Sunday, October 16, 2016

thick and thin...

I have been storing woods in the barn which I built for that purpose. They've been in there for years, and I've been wondering what to do with all of it. Some may have not been worth my diligence in storing it, but nestled in are some treasures.

During the early part of the great recession, (2008) I was reminded of depression era furniture, which was made from bits and pieces of scrap wood that furniture makers would have ignored during more prosperous times. So I went to the barn and pulled from what I had and made tables, nearly all of which sold during those dark times for our economy. Depending on what comes of this election, the barn full of wood may come in handy again.

A friend wants a dining table, so I went to the barn to see what I have.  One lovely option would be to use some of 5 consecutively sawn 16 in. wide boards of spalted maple as a top. This was wood that I had arranged to be milled on site and that has air dried for over a dozen years.

Other material that I have, that would be interesting as a base for the table has a story attached.  It is walnut, and I bought it a dozen years ago from a man who just showed up with truck and trailer loaded and wanted to sell. It is in dimensions of up to 3 or 4 inches thick.  His story was that his father had milled the lumber and it was all that remained of his inheritance. He had worked with his father at what neighbors, had nicknamed “The Thick and Thin Lumber Company,” due to the fact that a single board might come out thick at one end and thin at the other. The good thing is that I have enough "thick and thin" wood to choose nice pieces that would work. Most of the lumber is much thicker than what I usually have in stock, and would make a massive base for a lovely table.

Yesterday, I mentioned having wood available to kids in various dimensions that would allow them to exercise their own creative inclinations. Having a barn with wood serves in that way for me.

In my wood shop I've been making boxes for an order from Appalachian Spring Galleries in Washington, DC.  The new wood studio at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts is coming along nicely. It will be in a lovely setting as you can plainly see.

Make, fix, create, and offer others the encouragement to learn likewise.

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