Wood

n. the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark.

Building anything from wood has been a passion of mine since early childhood. It is a passion that I often find myself returning to after long periods of being away from home, I just love it. I love picking up a board, log, branch, or old piece of furniture, finding the truth in it, letting it speak to me, and allow me to put it to work as something useful and beautiful above its own beauty.

I am no master craftsman and I cannot even say that I am more than a novice at the art of working with wood. I have however, picked up or created a few tricks throughout my life. I know what I like to see in a project and am not content until I achieve such. Quality workmanship is of utmost importance, also emphasizing unique artistic designs, practical utility, and natural materials from every project I endeavor.

This retro-inspired entertainment center was a simple project I created out of some reclaimed pallet lumber. The construction consisted of all various types of pines like white pine, hemlock, and perhaps some fir, finished with a few coats of linseed oil. This piece is fastened entirely with recycled pallet nails that were found lying around the shop floor. I milled in some grooves in the upper and lower boards to accept the upright pieces for a snug and more secure joint.

Here is another small project created out of what wood was at hand. I had no idea on a design, save for the need of a bookshelf, so I let the wood speak to me. Eat your heart out Ikea. Simple table saw milled joints cut into the rails to accept the shelves and fastened with some old copper nails for a touch of rustic class. After a quick sixteenth of an inch trimmed of of one leg she sat tall and true. The hardest part was finding the angles to cut the grooves for the joints. It came to be probably just under two degrees, set the sliding fence, zip zip zip, twenty minutes later, four complete rails emerged. There was no need for squaring or plumbing up, just lay it up, fasten, and hope for the best. If it looked right going together, it probably was. Trust your eye.

The utility of wood, this wonderful workable renewable resource, never seems to end. All of my projects thus far have been entirely of reclaimed and reused materials. It will be interesting to see how long I can continue this way. Perhaps as long as there will be free wood lying around, there is a project to be conceived.