Treevival

08/10/2024

02/25/2024

Afternoon sunlight streaming in! Good lighting is so important and I couldn’t be happier with these clerestory windows!

02/22/2024

You are looking at a spike that was driven into a railway tie approximately 140 years ago. It spent almost 100 years buried under gravel and asphalt.
This was part of the Pioneer Ave. Street car line. (Formerly part of Notre Dame Ave)
Swipe left.
I’ve been looking at this wood for a few years now and it’s time to do something with it. Any ideas?

02/08/2024

Even though we’ve had a mild winter i’m ready for some colour!
Last fall I promised that I would be doing a small batch of these neckpieces and here they are nearing completion. (Swipe left for the finished piece) photocred
I hope they remind you of tropical azure shores, deep pristine lakes, mountain ranges, etc.

If you are wanting one please send me a DM.
If you know of someone else who might be interested feel free to share this post.

01/31/2024

When I was in my twenties I thought my dream job would be restoring furniture for a museum or historic residence of some kind.
Fast forward forty years and someone contacted me this week to ask if I could turn a missing leg and repair the base of an Icelandic spinning wheel that had been gifted to his great grandmother in 1905.
I happily accepted the challenge!

As I pondered this repair I took the time to select a wood species and grain orientation (swipe left) that would blend in with the original pieces.
I selected some Douglas fir that was salvaged from a WW2 air cadet training hangar. The growth rings were strikingly similar and once I was done turning and applying the finish I was quite happy with the final results.
I guess I got that dream job after all!

01/26/2024

This is an amazing fundraiser! So many handmade products available in five prize packages all in support of has done an amazing job of organizing this event. Check out her IG page for more details.
Thanks in advance for your generosity. Buy tickets and feel free to share this with all your friends!
❤️🥰🍉

01/23/2024

I was out in BC. two weekends ago to visit my dad. As I was looking around I spied this wooden walnut vase sitting up on a shelf in my mom’s sewing room. I remember making it for her around the time the world was introduced to Indiana Jones and DeLorean’s DMC 12’s were rolling off the assembly line! (If you don’t know when that was you are much younger than I am and you grew up with Google!)

It’s certainly humbling for me to see some of my earliest efforts on the lathe. The lines on this slender vase (left) are not fluid compared to what I make now (right) and there’s too much tear out for my liking. I also had to glue up two pieces because I wasn’t patient enough to dry my own wood back then.
We all need to start somewhere. Try not to compare yourself to others who have spent decades honing their skills.
Get on a path of constant improvement (however you interpret that) and enjoy the journey. And when you do look back, celebrate your achievements.
All this from a guy who’s been around the block a few times and still has lots to learn.

01/18/2024

Spalted ash. Yakisugi finish with verdigris glaze.

01/15/2024

I’ve been admiring this cradle that my great-grandfather made when his daughter was expecting. It pleases me a lot that there are others in my extended family that also enjoyed woodworking.
The cradle was made over 100 years ago and features hand-cut compound dovetails!
It was probably made out of pine and then painted with a faux wood finish.
Like the Pennsylvania Dutch, Mennonites used affordable material and then embellished it. The hand wrought steel is quite unusual for traditional cradles of that time.
If you look closely (swipe left) you can see a lot of wear around the k**b. My grandmother tied a string around this k**b as a simple way of rocking her children to sleep.
This is one of the few things my grandparents brought with them when they fled Ukraine during the Bolshevik revolution in the early 1900’s.

01/10/2024

The sun dogs this morning were a visible reminder that the weather is getting colder. As I was enjoying the warmth of my vehicle I couldn’t help but wonder how the first inhabitants of the area known as Treaty No. 1 were able to survive prairie winters.
Anishinaabe, Ininew, Oji-cree, Dene, and Dakota peoples alike all had to brave winters in brutal conditions. I have huge respect for their resilience, courage, and perseverance.

01/01/2024

This collage captures the best of 2023. I love the smile that lights up peoples faces when they find something I’ve made that brings them joy.
I’m also very humbled when customers send me pictures showing me how the pieces they’ve purchased fit in to their decor.
Thanks to all who support and follow us. Our lives are made richer by you and we ish you all the best in the coming year!

12/28/2023

I rescued this bur oak log from St. Boniface about five years ago. I immediately coated it with wax to slow down the drying and minimize cracking. (An almost impossible task with bur oak unfortunately)
I decided to insert a butterfly today to prevent the crack from getting any wider. (Swipe left for more pics)
I always feel like I’m saving significant history when I bring these pieces home and find a use for them.
Any idea how old this tree was?
By my calculations it was a little sprout when Louis Riel came back to Canada after being exiled to the United States. Métis and First Nations alike were not
happy with no land tenure and unfulfilled treaty obligations so Louis brought a force of resistance to let leaders know this was not acceptable.
I did not end well for Louis Riel but we owe him a debt of gratitude for his efforts.
It’s incredible to me that this tree survived for almost 150 years!