One of the things on my bucket list is to learn how to create with wood. Several of my family members are skilled in this area, and their talent makes me envious. Although I have designed pieces of furniture on paper or in my mind many times, I don’t possess the tools or the knowledge to make them a reality. At Christmas, I was discussing my desire to learn this skill with my brother, who makes absolutely beautiful furniture, carved bowls, cutting boards, and more…He said, “It’s easy. You take big pieces of wood and make them smaller and put them together.” Well, easy for him, maybe, who started working on his craft when he was a teenager.

Yesterday, we spent time with him and his wife, and we went out to his woodworking shop because he wanted to show me a table that he had made. But while we were there, he started showing me all of the projects that are currently just pieces of wood. He can essentially look at a slice of a tree and see the furniture in his mind—just as I see projects come together when I see textiles and fibers.

He has a sawmill, and people bring him trees that have fallen in storms or that have been cut down by tree removal service, etc. He salvages as much of the usable wood as possible to use in his woodworking shop or to use as building material. When building his home, he used mostly reclaimed wood or salvaged wood. And his home is beautiful and full of character!

While we were looking around his shop, I asked him if he had any scraps for me to use in a project that I have in mind. I found these pieces in a box of scraps. In thinking of all of the possibilities, the one that came to the forefront of my mind was wooden blocks for the girls. The wood had been partially finished by a cabinet maker who had been using his shop, and it was a very fine grain wood so I don’t think that splinters will be a problem.

I asked if he would mind showing me how to use some of his tools and make the blocks for the girls. He showed me how to use a table saw and chop saw, and I grabbed a scrap piece of sandpaper to smooth the newly-sawn edges of the blocks.

As we were standing by his chop saw, I noticed his box of scraps under it. There were a couple of pieces of wood that I thought were too nice for firewood. (He uses his scrap lumber in an outdoor furnace with which he heats his home.) Two of the pieces I envisioned as book ends, and another as small cutting board or serving board. We cut the pieces and sanded them, and I will be showing them to you along with the process of applying hemp oil in another post.

Here is a picture of Sherman sanding a round piece of wood that I want to use as a trivet or board to serve homemade bread.

And here is where he showed me how to use a jointer to smooth and straighten the edge of a scrap that I rescued to use as a cutting board or cheese serving board. He had let me cut it on the table saw, but I had pushed it through the saw too slowly, which scorched the cut edge, and at the end of the cut, I accidentally messed up the cut by not keeping it exactly straight. Obviously, I have a lot to learn before I start producing high-quality furniture. :-)

While there we took some pictures of this finished table. I will be listing more of his items for sale on my website, but you can find this table listed here now. I need to get exact measurements from him because I didn’t think to do so when we were there.

And later this week, I will be taking pictures and listing the carved wooden bowls that he makes. He gave me this one for Christmas:

And here is a picture of the selection that he offered us to choose from at our Christmas gathering.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him and getting to dream and create together. And I am really excited about making his handiwork available to you! So far, this has been a hobby for him because he is a full-time helicopter pilot and uses his limited spare time to create.

When we showed up at his house, I was quite amused by the fact that we had selected very similar outfits for the day. He was wearing a light blue shirt with khaki pants, and I was wearing a blue sweater with light grey pants. I asked my husband to take a picture of the two of us.

I hope to spend many more hours with him in his woodworking shop, creating together and simply enjoying quality time with my older brother. He is an amazing man, and I don’t want life to pass by without enjoying the gift of our relationship.

An Afternoon in the Woodworking Shop