Visit with a Creeker and Emptying My Wallet...

[Jim Becker]

I took a ride today to visit with Alan Turner (http://alanturnerfurnituremaker.com/) at the shop he's cleaning out after purchasing a bunch of tools and wood from an estate. It was a great time and I met a few other woodworkers during my stay. I also picked up some nice 8/4 cherry in various shapes and sizes to put in "inventory" for future projects as well as a few interesting shorts for the lathe. The pics of the cherry speak for themselves :D , but I almost brought home a piece of 14/4 bubinga about six feet long and 3 feet wide...aside from the difficulty lifting it back here at the shop, it just wasn't something I was likely to be able to use in the kind of projects I do. Oh, well...:rolleyes:

Here's a few pics from my "field trip".

[Todd Burch]

WOW! Nice cherry.

Alan, after having seen Jim Becker in person, that puts you at about 5'2" tall I think.............. ;)

[Tyler Howell]

Boy that didn't take long!:D Great score for both of you.
Cheri Cherry

[Jim Becker]

WOW! Nice cherry.

Did you notice those crotch flitches have their arms up in happiness? They've been really bored for over 10 years and are quite excited to have a clearer future...:D:rolleyes:

[Steve Clardy]

Nice haul on the cherry crotches. And-----wow---two bald heads in one pic. Put your caps on guys!! :D :D :D :D
Steve

[Jim Becker]

And-----wow---two bald heads in one pic. Put your caps on guys!!

Hey...I more than make up for it in the back!

[JayStPeter]

Hey...I more than make up for it in the back!

You know, you can get laser treatments for back hair these days :p :D

j/k I've know about your 'tail.

Jay

[Todd Burch]

Man, if anyone joins this forum looking for some respect... GOOD LUCK!!!

Jim, the slabs look to be about 1" too wide for the USS Becker. I think the Burch "Diego Garcia" will handle them just fine. On your next trip to Houston, you had better check them as baggage.

Jay - that's HILARIOUS!! I was watching a show - Pirates of the Carribean, and Johnny Dep, playing Jack Sparrow, made a quick quip that he had escaped capture by weaving a rope from hairs on his back and lowering himself out a window. GROSS!

[Tyler Howell]

[QUOTE=JayStPeter]You know, you can get laser treatments for back hair these days :p :D




ROTFLMAO:D:p:D

[Steve Clardy]

You know, you can get laser treatments for back hair these days :p :D

j/k I've know about your 'tail.

Jay

Hey Jay. Wouldn't a BIC lighter be cheaper? JIm could spend more bucks on tools and wood then. [Just kididing Becker, haven't been able to harass anybody today] Steve
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Fred Voorhees]

Jim are you finding the money for the extra wood by using fewer razor blades? Looks that way LOL That's somethin' new. :D

[Andy London]

Nice snag there James :cool:

Man I wish I could get Cherry around here like that....Now where is a pic of that Bubinga? :mad:

Seth and I picked up a bunch of spalted Birch and Maple today....Having never stored this stuff before, I would assume it's can be placed in my shed where I keep all my other woods due to the mold..?? Any comments from anyone on that?

Off on a business road trip Monday, shopping by to buy some cherry burls from a fellow on another forum, if I ever do get turning, I'll have one pile of mulch for the LOML ;)

Andy

[David Rose]

If you use the laser on your chopsaw, I guess the saw should be running, right? Is that part of the "treatment"? :rolleyes:

Nice wood. Sorry 'bout the hair.

Todd, you won't even let us try to help a fellow human bean nowdays. :D

David

[Anthony Yakonick]

Nice score, talk to me about the bubinga!

[Jim Becker]

Now where is a pic of that Bubinga?


talk to me about the bubinga!

'Took this before chickening out on the purchase...if you want to know more about it, you'll have to talk to Alan. He will have some other pics by Monday. But it's "lovely", big and...heavy.

[Mark Singer]

Not much happinin' here....just nice weather...wish I was a little closer to some of my buddies...wood and all

[Jeff Skory]

Wow! I had no idea cherry trees got this big in diameter. Very nice looking pieces of wood. Lucky guy.

So do you have any plans in mind for what you are going to build with it?

[Jim Becker]

So do you have any plans in mind for what you are going to build with it?

No specifics, but that very wide crotch may be a round table top one of these days. I bought this wood for "inventory" as it was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get these pieces at very attractive prices. I'll let my mind work in the background to figure out what kind of furniture lies in these boards. If you haven't read it already, consider hunkering down with George Nakashima's book, Soul of a Tree, sometime. I think anyone serious about woodworking will benefit from his words and ideas.

[Jeff Skory]

Jim,

I've read the review of Soul of a Tree and thought about purchasing it. Have not seen it at any of the bookstores around here. But now that I've gotten an endorsement from someone whose work I admire I'm going to go ahead and order it.

Take care.

[Jim Becker]

I've read the review of Soul of a Tree and thought about purchasing it. Have not seen it at any of the bookstores around here. But now that I've gotten an endorsement from someone whose work I admire I'm going to go ahead and order it.

Before you order at retail, check half.com to see if you can get a clean used copy. I saved considerably that way on this particular book and got a pristine copy, no less.

[Mark Singer]

Jim,
When I see fine wood like that going anywhere but in my shop...I get a pain in the "crotch" ;)at least it is going to a great guy and fine woodworker, Alan...he will make something worthy of it! No question!;)

[Glenn Clabo]

If you haven't read it already, consider hunkering down with George Nakashima's book, Soul of a Tree, sometime. I think anyone serious about woodworking will benefit from his words and ideas.

Absolutely agree...He's amazing...simply changes the way I looked at/thought about wood. You'll begin to hear the wood tell you what it wants to be.

[Martin Shupe]

Jim,

Nice haul on the cherry, I am very jealous! If I had been there, I would have tried to outbid you! I am a cherry collector, and you scored!

What's up with the goatee?

[Mark Singer]

I have Soul of a Tree...love it!

[Jim Becker]

Absolutely agree...He's amazing...simply changes the way I looked at/thought about wood. You'll begin to hear the wood tell you what it wants to be.

If you get down this way, Glenn, a Saturday afternoon at the Nakashima compound (http://www.nakashimawoodworker.com/) is a nice way to spend a couple of hours. (It's about five miles from our house) The showroom and the Conoid Gallery is open 1-4:30p on Saturdays, I believe. I think if you arrange in advance, you can also tour the other galleries, etc. Ali and I had the "full tour" a few years ago in conjunction with a fund raising event for the Michner Museum and saw the whole schmeggegie...the lumber storage barn is a sight to behold, not to mention the beautiful work from over the years.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jim, nice score on the cherry. Where is this "Nakashima compound"? I will be traveling through Pennsylvania this summer on vacation with LOML and her parents. It might make an interesting stop?

By the way, thanks for the advice about "Minimax" USA in Austin. I talked with my son in San Antonio this morning. While our wives are on an all day shopping run....we are going to Austin and visit Minimax.

[Chris Pasko]

Man! Nice score Jim! I need to start to build a wood collection, to, well....look at =).

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jim,
After my initial reply I noticed you "hot button" for the Nakashima compound" webpage. Thanks again!
Ken

[Chris Padilla]

Jim,

That wood is all crooked, wavy and looks like a PITA to handle. I'll be happy to take it off your hands...really, for a fellow SMCer like yourself, I'd be willing to help out a friend....

:D

[Alan Turner]

Nice to meet Jim this weekend. After he left, I spend a # of hours, inventoring, etc. Took pix of 17 slabs that would be worthy of Nakashima. Walnut crotch, one with 40" clear (top to bottom), figured ash, crotch cherry, Eng. sycamore, maple ,figured etc. I am going to sell much of this wood as I just can't keep it due to space limits.
It will take me a few days to deal with the pix. Each is a table top, etc. 5' to 8' tall, and quite wide.
I will also sell boards of: Paduk, Olive, Bol. Rosewood, Hond. Rosewood.
There was something marked Shadua, which I don't know. Also one marked "Zelkova" but perhpas this was a person's name and not a wood type.
If people are interested feel free to email me.
I will post in the classifieds when I find time.
I am absolutely overwhelmed. But not complaining.
Alan

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Nice score Jim! I love working with Cherry and you got some beautiful specimens.

Now, tell me about that car in the garage....doesn't look like a grocery getter to me!

[Donnie Raines]

What I want to no is this: Why did they cut those cherry boards into the shapes of letters?....... :D


DonnieR

[Jim Becker]

What I want to no is this: Why did they cut those cherry boards into the shapes of letters?.......

Good point. I guess it's the "Village People" version of cherry on parade...:D

[Jim Becker]

Now, tell me about that car in the garage....doesn't look like a grocery getter to me!

Car in the garage? It's un-American to park a car in the garage...ours sit outside year-round. The Kubota, however, sits in the remaining bay along with Ali's gardening and landscaping gear. Can't leave a tractor outside!:eek: