Okay, so picture this: I had this crazy idea to make a, uh, “dancing” oak tree. Not actually dancing, of course, but with a kind of rubbery, flexible quality. Sounds weird, right? It started with me messing around in the workshop, as usual.

Finding the Right Wood

First, I needed some oak. I didn’t want any of that fancy, perfect stuff. I went for some rough-cut timber I had lying around – the kind with knots and imperfections. It just felt more… organic, you know?

Cutting and Shaping

I fired up my old bandsaw and started cutting the oak into these kinda wavy, uneven strips. I wasn’t going for precision here; I wanted it to look like it was almost moving, even when it was standing still. Think of it like those inflatable tube men outside car dealerships, but, you know, wooden.

• Cut oak into strips.
• Make them uneven.
• Avoid straight lines.

The “Rubber” Part

Now, this is where it gets tricky. I needed to make the wood flexible. Obviously, oak isn’t known for its bendiness. I experimented with a few things. First, I tried soaking the wood in water for days, it helps a bit for making it a little easy for bending.

Then I applied a series of these flexible joints– tiny metal hinges, basically.I carefully screwed these into the wood at intervals, Making sure they hidden.

It was all trial and error, I messed up a few times, splitting the wood or getting the hinges in the wrong place. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?

Putting it All Together

Finally, I started assembling the pieces. I used wood glue and clamps to hold everything in place while it dried. This part took forever, because I had to do it in sections to make sure the curves were just right.

The Finished Product (Sort Of)

So, the “dancing” oak timber… it’s… something. It bends and sways in a way that wood really shouldn’t. It’s definitely a conversation starter. Is it art? Is it a weird woodworking experiment? I don’t know, but I made it, and that’s what counts, I will show it to my little boy to see what’s his reaction.