Generations of Woodworkers

Three generations of woodworkers pictured left to right – Josh, Tim and Larry.

As woodworkers, the process of improving and honing your skills is a lifelong journey.  The beauty and tribulation of working with wood is that no two pieces are ever the same, providing constant challenges.  Overcoming many of the obstacles woodworking presents often is a matter of experience.  As at least a fourth generation woodworker, I have been blessed to learn from and observe a very talented line of woodworkers in my family.  The breadth of work performed varies, ranging from fine woodworking to structural framing.  This woodworking heritage provided a foundation for many of the techniques we use to create our crosses today.

My great grandfather, whom I never had the opportunity to meet before his passing, was described as a perpetual tinkerer.  You can tell a lot about a man by a mans tools.  With our move to our new shop in the beautiful countryside near Bend, Oregon, we had the opportunity to rediscover some of my great grandfathers hand tools (an article soon to come on these).  Many of the tools he used were heavily modified or tools he himself had created for his various woodworking ventures and projects.  These tools reflected his experimental nature in woodworking, something that has filtered down through the generations.  As artisans creating crosses, my father and I channel many of these same experimental tendencies into our crosses.

Josh