Back to the Woods

This week I find myself in Dickson, Tennessee on Johnny Watson's farm. We had this monster cherry to cut down due to signs of dying. Woodpeckers had started taking the bark and the base was hollow about 3 feet up. The rest of this beauty is solid and in about 2 weeks I will mill her up into some nice boards. We think the 2007 drought in middle Tennessee took its toll on a lot of timber up here. The red oaks were hit really hard. The majority of Johnny's farm is oak and I bet 20% is standing dead or falling trees. Lots of good firewood. The key is to get all the dead timber out before it catches fire. 

I finished a simple live edge stool this week for a client. These are fun to make. The finish is simple too using a shellac seal coat to brighten the wood then an oil/ varnish mix on top.

The shop has been rather quite lately but that is fixing to change. I have had lots of visitors but all the work has been "around the shop".Lots of chair orders to fill before the next block of classes begin so its back inside.