From Log to Board to Serving Platter

Where to start?? We are renting a nice, big place in the tropics with lots of trees around us. Obviously it comes with a price to maintain and keeping trees, bushes at bay that the whole jungle does not get out of control....
It happened on a saturday afternoon - it always happens on the weekends - two huge branches broke off the biggest tree on the plot.

Slowly but surely the mess is being cleared but still many logs are waiting to be milled. Apparently its a Mangrove tree which we haven't confirmed yet. Regardless of that I can only say with every branch falling off because of monkeys or gravity or just the fact that in previous years maintenance was done with a simple machete rather than a strategic cut/trim for proper regrowth of the trees I feel sad as they contribute so much so that cool environment despite the heat all year around.

On the other hand we don't have to support the charcoal business anymore as I guess we won't run out of supply quickly. Who wants to join for BBQ?

But now to the actual "project".....
Some of the smaller logs I was able to cut with my own little setup.
Items used - a trustworthy STIHL MS290, Timbertuff TMS24 chainsawill, safety gear and quite some TIMBERFITNESS (thanks @Wranglerstar - find him also on youtube, FB) as one of those small logs about 1.5mtr long easily weighs up to 30kg.

Some of the milled boards here are from Neem - medicinal use, very good mosquito repellant etc., then the Mangrove if correct and another hardwood which we dont know. Not everybody is perfect so apologies for not knowing it all. To cut those logs has been tough, high fuel consumption, unsteady surface and the wood is really hard and dense. It cannot be compared with Cyprus or Pine and tools can be ruined quickly. Even the termites say no to HARDwood.
We have our limitations when it comes to a perfect setup and equipment as living here brings a shortage of good quality products unless you are willing to pay double or triple the price due to high import costs and some certain foreign fabrications are not always the best choice. There's no shop which has it all, its a tedious task to get bits and pieces together and the time spent on just a few miles/km can turn into hours. We are trying to work with what we have and we choose carefully what we wanna buy.

I didn't have anything specific in mind, I was just playing around and wanted to use raw linseed oil for the first time which has the consistency of honey and needs to be slightly thinned. I used the very first board of a log where you need to check the setup and adjust thickness etc. before you can more easily proceed with the next boards. I forgot to take pictures of the further steps - chiselling off the bark, grinding, sanding, smoothing and admiring the beautiful texture of it - sometimes I do, it just happens. At the end I decided for it to be a serving platter. For the bottom I used the raw linseed oil which gives the board its shiny, glossy and well protected finishing. As for the top I used food grade linseed oil to ensure you can arrange your favourite cold cuts and accompaniments and present this showstopper in the middle of your dining table.

It turned out really great and will find its way on the dining table at the next BBQ!
Thanks for yor time to read this rather long post today, usually not my style but might happen every now and then.
Wishing you all a very nice evening, stay safe - until next time!