To Create Beautiful Things from a Beautiful Thing

I enjoyed reading A Reverence for Wood by Eric Sloane. My wife, Rebecca, gave this to me recently as a gift. The book highlights the important role that wood has played in the development of American life and culture and touches on topics such as the aesthetics of wood, wooden implements, and carpentry.

Mr. Sloane rightly comments ~

That century of magnificent awareness preceding the Civil War was the age of wood. Wood was not accepted simply as the material for building a new nation – it was an inspiration. Gentle to the touch, exquisite to contemplate, tractable in creative hands, stronger by weight than iron, wood was, as William Penn had said, “a substance with a soul”. It spanned rivers for man; it built his home and heated it in the winter; man walked on wood, slept in it, sat on wooden chairs at wooden tables, drank and ate the fruits of trees from wooden cups and dishes. From cradle of wood to coffin of wood, the life of man was encircled by it.

I also found this an enjoyable inclusion ~

The heft and feel of a well-worn handle,
The sight of shavings that curl from a blade;
The logs in the woodpile, the sentiment of huge beams in an old-fashioned house;
The smell of fresh cut timber and the pungent fragrance of burning leaves;
The crackle of kindling and the hiss of burning logs.
Abundant to all the needs of man,
how poor the world would be without wood.

Everard Hinrichs

There is something about wood ~ something about working with it that I find enjoyable. I consider it a blessing to create with wood; to create beautiful things from a beautiful thing.

JIM

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Made to Order ~ Wall Art Featuring Micah 6:8

We certainly enjoyed creating this recent custom order. You can read about how the need for this particular piece came about over at the Phillips family’s Blog.

Here are the simple steps the Phillips family took in placing their order for their personalized Wall Art.

1. They contacted us with the following details for their Wall Art:

~ Text & font
~ Desired dimensions
~ Finish choice (This particular piece was painted with their choice of color. The lettering was carved and then painted black.)

2. We provided a digital rendition (pictured below) for their approval.

Since this particular piece was ordered unframed, we provided the Phillips family with a few options (pictured below) of edge profiles for their consideration.

3. Upon approval, we began production of their custom order.

4. We shipped their order within a week.

Their new Wall Art looks lovely in their home. We want to thank the Phillips family for their kind testimonial ~

“We are so grateful to Gathering Wood for the beautiful sign which they crafted for our home. The quality is unsurpassable! Our family recommends Gathering Wood for their excellent customer service, attention to detail, and talented abilities in custom woodworking.”

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Made to Order ~ Pride Stick

An Assistant Football Coach from a local high school contacted us about a rather unique project. To motivate their defensive players, this high school created a tradition in which they award each game’s defensive MVP with the honor of having their name inscribed on a Pride Stick. The previous game’s MVP takes possession of the Stick and gets to carry it onto the field during the subsequent game.

This is what they brought to us a week before their Awards Banquet.

In keeping with the theme of the Stick, we were asked to carve onto a 2″ x 6″ piece of Douglas Fir. It was also requested that we carve the game scores of the season along the narrow edges of the Stick.


As requested, we painted the carved lettering with the school’s color purple and finished off with several coats of clear gloss. Later, at the Season’s End Awards Banquet, the Pride Stick is presented to the player who was awarded with the most MVP honors.

Here is the finished Pride Stick.

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