Thoughts on timber bonsai pots

[Tim.C]

Hi everyone,

Just said hello to wheels on his hello post, and must be losing it up top I think. He mentioned he makes slab furniture which is part of a hobby I've had for 10-15 years. I slab my own timber, make furniture and wood turn. The thought never occurred to me until saying hello to wheels, (and by no means do I want to take away from his carved pots or seem to steal his idea. Sorry if it appears that way, but I promise it's not), but I have a shed full of timber slabs and chunks that were cut years ago, and in this shed is also a wood lathe. What are you guys opinions on turned timber pots? I can't recall ever seeing to many (if any) round bonsai pots for starters, (so this may idea might die in the butt right there). If round pots are any good, what are your thoughts on finished turned timber pots? And if they would be any good, does anybody know what finishes (eg, polyurethane, epoxy, waxes etc), are harmful to live trees? Obviously they would have to be water and weather proof (which that part I know), but I don't want to make a nice looking pot that kills trees and is therefore useless. Is this worth doing in your opinions? And do you think a timber pot would work. My knowledge on bonsai pot requirements is next to none. I have lots of camphor laurel, iron bark, silky oak, gums, red cedar (not lots of cedar but a bit), kwila, png rosewood, sapelle mahogany, and more I can't think of at the moment. If pots are no good, at least I could build a couple of stands. (Not that I know what makes a good bonsai stand, but it wouldn't be hard to learn). Advice and thoughts and criticism welcome.

Tim

[shibui]

I think durability will be the biggest problem Tim. Bonsai require warm, damp conditions around the roots - perfect for wood rotting organisms. You have also mentioned the porosity problem. Most timber will absorb moisture out of the mix and dry the soil out quicker than normal.
I'm sure there are modern solutions for these problems that may make it more practical than in the past.

[Naimul]

sealing the interior might help with the absorbtion and might slow down the rotting of the pot, but then if you went to repot, the pot would probably need to be resealed. Timber pots might give the Tree an interesting ephemeral feel, as though the pot and tree age simultaneously and the tree eventually outgrow or wear away the pot.

[Tim.C]

Durability is one of my concerns also, but not my main concern. Camphor laurel is a timber that doesn't rot, or if it does it takes a very long time. Even the leaves of the tree don't rot or break down. And then there are other timbers that are great for exterior use like silky oak, American oak, kwila, western red cedar, etc. And then there's Douglas fir, which they make boats out of. I can get epoxy clear coats, or even use a clear fibreglass type finish. If the timber is seasoned properly and sealed properly, it can sit in water all day every day and never warp or crack. My main concerns are if any of the clear coats give off a fume after cured still that will kill the tree, (I have snakes and I can't use polyurethane clear coats inside thier enclosures, cause even when cured it gives off a faint fume that will kill the snake), so will this also effect the tree being around the roots? And do I need porosity in the pot?, as any clear coat to properly seal the timber will take away all porosity. Also I havnt come across round bonsai pots before, so I don't even know if round is a desired shape. (Not that I've been in the world of bonsai that long to come across that many pots at all). And just the aesthetic look. I don't want the beauty of the timber to take away from the tree. I kind of like the idea of a bonsai silky oak in a silky oak pot, or bonsai cypress pine in a cypress pine pot. Im thinking I might have to make one or two and wack a few different species of trees in them just to find out. They won't be bonsai, just sticks in pots for the test run. There's only three outcomes I suppose. The pot kills the tree, the elements and/or tree kills the pot, or they both live happily ever after. I'll post some pics when they're done, and hopefully get some opinions.

Tim

[Isitangus]

Hi Tim there are plenty of round bonsai pots so shape is not a problem, and if your confident that u can seal and stop any porosity then give them a crack! Not sure re odours/fumes sorry.
As for aesthetics I think u can go down 2 paths:
The first would be the highly polished turned piece of timber, as nice vanish or stain.
The second would be "au natural" (any interior sealing hidden), with no external coating. The benefit would be this would age as the tree does.
I think both would look great with the right tree and would love to see some. Many people create clay pots to look like timber so why not!


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[hugh grant]

I love the idea!
Ive thought about this sort of thing before, i think there would be a very good market for them.

I think the key to the aesthetic is for them not to become too highly varnished, so that they look wet when wood id over finished done.

Love the idea and would love to see something produced !!!

Hugh

[Tim.C]

image.jpg

Thanks Hugh, I agree with not going overboard in the finish. I'm thinking of doing either a satin finish or 30% gloss. 50% gloss at the most. I'm not a huge fan of high or full gloss. In my opinion full gloss is for grand pianos and street machines. That's it. But that's just me.

I dug that bowl out of the cupboard I turned out of camphor laurel about 6-7 years ago. (No good to make a pot out of, as it's only burnished wax finish), but I'm just thinking of doing them pretty similar shape to the bowl, but with slightly thicker sides than the one in the photo. I was a project manager for a high end designer timber furniture mob on the sunny coast for about 3 1/2 years, and the boss/designer's favourite saying was, "less is more. Clean smooth lines will always look good, and never date". By the time I left there I new exactly what he meant. He was bang on the money.

Oh... Nearly forgot to ask. Is there a sought of ratio, diameter to depth I should try to stick to. I'm assuming the bigger diameter I make them, the deeper they should be. But Im guessing if a 150mm pot is say 35-40mm deep, a 300mm pot won't be 70-80mm deep. As I said earlier, I'm new to bonsai and don't know a great deal about bonsai pots, (except the tree goes on the inside with the dirt), or should I vary the depth a little on the same diameter, eg make some 150mm pots 30mm deep, and some 150mm pots 40mm deep. I'm sort of winging it on this aspect.

Tim

[Pat K]

Hi Tim

I love your pot and if you can seal it I'm sure you'll have a market. As far as ratio goes, whatever feels and looks balanced!

There is one design must and that is 'feet'. Most bonsai people will insist on feet to allow drainage and I'm sure you don't want your pot to be sitting in a puddle. If you can't get to a bonsai nursery to have a look at some pots, try Bunnings....you'll get the idea.

I look forward to seeing more,
Pat

[bamboos]

Hi Tim
From memory one of our members --- regwac has a method of waterproofing timber.he uses it on burls etc and then uses them as pots.
He has a website but I don't know the address
So have search on this site and you should find the discussion
If you don't do any good give me a yell and I'll try to find the topic
Welcome
Steve

[Scooter_M]

You can use a paint, it's almost like a paint on waterproofing membrane. People use it on garden sleepers or veggies psych boxes. Rot will still get in eventually but you'll get a good few years before it even starts

[regwac]

I have hollowed out several burls and plain timber "bumps" and used them as pots . To REDUCE the amount and rate of rot I developed a glue/cement based sealant which has served me well . Timber is an organic product and it will rot ! It is only a question of time .
Several of my sealed pots and one unsealed have given five years of service as Bonsai pots without signs of degrading .
I prefer the natural look of a tree stump but a turned bowl has attraction too .

[Andrew F]

I have hollowed out several burls and plain timber "bumps" and used them as pots . To REDUCE the amount and rate of rot I developed a glue/cement based sealant which has served me well . Timber is an organic product and it will rot ! It is only a question of time .
Several of my sealed pots and one unsealed have given five years of service as Bonsai pots without signs of degrading .
I prefer the natural look of a tree stump but a turned bowl has attraction too .

Any chance of some pics with trees in the burls?

[Pearcy001]

Any chance of some pics with trees in the burls?

+1.

[regwac]

I found a couple of pics . Two burls and one branch junction . Plus one monster who washed up in a flood , have not seen the tree to match him ( it must be male ) yet . Someone will know the right tree . Cheers Graham

[Tim.C]

They're some nice stumps and burls regwac. Do you seal the outside with anything, or just use your glue/ cement mix where the plant goes? The reason I ask is resend do a product called aquapel. It's not a lacquer or epoxy or anything like that, it's more like an oil, (but not), it soaks into the timber and water just beads straight off it. Pretty good stuff, and will increase longevity of the timber. Also prevents rot and mould, and will stop it from going as grey.

Tim