Note – This post is from our newsletter archives. It was the President’s message by Pat McCart from the March, 2009 issue of Chips & Shavings.
I am in the midst of turning a piece of Myrtle burl purchased from a fellow clearing out his fatherʼs sawdust-filled workshop. While I foraged for pieces of turnable wood, he related stories of his father and showed me several items crafted there. Roy talked about how his Dad would take him to his shop to show him the latest special board and go into detail about how he had come
about it. The bounty of wood soon filling my truck bed consisted of pieces from 3 different continents and dated to 3 separate decades of harvest.
During the trip home I pondered the potential outcome of each piece and how to best utilize the different sizes and species of wood. Iʼm not sure if they have an official name for it yet so I will just call it “wonderitist”. It afflicts you when you hold a piece of wood in your hand and let your mind wander and wonder with that wood. Ask yourself, “Where is this wood from and how did it get here? What kind of wood is it and how best to turn it?” I will often count the rings and look for any big changes and try to imagine what may have caused it. I will sometimes get lost in trying to visualize what is hiding inside the piece waiting to get out. Wood garnered from the dispersion of an estate brings its own history and I encourage you to find it out. It will add to the overall story of the item that you eventually craft.
