Finding Minnesota

EDINA, Minn. (WCCO) ― There's nothing particularly compelling about a piece of discarded wood. Not unless you are a carpenter with an eye for things that are exquisite, underneath the surface.

Now at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska there is a first-of-its-kind display called the "Spring Trunk Show."

While it's a term used by the fashion industry, if you look closely at this art exhibit, you'll see it's just as easy to call these creations stunning.

This is the first time that Edina carpenter Virgil Leih has put his elaborate woodwork on display for the public to see. Each piece began as a tree trunk.

Leih gave WCCO's Angela Davis a personal tour, stopping to describe each of the 20 pieces in the collection.

"This is a piece of cottonwood. Very fast growth. Each one of these rings is a year's worth of growth. It's considered a trash wood, good for nothing but when you see it put into a form and you're able to see the grain exposed it is a beautiful wood," he said.

One piece reminded resembled a swordfish.

"At one time this was this was in the shape of a barrel, if you can imagine this. This piece stood on end and the bark was out here. This grain, it's like you're standing in the middle of the tree and looking to the outside of the bark. And you see in this concaveness a grain that you never, ever get to see," explained Leih.

Not many people would look at discarded tree trunks and see a thing of beauty but Leih does. He rescues gigantic pieces of wood that would otherwise be headed to a landfill or chipped up to be burned at a power plant.

Leih goes to the places that city crews dump the debris from trees that are cut down because of storm damage or disease. He hauls the trunks away on a truck with a trailer and takes them to his workshop in Bloomington.

And that's where the magic happens. Trash is transformed into treasure.

Leih's tools are just as impressive as the wooden artwork that takes shape on them. He has chainsaws that have blades that are 4 feet long. There was one work in progress -- a tree trunk that had just arrived and was still covered with bark.

"There is a sphere inside of this, so what I would do is start trimming this down with the chainsaw ... cut this off back here and then ultimately pick this up with a forklift and then bring this over to the lathe. But I gotta get the bark off first cause there's as lot of dirt and sand in this," he said.

For starters, there is a huge lathe that he traveled to Massachusetts to buy. He paid $15,000 for it.

"This lathe was built in 1917 by Grand Rapids, Michigan firm called Oliver ... nobody makes a lathe like this anymore," said Leih.

Leih had it rebuilt so that he could use it for the most critical stage of his wood working process. It's big enough to handle the weight and length of a big tree trunk.

"This would be turning, the chain would turn and then we'd begin score down until the scoring had a perfect circle all the way around that tree trunk. This is the beginning step of making it uniform throughout."

The next step involves drying out the wood, and for that, Leih needed a super-sized microwave. So, with the help of a friend, he built one.

It has a turntable inside of it just like the ones at home, except this microwave is 8 feet high and 4 feet wide.

Through trial and error Leih figured out how long it takes to reduce the moisture in the tree trunks to prevent the wood from cracking. The process takes one to three weeks.

Now to get that beautiful glossy finish, Leih uses shellac. Ten coats of it. Clearly, there are no shortcuts when it comes to exposing natural beauty.

You can see the "Spring Trunk Show" at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska now through Sunday, May 3. It's in the lobby of the Visitors Center.

And if you want to meet Virgil Leih and ask him some questions, he'll be there on Sunday, April 26 and Sunday, May 3 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Leih is planning to sell his artwork after the show ends.

For more on Leih's artwork and the exhibit at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum click on the links below. 
Tree Trunk Art From Virgil Leih
MN Landscape Arboretum: Spring Trunk Show

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