Paul Fitzgerald
03-01-2008, 3:00 PM
Hey everyone!
I recently learned that a coworker's father-in-law was an avid woodworker and woodturner. I say "was" because he has Alzheimer's and can no longer practice his craft. Before the disease took his memory, he measured and labeled nearly all his stock in hopes of selling it to someone who could make use of it. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to make that happen and his entire stock of domestic and exotic hardwood has been sitting in his workshop gathering dust.
As things go, my coworker told his wife of my interest in woodworking. And she, in turn, told her mother, who so graciously invited me to have a look. So I paid her a visit this morning and spent nearly three hours perusing the wide range of wood, which includes everything from Afromosia to Zebrawood and the biggest hunk of Macassar Ebony I've ever seen. I swear that thing was 12" wide by about 32" long by about 2" thick!
There are also a large number of species I did not recognize. These include Peroba Rosa, Muiricatiera, Catalpa, Shedua, Cerejeira, Iroko, and many more. So I've got a bit of research to do before I go back over there to pick up some more.
I only got a couple pieces of domestics today, but he's got Mahogany, Butternut, Birch, Hackberry, Hickory, Ash, Walnut, Red Oak, White Oak, Cherry, and Curly, Flame, and Birdseye Maple, among others.
He does have a few highly prized items such as the Macassar Ebony I mentioned earlier. These include some exceptionally beautiful pieces of Indian and Honduras Rosewood, and Gaboon Ebony, among others.
I literally felt like a kid in a candy store and I can't believe I spent nearly three hours drooling over some of the fantastic wood!
I can't post this and not talk about just how absolutely wonderful it was talking to his wife about him, his beautiful work, and his extensive collection of wood. Both he and his wife emigrated from Germany and have been married for over fifty years! And as you might guess, they did everything together, including traveling and buying wood. She told me stories about always picking up some special wood while traveling. And what a memory! Because she was always with him when he purchased wood, she could almost always tell me what an unlabeled piece of wood was or where and when they got it! If only this wood could talk!
The best part of this is not that I got a bunch of beautiful wood, but that I get to help out a family who is having to care for a beloved husband and father stricken with a debilitating disease. I wanted to pay full retail for what I picked out, but settled on about 2/3 of retail when they refused to take "that much money." I think 2/3 retail is still more than they paid for it to begin with. With that said, I'm not calling this a gloat. It's simply not one.
After taking some pictures, I'll post a followup.
Paul
I recently learned that a coworker's father-in-law was an avid woodworker and woodturner. I say "was" because he has Alzheimer's and can no longer practice his craft. Before the disease took his memory, he measured and labeled nearly all his stock in hopes of selling it to someone who could make use of it. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to make that happen and his entire stock of domestic and exotic hardwood has been sitting in his workshop gathering dust.
As things go, my coworker told his wife of my interest in woodworking. And she, in turn, told her mother, who so graciously invited me to have a look. So I paid her a visit this morning and spent nearly three hours perusing the wide range of wood, which includes everything from Afromosia to Zebrawood and the biggest hunk of Macassar Ebony I've ever seen. I swear that thing was 12" wide by about 32" long by about 2" thick!
There are also a large number of species I did not recognize. These include Peroba Rosa, Muiricatiera, Catalpa, Shedua, Cerejeira, Iroko, and many more. So I've got a bit of research to do before I go back over there to pick up some more.
I only got a couple pieces of domestics today, but he's got Mahogany, Butternut, Birch, Hackberry, Hickory, Ash, Walnut, Red Oak, White Oak, Cherry, and Curly, Flame, and Birdseye Maple, among others.
He does have a few highly prized items such as the Macassar Ebony I mentioned earlier. These include some exceptionally beautiful pieces of Indian and Honduras Rosewood, and Gaboon Ebony, among others.
I literally felt like a kid in a candy store and I can't believe I spent nearly three hours drooling over some of the fantastic wood!
I can't post this and not talk about just how absolutely wonderful it was talking to his wife about him, his beautiful work, and his extensive collection of wood. Both he and his wife emigrated from Germany and have been married for over fifty years! And as you might guess, they did everything together, including traveling and buying wood. She told me stories about always picking up some special wood while traveling. And what a memory! Because she was always with him when he purchased wood, she could almost always tell me what an unlabeled piece of wood was or where and when they got it! If only this wood could talk!
The best part of this is not that I got a bunch of beautiful wood, but that I get to help out a family who is having to care for a beloved husband and father stricken with a debilitating disease. I wanted to pay full retail for what I picked out, but settled on about 2/3 of retail when they refused to take "that much money." I think 2/3 retail is still more than they paid for it to begin with. With that said, I'm not calling this a gloat. It's simply not one.
After taking some pictures, I'll post a followup.
Paul