From Your Tree to a Family Treasure

It will come as no surprise to those of you who know me (or those who have taken some time to delve into my site) that I have a particular reverence for wood. Since I was a young boy I have always saved pieces of special trees to make things from. From my dad’s beloved mimosa tree that finally succumbed to a hurricane, to “neat” pieces of firewood at a friend’s house or campground. I’ve made bowls, mirrors, lamps, boxes, and clocks from small pieces to beds, tables, chests, and desks from clients’ own logs. The living room floor and our kitchen island is made from trees that needed to be taken down to put up an addition on our house.

I believe that there are a lot of people who would get great enjoyment from having something made for them from a favorite or sentimental tree.

I’m not in the logging business and don’t plan to travel around the country cutting down trees, but if you have this special tree longing to be hewn into something magnificent, give me a call or drop me an email and I can advise you and make recommendations on how to proceed.

This page is truly a work in process. I have two such transformations documented here, but check back often as I have others in the works.

NY Tree to Many Treasures

	The clients had a two-stem walnut tree that was growing into their house. Much to their dismay, one of the two stems had to be cut down by a tree removal company.
I met with the clients at a craft fair and advised them how to have the tree sawn.	Once sawn, I put them in touch with a dry kiln I know of.
Their dining table was ready by Thanksgiving!	I then made a server…
A side table…	and some accessories… all from their own tree!

The Big Burl

This burl was on the side of the road of one of my favorite fall foliage drives, about seven miles from my shop. Someone had paid the Forest Service for a permit to harvest this beast and got it as far as the edge of the road and then couldn’t lift it. It broke the log truck. What happened next is a long story, but I finally got the “rights” to it. The Forest Service laughed and said it couldn’t be moved but I could give it a try if I bought a firewood permit. I hired my local mechanic, Davey (photo below), who slid it smoothly onto his car carrier. After delivering the burl to my studio, Davey heaved a sigh of relief that his truck bed wasn’t permanently sprung.
Davey, the Flatbed and the Burl.	Before it could be sawn into boards, it needed to be made smaller.
The first cut.	After being bucked into smaller pieces, it was wrestled on to the mill and sliced.
The burl yielded a large number of blanks that should make great book matched table tops and half round side tables.	The wood is then stickered and allowed to air dry or put into a kiln to hasten the process
The lumber is then moved into the shop to stabilize.	Then we wait...
Two coffee tables and a side table.