| This Port Orford Cedar split into three parallel trunks, so I sliced them and used one half for the seat and the other for the back. The arms are made from additional splits further up the tree. Like the Shore Pine benches, it is set on rocks to preserve its life and provide a base for its uneven countours. |
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The main support for this chair is the horizontal trunk of the Port Orford Cedar, which is still attached to its roots. It is called a catapult chair because if the chain breaks, the chair will catapult you across to the other side of the garden. When the cedar uprooted in the windstorm, the weight of the top held the trunk horizontal. As soon as I removed all but the lower fifteen feet for the bench, the tree spring back upright with a powerful force. I dug a hole, filled it with 600 pounds of concrete, winched the tree back down again, and held it in place with a chain. |
The back of catapult chair is a four-inch thick slab cut from one of the downed trees. I cut the end of the trunk at an angle of 110 degrees with the ground, and attached the slab with lag bolts. The seat, cut from the same long, will be bolted to the back at 100 degrees, giving it a 10 degree slope from the ground. The two cedar branches in the picture will form the arms and provide bracing for the seat. Both seat and back will be cut to their final shape when everying is in place. More soon.