buy a song, benefit the environment

Ok, I'm a Patagonia fan.  I don't climb mountains, or do million mile walk-a-bouts, but that hasn't kept me from enjoying this very cool, environmentally sensitive company's clothes for decades.  And, they just gave me another reason to LOVE.  This new benefit, "buy a song, benefit the environment" is perfect.  I will be "benefiting the environment" today, if in no other way than with a song. 

Gospel, Grits and Greens

Love the new marketing campaign that the Alabama Mountain Lakes association kicked of yesterday at the beautiful Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail/the Shoals club house yesterday.  Gospel, Grits and Greens.  Linda and I just happened to show up with our dear friend Sucy Canon and her mom.  Sucy is visiting from the Baton Rouge and wanted to seem the 14' long solid  conference table that's been on display at the clubhouse for several months.  Can't wait to see just how the group celebrates Alabama's Gospel, Grits, and Greens throughout the year! 

Timberframe, american made screws

This is a pic of the underside of a walnut console table we were working on Friday.  We mortise out a little 1" deep  area for the leg to set in.  And use these oversized, massive timberframe screws to attach our heavy legs to the top.  They, just like our logs and our furniture, are made right here in the USA.

Modern sofa in solid oak slabs

Modern sofa in solid oak slabs.  Our first sofa is made from only four solid oak slabs.  The back slab has the remains of the natural edge of this big, local oak tree.  Next week, I'll get the dimensions of these new tables and add to the appropriate photo galleries on the website.

rotten oak dining table

This amazing dining table has to be the roughest one yet.  This slab must have had an unusually tough time either while in the log, or during the drying process as a slab of lumber.  The color is amazing.  Worm holes throughout.  Clearly the rotting process started many years ago.  But after air drying for a couple of years, then a month or so in the kiln, nature's artistic skills in the areas of rot, decay, and worm holes can be seen in our gallery.  Just let us know if you'd like to make an appointment.

Brand new - modern walnut chaise chair

Here's v.02 of this funky chaise chair.  Our modern walnut chaise chair.  It's  a couple of inches taller (still very low) and the back is a couple inches taller than v.01 (the one in cherry). 

brand new - modern cherry chaise chair

We've been thinking  a lot about seating this year, and it has nothing to do with my 54th birthday coming up this summer.

This funky solid cherry low slung, kindof a chaise, sort of a chair just arrived out of the finishing room today, and straight into a photo shoot.  If it looks low it is.  And if it looks like it's made from some of our saved cherry scraps from other tables, it is.

finishing friday

It's friday, and we are finishing our week's work with our hand rubbed tung oil/linseed oil blend.  In addition to a walnut bench, maple bench, and a beautiful walnut console, we have a couple of really unique items, at least for us.  A modern walnut slab dining chair, made very much like the walnut slab low chair that came out of the finishing room a couple of weeks ago.  Also Linda's new favorite, and a piece that you'll be seeing in our High Point Spring Market in a few weeks, a 30" x 36" dining table (for two) pictured left.

IHFC Preview Publications

Yesterday we received the three IHFC Preview Publications for Spring Market.  We will have a big presence in the Resource Guide (that isn't available until the first day of the show), but we didn't purchase any advertising in these "Preiew" guides.  But that doesn't mean we aren't quite visble here.  In total our new products are featured nine times in these three guides.  The above right pic features our St Luke MB table thats over 4'x8'.

making two natural walnut timber tables

With less than a month before the High Point Spring Market, we are scampering around doing almost nothing that doesn't involve the show.  This will be our first showing in what I believe to be the best wholesale furniture location in the world, IHFC InterHall, and we are hoping to make a splash.  The space is a little on the little side, and it feels important to get it right. 

After marking off the booth space in our studio, it's apparent that most of our FULL sized furniture just won't fit.  So we are making a few smaller than normal pieces for the show.  Here we are using our panel saw to cut a matching pair of natural walnut timber tables.  Although I haven't measured the thickness yet, these little ones must be in the 6" thick range.  They should be finished and ready for pics by the end of next week.

thank you steve jobs

It was great seeing the great Steve Jobs last night (on the news).  Back doing what he seems to do best - showing off/selling his latest creation (or recreation).  Looking so frail, it has to make you wonder if this might be his last presentation, and just how Apple will transition without it's creator.

I've been a Steve Job's fan since purchasing his first Mac in '84 - gosh has it been 27 hears!  Steve's combination of out of this world creativity, business acumen, attention to detail, and acceptance for nothing (or very little) short of excellence is impressive.  Thank you Steve for the wonderful products, but even more for being an amazing role model.

I hadn't been interested in the Ipad previously, but after seeing his presentation, it seems like the perfect way to display our creativity at the next trade show (if it's available in time).

Art is in the Soul of the artist

I receive Seth Godin's blog on my phone.  And I seem to only take a look at it while I'm waiting for something.  Waiting in the doctor's office, waiting on Linda  somewhere, or  . . .  Over the weekend, I waited in the car for just a few minutes for her to pick up some produce at Aldi, and caught up on a few of Seth's posts.  I've often wondered about "art", and he shared a wonderful description. Art is in the Soul of the artist.  Makes sense to me.  And I really like that the description leaves the "artist" part wide open.  Since I think I've always felt that the artist is nature.  And the art that I seem to be most impressed with comes from nature's soul.  Here's Seth's blog post: 

Art is what we call...

the thing an artist does.

It's not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human.

Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It's in the soul of the artist.

From SethGodin/blog

tennessee river sun therapy

Wonderful, restful afternoon catching up on some reading while basking in the brilliantly shimmering sun.  During the winter, I appreciate these sunny days to catch up on my much needed sun therapy.  Our currently vacant condo is overlooking Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River (facing due South).

Sustainable Saturday

Another beautiful, warm Saturday in February.  Between the tornadoes and blizards we've had some amazing weather this winter, and this day has been no exception.  This morning I met my buddy David McAffee (McAffee Mechanical) and a couple of his electrician friends at the studio to install the fan and duct work for our new spray room.  In our continuing effort to leave a light environmental footprint, we will soon be using waterborn finishes with no VOC's (volatile organic compounds).  We will certainly be the minority as far as VOC's are concerned.  Hopefully, within a few year's we'll all be there.  This pic is of David installing the exterior louvered exhaust panel.  Sustainable Saturday

It's already friday - and like most friday's we are "finishing"

Gosh, time flies!  We are all in quite a whirlwind getting ready for this next High Point Market.  But it's already Friday again, and as usual, we are applying our hand rubbed tung oil finish to a few pieces. As you can see, we are still thinking about seating and walnut benches.  Many first's here.

new sassafras bench, maple bench, and walnut timber table

   

Here's the last of the pics of the tables we've made recently.

In order is a "bent sassafras" bench, a maple bench with a comfy seat cut out on the end, and a three timber walnut coffee table.

Just finished - maple coffee tables and benches

     

We just finished these beautiful maple coffee tables and benches.  This is not (or maybe it is) your grandma's maple furniture.  Made from locally sourced maple logs, flitch cut thick, keeping the natural edges that were just inside the bark.  If you have no idea what i'm talking about, please touch.  Maple coffee tables and benches.

Maple consoles just finished

We've just haven't worked much maple in the past.  Just recently, we received our flitch cut, natural edge maple lumber back from the kiln.  And what a treat it's been working with this beautiful species.  Although it seems like it might crack just a bit more than some, I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.  The color is wonderful, but I'm even more impressed with the wild natural edges of this maple furniture.  If you like wood, you've gotta run your hand down the edge of one of these.

     

walnut chairs

  

Chairs and seating have been on the forefront around here.  We've already made several iterations, with more coming.  And, have the parts made for a dining chair version of the walnut chair on the left.  The designer may or may not want to add custom cushions or pillows.

I just did my monthly or so photo shoot and have more interesting pieces too share.  I'll be back with them just as soon as I crank Photoshop up and silhouette a few more.

Beautiful wild cherry tree begins a new adventure

I was so glad to hear from Gayle and Doug Evans when they called several months ago.  They have/had a beautiful old wild cherry tree right behind the house for the 30+ years that they've lived there on Lelia.  We'll have to do a growth ring count, but I'm guessing it's been there a century or longer.  Well, the tree service business is good around here, and this majestic wild cherry tree came down yesterday.  I left my 20' trailer parked in front of the house all day, and around 4:00 Doug called to say the bulk of the trunk was sitting on my trailer in three parts.

I'm going to stop back by next week and help them cut down and remove the bottom 4' of the trunk.  Now all these pieces might look like junk or good land fill, but I'm seeing a few beautiful tables here.  Really looking forward to placing them in the sawmill, and getting started on the next life of this beautiful old wild cherry tree.  Stay tuned.