I
have updated this page by correcting a few spelling errors and clarifying some
of my statements.
05/20/07
I
call my little effort here, “PTville Artistry in Wood” and although some items
are for sale, it is not a business and I am not a professional woodworker. I am a 100% disabled
Off
and on over the past many decades, I have had the opportunity to either have a
wood shop or use someone else’s. Those
times have been most enjoyable for me. I
enjoy working with my hands which is why wood working is my therapy now. The work shop is a lot of fun and sometimes I
focus on the joy of using the power tools (that’s why they’re called “power”
tools) however; wood is the thing that I love above all the rest. I have found that even the most mundane pine
board at the lumber yard has an inner beauty and uniqueness. As I work with each piece of wood, I discover
the smell and feel of it and I discover its inner self. I have discovered that I like the pieces of
wood that are not perfect but have strong grain patterns and even knots and
other “imperfections” much more than the “perfect” pieces. I even like pieces that have bark and other
“inclusions”.
I
have also discovered something else. Our
Creator has given wood character. Some
species of wood have strong grain patterns and figure which vary from piece to
piece. Sometimes He gives us surprises
with drastic color changes or the figure that is found in a piece of burl. He also puts bacteria, worms and bugs to work
to change and enhance the wood. Certain
bacteria cause a spalting in certain species that will give us colors such as
gray, blue, and even red. Worms drill
holes and tunnels that, once exposed, add a special and unique beauty to the
wood. With all of these things, how can
someone like me not want to work in wood?
I
opened my current work shop in 2000 and came upon a very good quality scroll
saw. After I got the hang of it, I began
making religious plaques out of common woods such as pine and cedar. The work was very satisfying and I found that
I loved scroll sawing the pine and cedar.
I also worked in walnut, oak, cherry and any other fine wood I could get
my hands on.
But
something more was needed. Something was
needed to open up the wood and see what was inside. Consequently, I purchased a lathe in early
2004 and began the difficult process of learning how to turn wood on it. Scroll sawing is a “piece of cake” compared
to wood turning. A fine piece of wood
can be destroyed in a micro second if a turning tool is used wrong. After I got the hang of the lathe (more of
less), I discovered all the beautiful grain, figure and “imperfections” that
our Creator had put inside the piece of wood.
The piece of wood was hiding those features and waiting to be opened up
to show itself.
The
wood used in my projects is carefully selected.
The scroll sawed work requires flat pieces that are not too thick. I go to a favorite lumber store and go
through the wood piles to find the special boards I need for the projects I
have in mind. I am also a terrific
scrounge and will snatch up any nice looking piece of wood I can find. My shop in
The wood for the turned pieces is a little
different. Some of the wood I have to
purchase because it is either not available locally or is an exotic wood. These pieces of wood can be very
expensive. A piece of a domestic wood
such as curly maple in 3” x 3” x 8” might cost over $5.00. A much bigger piece of plain maple for a bowl
might cost over $25.00. Some wood is
even more expensive and may be very hard to get. These high prices are why something that
looks pretty simple to turn and should be rather inexpensive might be very
expensive.
But
there is something about wood turning that is different from scroll sawing or
any other wood working. I can pick up a
log along the side of the road and, within some limits, turn it. Last summer (2004), in the area of
Ptville
offers a variety of hand crafted wooden items for sale sometimes. I am not a “professional” woodworker and I do
not make a living from my woodworking.
At present, I offer scroll sawed items and hand turned items. In both cases, you will notice that the
wooden items show strong grain patterns, knots, and color variations of the
wood. I attempted to maintain the
natural appearance of the wood and retain the character of the grain and
“imperfections” particularly for the scroll sawed items. VERY seldom do I use any kind of stain on a
piece of wood and, if I do, it is only to enhance the grain of the wood. I DO NOT use laser cutting for the scroll
sawed items or other mass production methods like you will find in so many
other “hand made” wood items available at most craft shops. Each piece is hand made here in my shop and I
do not “farm out” work or use mass produced parts. The price of each item is based on the wood
and the difficulty in making the item.
PTville
does not stock items in quantity. Each
item may be similar to another but it is not exactly the same. I deliberately try to vary the design enough
so that each item is different and, thus, unique. I will use exotic woods but for the most part
I try to use domestic woods (from the
It
is remotely possible for me to make “special requests” of a particular item for
you. However, your “special request”
will have to fit into my shop schedule and it might take a long time to get to
your item. My shop is therapy and I have
certain restrictions on me as far as how much I can do even though I am in the
shop just about every day.
You
will notice many items of a religious nature in the scroll sawing gallery and
the catalog. I do not wish to offend
anyone, but these items reflect my belief system. If you make a “special request” that is
counter to my religious belief system, then I must reserve the right to refuse
to make it.
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