I have spent almost my entire life enjoying working with wood and other materials. This enjoyment has been accentuated by time spent in nature taking in the many forms that occur there. Fair lines are an important part of my work whether it is in wood turnings, stone works, or the wooden boats I have worked on. I am fortunate to have a small but diverse wood lot that gives plenty of naturally down wood to work with. I also have been making and collecting tools since I was a kid and am constantly learning and incorporating new techniques into my work. Wood is a nearly infinite canvas of complexity and diversity that provides eons of expression for both the artist and the beholder.

On my lot, and around my area I have a diverse supply of wood. I work with trees that have fallen naturally as these trees tend to have more character than usual. I also seek out the "odd" parts of downed trees as these are normally undesirable for firewood since these parts have more extreme variations in grain and texture. I use a broad range of wood types, cheifly:

Red Maple (soft maple, swamp maple) is a very inconsistent wood with huge variations within each piece. This quality makes it very unappealing from a traditional commercial lumber standpoint, BUT incredibly interesting to me. The life course of these trees has them falling over in the softer soil they grow in at the end of their life cycle and as a result, my property provides a regular supply of naturally downed trees.  It is my favorite wood to work with.

The Ambrosia Beetle can invade many maple species and causes very stark brown streaks in the wood. These streaks are more obvious in the lighter maples but can also be in the Red Maple. In cross section, these streak patterns often look like a sun burst of brown. I am very fortunate to have a high density of trees with this coloration in my neighborhood.

To most, crab apple is a very boring tree and present everywhere and is only noticed in the spring when the flower. Even freshly cut, the wood is a bit boring too. But a little time in contact with the ground will cause some spalting fungus to invade the wood and create amazing black streaks that make the wood look almost like marble.

Black Cherry is the common wild cherry, known to some as choke cherry. The wood is very pretty and has a very interesting contrast between the heart and sap wood.

Oak is a ubiquitous wood in flooring, furniture, cabinets etc. with much of that being constructed with white oak. Many wood artists, myself included, look for the other species of oak that are slightly different. Red oak is abundant in the Northeast and has a pleasing reddish color. Black oak is very common on cape cod and has a  pleasing light brown color.

Tung Oil               

Tung oil finish is a finish made from natural oils that has been treated so that it will cure and create a hard surface that can be applied in ways to make it anything from matte all the way to quite glossy. It is my preferred finish. In its cured state, it is quite safe but as with any finish, it can dent, chip or wear if not handled nicely.

Any items that I make specifically to come in regular contact with food are finished in a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil, along with carnuba wax. All of these materials are already used in foods and so are completely food safe. They do not harden however so they will wear down over time. These items should never be machine washed, never washed with heavy soap. Over time, the oil/wax will wash away. It is very simple to apply a light coat of mineral oil every 6-12 months and let dry for a day or 2. This will keep the item safe and pretty for many years.