (Δρύς, in older form of our language, were the word Druid came from) in Greek and by that name we refer to the big, beautiful trees, you all are familiar to. This was not a place where Oaks grow. BUT, it's a site where plenty of a bush that we call Pournari or Prino and have similar to oak nuts (not sure if this is the correct word, but you get what I mean) grow. Well, after a quick search, I found out that Prinos is one of oak species, formally named Quercus coccifera and looks like that:









It didn't pass my mind the moment I found the branch, because it was quite big and thick for a prino. Well my bad. Friend from Portugal (I should have listened him from the beginning, with a name like that and such an experience) and Treeman (same goes here too  ) made me a little wiser, and I thank them for that. I'll correct the tittle of the thread and next time, I'll just state the origin of the wood as unknown, if not sure, and ask for help (I now know where to).

Thanks and sorry.


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## Tree Man (Jun 30, 2016)

What a beautiful place to live!!!! It's no wonder your slingshot frame looks so nice coming from a place like that.

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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

And a (untidy) banded one that I forgot to post.


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## crypter27 (Oct 13, 2010)

That looks great man!


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

crypter27 said:


> That looks great man!


Thanks dude! Glad you liked it!


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## crypter27 (Oct 13, 2010)

You're welcome brother!


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## Larry Bass (May 14, 2016)

coveman said:


> And a (untidy) banded one that I forgot to post.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hehehe, that's what I was waiting for.  She looks very ergo comfy, stout & strong and very beautiful all banded up like that Coveman. What an inspiration. Shoot straight and often with her now, hear.  lb


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

Larry Bass said:


> coveman said:
> 
> 
> > And a (untidy) banded one that I forgot to post.
> ...


 Very very glad you liked it, Larry ! As a matter of fact, although I have some more to play with, since then, it's still one of my favourites and have fun with it almost every day. Thank you very much for your comment and if any of the forks, that I have drying, ends up in something similar to this, since you seem to quite like it, it'll be yours  .


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## ggustafsson (Jun 12, 2016)

coveman said:


> Hello and good evening to all. I thought to give it a go and show you my latest natural. It's made out of a dead branch of plane (Platanus oriental), I found stuck in a dry stream bed, hiking during early summer. Platanus is an iconic tree of Greece (and all south east Europe and Asia of course) nature, well established in our culture, back from the time of myths and legends. Even the marriage of Zeus and Ira's was supposed to take place under the branches of an enormous plane tree in the island of Crete.
> 
> The day I found it, I didn't have a saw with me, so I gave up the hike and spent quite some time to cut the fork with my hunting knife. Lesson n1 learned. Always carry a small saw with you, when you have a thing about slingshots.
> 
> ...


Nice! 

I always put my newly acquired tree forks in the oven. Got a piece of wood with a Mexican worm in it once, never again! 

(PS. please give me one of those awesome pieces of wood! I'll trade you a slingshot! )


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

ggustafsson said:


> coveman said:
> 
> 
> > Hello and good evening to all. I thought to give it a go and show you my latest natural. It's made out of a dead branch of plane (Platanus oriental), I found stuck in a dry stream bed, hiking during early summer. Platanus is an iconic tree of Greece (and all south east Europe and Asia of course) nature, well established in our culture, back from the time of myths and legends. Even the marriage of Zeus and Ira's was supposed to take place under the branches of an enormous plane tree in the island of Crete.
> ...


Hahaha ! You, my friend, are a true forkaholic  ! I'm back in Athens, for some months, so I don't have unlimited supplies for now, but I think I have a couple of forks in my stash, to make you happy. I'll send you some photos, to tell me what you think.


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## Larry Bass (May 14, 2016)

coveman said:


> Larry Bass said:
> 
> 
> > coveman said:
> ...


Wow Coveman, thank you for the kind offer. Actually I have been turning into a forkaholic myself lately and that even includes metal, make do, type frames, so I have quite an accumulation of work ahead of me, to prepare for the long winter ahead. So again thank you for the most generous offer but dude, save the shipping to Ontario for some good band material or something for yourself. It's enough for me, just to see what you have shared with us all in here bud. Your friend in slingshots, lb


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## slingshotterLu1 (Nov 4, 2016)

Nice! Look good too shoot! Good work!


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## coveman (Sep 11, 2016)

slingshotterLu1 said:


> Nice! Look good too shoot! Good work!


Thank you very much, really glad you liked it!


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