In cleaning out a cabin on my farm in 2013, I came across an
old rustic wood table, made from tree branches.
My wife saw this piece during the cleanup process, and suggested that we
take it home.
It now lives on our back
porch, sporting the decorations of the season.
Over time she hinted that she would like me to make her another table
like that one.
I meditated on the project for months, mentally putting
small logs together. Finally I reached
the point of execution. I examined in
detail the table construction and went after the building materials. I harvested a number of small trees from the dam
of my farm pond. (Who let those trees
grow on the dam anyway?)
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| My first table creation |
I pulled out some cedar planks trimmed off another project
and used those for the table top. Then I
crafted the legs, based on the prototype discovered in my cabin. This whole process took a number of hours as
I bent nails, pre-drilled nail holes, and broke off three drill bits. This project proved more challenging than I
had imagined. With the project
apparently complete, I checked its stability:
so wobbly, I would not trust it to hold a stack of Richard Rohr
books. After adding two more stabilizing
pieces, I declared the project complete.
Later I learned that hickory logs present particular challenges for nail
driving. So that’s what hickory looks like,
eh.
My wife loved the table.
She sent photos to her sister, who of course wanted one for her
porch. I had my second commissioned
project. This time I pulled out my magic
tool. I had never used the nail gun that
came with my air compressor, but suspected that it would suit my purposes
perfectly. Sure enough, it turned me
into a fastening hardware wizard. Not
only was it efficient, it was fun.
With this second table complete, I had my sister-in-law’s
birthday present all ready. There was
only one problem. My wife liked that
table too. It was a perfect match to the
first table, and, well, she really needed it.
Of course.
By now, I found myself enjoying this new hobby. I selected all cedar wood for this next
project, because now I was an artist. In
no time I fashioned another table for the birthday, and it now proudly resides
on a suburban porch in Raleigh.
I looked for the next project. I found some wood from a fallen barn on my
farm and popped together tables and shelves of various shapes and sizes. To raise funds for my mission trip to Uganda
in April, I sold tables to my neighbors.
Now I find myself working in the garage in my spare time,
taking my natural materials and fashioning one-of-a-kind creations. This wood from my dam became works of
art. Now I have dreams of marketing my
Dam Wood Tables as a small business.
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| Never meant to be firewood |
Last month my family spent a couple of nights in a cabin
along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As we
stacked firewood on the porch, a piece of split pine called out to me; its curvy
grain could not bear to be burned, so we brought it home. It is now a small stool sitting on my
hearth. My family protested my plans to
sell it, so I suppose we will keep it as a memento of our trip to the Parkway.
Through this brief foray into rustic furniture construction,
I have learned some important lessons. First, the materials often determine the
project. When I pick up a piece of wood,
I imagine what this piece wants to become.
With one board I planned to make a table, but I could not determine
where to cut it. Then I realized the
board’s real purpose. With two cedar
logs supporting it, the board now serves as a small bench on my front porch. It was never meant to be a table. I have spent far too much energy forcing my
will on objects, situations, and people.
Second, my techniques improve through trial and error. I rarely get it right in my first attempt,
but I learn as I go. This applies to
everything from parenting to pastoring to building. My latest tables have firm legs without all
the bracing. The more I do this, the
better I get, as long as I keep learning.
Finally, I am learning what it means to be an artist. God has made me to be creative; I am made in
his image, and he is the Creator. In my
work, whatever it is, I seek God’s guidance to make something beautiful and
useful. Some pieces I like so much that
I hesitate to part with them. They may
only be sold to good homes where they will be loved and appreciated. Or we may just keep them.
You can find more photos of my work on Twitter,
@damwoodtables.
So, the most important Valentine question may be the question you ask God: 
