My goal is to use the resources of space, time, equipment, knowledge, material, and creativity available to me to develop furniture that is attractive, comfortable and well crafted.
The tree I look for most often is Black Walnut. Though native to the East coast of the US and Europe, it grows very well here in the Willamette Valley in Western Oregon.
I do not remove the trees myself, but hire professional tree cutters to trim the tops of the tree and then fall the main trunk.
The logs are then hauled to my home by a self-loading log truck.
When the saw logs have been cut to a suitable length, the larger ones are then ripped into smaller sections that will fit into my saw mill.
I’d be in tough shape without a forklift!
The log sections are cut into boards in my small band saw mill.
Once the log is sawn into boards, the boards are then “stickered” with small strips to allow air to circulate and carry away moisture while the boards “air dry”. This can take up to two years, depending on the thickness of the boards.
The air dried boards are them placed in the dry kiln to remove the remaining moisture so they can be used in furniture.
After kin drying, the boards are then ready to be used.