Soon we returned along the road and found the fallen, withered tree. The tree was as thick as a bucket, and we would have to cut it down to take it with us.
I did bring a saw, but after pressing the saw teeth into the cross-section of the tree, I found that the teeth didn't go in very deep, and the resistance was quite considerable.
I frowned. This felt like hardwood, and a very hard one at that.
They are called hardwoods because they are generally denser than ordinary trees, and now that they are dry, it would probably take a lot of effort to saw them off.
Although I was somewhat unwilling, I wasn't the kind of person who would stubbornly refuse to give up. Physical strength is precious in the jungle, so it wouldn't matter if it was just some low-intensity work.
However, wasting a lot of energy on a piece of nice furniture is definitely not a wise decision in the jungle.
Overexertion can strain your muscles, and the jungle is full of unexpected situations. It's no different from courting death to cause problems for something that isn't even that important.
I decisively abandoned the decision and went to the eucalyptus forest to cut down a light eucalyptus tree and carried it back.
In contrast, eucalyptus is much easier to process. As long as it can be used in the wild, there is no need to pay too much attention to its appearance.
After carrying the tree to the vicinity of my residence, I cut it into planks, just like I had done with the planks before, to fit together the tabletop.
The remaining part was replaced with four 50-centimeter wooden beams and some short wooden beams for splicing and fixing.
I plan to make a low table for tatami mats, so that Top and I can find some wood to sit at and eat.
Eating food laid out on the ground makes me feel like a street vendor, or like some Indian guy. If I can live a more comfortable life, I won't hold back my imagination.
This eucalyptus tree was much easier to process than the wood used for making turntables before; the saw quickly cut out planks of the appropriate length.
The modified wooden boards were still pieced together in the same way to make a tabletop, with mortise and tenon holes drilled into them.
After doing carpentry for so long, my skills have improved a lot. I can now make some of the things that my grandfather used to make, and they look quite similar to what I used to see him make.
I have a chisel in my hand, so I'll carve out the tenons for the legs of those wooden blocks, and then drive in triangular wedges for the tenons before splicing them together.
This thing is hailed as the ancestor of expansion bolts; as long as it's not damaged by human intervention, it can last for decades without breaking.
Once the finished table legs are hammered into place, they are secured to the pre-drilled mortise and tenon joints, and a delicate and compact table is complete.
Since it also comes with its own white ceramic tabletop, I'm too lazy to sand the wooden tabletop. I'll just apply some leather glue to the white ceramic tabletop and attach it.
The harpy eagle was pacing restlessly on the frame I had set up, and I knew it was probably hungry.
I still had half of the grouse I fed it yesterday, so I chopped it all into small pieces and fed it to the harpy eagle, meat and bones included.
After yesterday's adjustment period, the harpy eagle is no longer afraid of me and can come to my hand to find food.
It seems that this method of building a bond with dogs is also applicable to birds of prey. However, I've been a bit busy lately and haven't been able to provide systematic training for harpy eagles.
Otherwise, you could ride an eagle out to hunt small prey without lifting a finger, and hunting would be a piece of cake, with a decent harvest easily achieved.
Hunger made the harpy eagle and I grow closer quickly, but this guy has been at home for a few days and still doesn't have a name. What should we name him?
As I rested my chin on my hand, I thought about a documentary where the Native Americans called large birds of prey that fly in the sky "Patka," which means "brave bird."
“Top, how about we call it Pat?” I said to Top, pointing to the harpy eagle as I rested my chin on my hand.
Top tried several times to befriend the harpy eagle, but it treated him like a quick meal, so Top didn't have any good feelings towards him to begin with.
Now, when I mentioned the harpy eagle, Top rolled his eyes at it, turned his back to it, and completely ignored it.
That expression was as if it was saying to me, "What you name it is none of my business. You can name it Dog Egg and I won't mind."
I looked helplessly at these two sworn enemies and sighed. Fine, I'll decide for myself...
The next morning, I cooked some taro and dried meat soup. Today was the day to open the kiln, and there wasn't much to prepare. Let's see how many good pottery pieces we can get.
I heard the old man say that pottery can also fail to be fired, and the quality of a kiln of pottery can only be judged after the kiln is opened and examined.
Today I'm going to the kiln with my basket on my back again. I can just put the smaller pottery pieces in the basket and bring them back.
Arriving at the kiln shed, the surrounding land was muddy due to another heavy rain yesterday.
However, the ground inside the shed remained dry, indicating that the waterproofing of the shed's roof was quite effective.
I went to the kiln and touched the wall of the kiln. After cooling overnight, the kiln was completely cold.
I opened the top layer of sealing clay and moved the stone slab that was pressing it down. The morning light illuminated the darkness inside the kiln, and the soft reflection instantly lifted my spirits.
This isn't the reflection from pottery, it's porcelain! Under high-temperature firing, this kaolin clay has been vitrified.
Porcelain is harder, and its overall performance surpasses that of pottery.
The white glaze I applied earlier has completely and evenly melted onto the surface of the porcelain, making it look as warm and smooth as Hetian jade.
I carefully took out the porcelain pieces one by one. With each piece I took out, I felt incredible. It was like a dream. I actually succeeded in firing it for the first time!
The yield rate of the porcelain did not disappoint me. Except for two plates where the glaze cracked a bit during firing, the other porcelain pieces were ready for sale in the market.
I'm very satisfied with this result. It's inevitable that some flawed pieces will appear during the firing process. And considering that only one or two pieces were defective out of so many pieces, I'm already quite pleased with myself.
Especially when I got the one-meter-long piece of ceramic to use as a tabletop, I felt that the firing process had been very successful.
This square ceramic piece, with an area of one square meter, is no ordinary piece. The old man once said that such a long span is prone to slight deformation during the firing process, either warping or sinking in.
However, the ceramic piece in front of me has four distinct edges and corners, and its surface is smooth and flat, with no visible signs of warping or dents.
This ceramic piece is just as regular as the tiles sold in building material stores, making it an excellent choice for a dining tabletop.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com