What is Cherry Tree Wood Works?
I have been a woodworker for over 25 years, making items for my home, my friends, and for gifts. A need for a new podium at a local Middle School prompted me to make a gift of my love of woodworking and one of a kind wood art. What you see here is the result of that love of woodworking.
I've been asked where my passion for woodworking came from, and I will admit that I grew up at the knee of a true master wood craftsman, my father. He created with a chisel, carving knife, rasp, and virtually without power tools. What I learned was that the desire to achieve perfection was more important than actually reaching it. While perfection may never be reached, the need to learn and grow motivates me with the hope perfection can be reached. With each custom project I create I strive to make it better than the last, and one that both my customer and I will be proud and honored to display and use.
My Concept:
It's simple, I make as if I were making everything for myself. Cherry Tree Wood Works came to be so that I could make those things I want, and share my ideas of what I find interesting and for you to be able to take them home if you share that feeling too.
What I Do:
From a rough-sawn board, a beautiful cutting board, trivet, charcuterie board, or custom piece emerges. I will do whatever is necessary to coax the beauty from within: planing, measuring, cutting, gluing, shaping, sanding and finishing. The majority of these items are natural, meaning I do not use stains or dyes, when it comes to items that are food-contact products.
I purchase the lumber from reputable local dealers, so I know that the supply chain is in compliance with the import laws regarding lumber. They are almost exclusively purchased from local sawyers who are well versed in forest management. Some of these sawyers are harvesters of the urban forest. Trees that instead of being ground into chips and taken to landfills, are now turned into beautiful lumber for a variety of products. With every project there are the unavoidable scraps. These are the sawdust and shavings, and the pieces of wood too small to be usable. These do not find their way into the landfill. Instead those items are either compost for garden beds, or warming the homes and fueling the campfires of friends, neighbors, and family.