Why Wood?

   The other evening I was at a small social gathering and while making small talk mentioned that I have a woodworking shop in my basement and that playing there is my favourite pastime.  "Oh, Why wood ?" was the question.

    "cause I like it", is the short answer, the long answer is somewhat more complicated.  I began to think, why do I like it.  There are thousands of hobbies available to us now days.  Having been relatively thrifty and very lucky with money cost was not really a deciding factor in my decision.  I don't suppose that I could have taken up diamond cutting as a hobby but, wood work, medal work, painting,  spinning, weaving, basket making, tailoring, all would have been possible and all are cool and worthy things.

   Partly why, is that my grandfather had a shop and I played in it as a little kid and before Ikea and other prefab furniture stores were launched,  bookcases were mostly home made and I've always needed book cases. ( my folks have an early effort of mine in their basement still. In a darker corner I note)


   But I really think that my shop and wood and the love of it goes deeper than just making a few practical things, though I still do many practical wood projects.  Wood is beautiful, it has character and texture and will allow you to dress it up with paint or stain or shellac or varnish or lineseed oil, or, or, or, your imagination is the only limit.  Wood is old and our relationship with wood maybe eternal.  Culturally we have imagined the wood of the True Cross, or the Ark of the Covenant, even of Noah's ark.  Big broad beams in the ceiling mean comfort and stability and security.  Weathered barn boards are like looking into wise old wrinkled faces.  Think also of wooden boats, there is a shape, an organic line to them that speaks to something primal and basic. 

    Often there is a new wonder material that tries to replace wood, plastic is lighter and doesn't leak as readily but it has no soul.  Fiber glass boats, ....just don't work for me. (I know they are less work etc etc. but they all look like they are made by the Tupperware Co.)  Stone is good but again mostly without character, unless you spend big big bucks and get into marble and granite. 

     With wood, the cheapest old hunk of spruce stud lumber can be filled with grain and interest.  Maybe it is that wood is the material of the working man, the material that we build civilization from that makes it something to which I and we can connect.

    The following photo helps show why wood.  The rocking chair my two year old grandson is sitting in while listening to the story is 75 years old.  It is my Mother's rocking chair.  She got it when she was two.  She and her three brothers sat in it, then years worth of friends and cousins, pets and teddy bears sat in it.  Then my brother and I sat in it, and years worth of friends  and  cousins, pets and teddy bears sat in it.  Now my grandson and his pets and teddy bears and soon his brother or sister (they won't tell us) will sit in it.  There is no reason to imagine that when Kieran is 75 that his great grand children won't be sitting in it with there cousins and friends, pets and teddy bears.  There is nothing else I can imagine can be used and last as long or as well.  That's "why wood"