Template work anyone?

[u/jdberger]

I have a maple “countertop” than I need to fit around this tree.

Tree is not perfectly centered in the opening, of course.

I essentially made a profile jig using 3/4 mdf (same thickness as maple top, so I marked where the finished top will sit) and a load of wood shims with a point cut on each piece.

I genuinely had no other idea how I could do this. Thoughts?

I didn’t feel like starting to cut the top because I didn’t want to ruin my evening 😅

[u/Sad-Ad-1454]

Either this or a tick stick, it would take less shims, but a ton of work regardless. Impressive stuff

[u/LameTrouT → u/Sad-Ad-1454]

Agreed with a tick stick

[u/SCHMIGGY_KIDDY → u/LameTrouT]

Either way this is a great project ! Enjoy and keep us updated

[u/FoulestWinner]

definitely requires another day🍻 nice template.

[u/Trick_Garage_8455]

I use cardboard

[u/orange-shirt → u/Trick_Garage_8455]

Cardboard a glue gun and a pair of scissors makes a fast accurate template

[u/East-Reflection-8823]

Wrap in kitchen plastic, make a lip, sprayfoam. Dry, take off in two pieces.

[u/Countryfried789]

This is about the best way I can imagine. Excellent way but just so much to go through. It’ll be worth it after you cut it. Was that a hot glue gun? I’ve cut wood around trees on several occasions. Never plywood always been on a deck. This really is extreme and very well thought out. Kudos.
🫰🏻

[u/the-trump-the]

Is the tree done growing? Or do you have an ongoing contract to rebuild this every few years?

[u/Semantix → u/the-trump-the]

It's dead, Jim

[u/jdberger → u/the-trump-the]

It is a dead tree, debarked. We installed these earlier this summer. The brand is WholeTree.

[u/SpikedThePunch → u/the-trump-the]

Tree trunk appears to be stripped of bark and standing indoors in a library or similar, with faux “boughs” hanging from the ceiling. I think it’s done growing.

[u/chugz]

Don’t set your tools on customer cushions. Ever. Just asking for an accident. Cover them or put them somewhere else.

[u/savepoorbob → u/chugz]

As a solo operator, you only make that mistake 2 or 3 times before it becomes company policy. And even then sometimes I forget and regret.

[u/jdberger → u/chugz]

Totally fair point.

[u/101forgotmypassword]

The other way is to scribe 3 trirants? "quadrants". but, to be honest your way is probably easier to get a reliably accurate trace rather than a large scribe to align on the quadrant edges.

[u/ObiWanKaStoneMe → u/101forgotmypassword]

Agreed. All other methods suggested in the thread would introduce error, inevitably. OP found the highest precision (and highest workload lol) method

[u/DisastrousTeddyBear]

Tick Stick for the win. This is cool too though

[u/jdberger → u/DisastrousTeddyBear]

Not going to lie, I completely forgot about the tick stick method until people started commenting 😅 I’ve never attempted it and I feel like I missed out on a great opportunity.

[u/DisastrousTeddyBear → u/jdberger]

Your way looks like you could hang it in a carpentry museum or something

[u/solar1ze]

Did you do that in two halves and then put them together?

[u/jdberger → u/solar1ze]

Yes, two halves.

[u/solar1ze → u/jdberger]

It’s a great idea.

[u/danieliscrazy]

Is this necessary since you ended up just doing a circle around?  Nice technique though

[u/SeaToTheBass → u/danieliscrazy]

Second pic is unfinished

[u/Jamvie710]

That's awesome man! Idk but a tick stick might be faster but still a million points any way you do it

[u/ViciousMoleRat]

Does the tree still grow or no?

[u/jdberger → u/ViciousMoleRat]

I think it’s done!

[u/ViciousMoleRat → u/jdberger]

Gasssss. It looks like a real tree that was growing and you just built the place around it! Id kill to work on a project like that

[u/jdberger → u/ViciousMoleRat]

Yeah it’s definitely been a fun project! These sit directly across from the big tree.

[u/Natural_Barracuda370]

This is beautiful

[u/astudentengineer]

Uhm what happen when tree get big?

[u/astudentengineer → u/astudentengineer]

Oh your technique is excellent

[u/atticus2132000]

That's pretty ingenious.

[u/Zazzenfuk]

So how long did you spend laying tick sticks to do this?! Good idea well executed

[u/jdberger → u/Zazzenfuk]

Just gluing the pieces on took me about an hour. Figuring out how I was going to do this cost me a few moments laying in my bed trying to fall asleep.

[u/mikewestgard]

A 3d scan of the log would give you everything you need to shape the countertop msterial.

There's probably an app for it.

[u/ObiWanKaStoneMe → u/mikewestgard]

This, OP. I think you found the analog method. Tick stick could work but you would need soooo many tracings to get he resolution you achieved here, it'd be chaos. The only other way is to go digital. 3D scan -> CAD -> print large format template -> apply to material and cut

[u/Melodic-Ad1415 → u/mikewestgard]

…always an app….

[u/Boggy59 → u/Melodic-Ad1415]

A Leica 3D Disto Laser would do a 3D scan of the entire space and let you map everything in relation to the tree. Used to be a $13K tool; don't know what the new versions go for. Tick sticks look like a lot more fun.

[u/mikewestgard → u/Boggy59]

Don't get me wrong, I love plummets and dividers for scribing joinery. It's a competitive world out there, I agree with the shims and that seems effective with the resources available.

Also, tech.

[u/Strange_Inflation488]

Holy schnikes, that's a fun one. Super creative method you came up with. 👏

My first thought was to make a control "center" line, make two oversized halves, scribe to the trunk first, then scribe the outside of the circle.

Then figure out how to slide the counter down over the top of the tree.

[u/jdberger → u/Strange_Inflation488]

So ideally I would have scribed the trunk and then traced the outer diameter, but the top came out cut to exact finished diameter.

[u/Strange_Inflation488 → u/jdberger]

That tracks. Lol. I was thinking of doing like you did with the MDF. Scribe the MDF, fit them together, then use the MDF as a template with my jigsaw and router.

I've done something similar with radius staircases and pieces going around perfectly circular columns and pipes. But definitely not a tree! Lol. Good luck to you! 👍