Using Special Wood

In my wood collection are several boards that for one reason or another are special. Some are exotics like lace wood or cocobolo, while others are more ordinary species like oak, but have a history.

This weekend I finished the woodworking on a project I’ve had on the back burner for quite a while. There are now two Shaker side tables made of cherry in the shop awaiting finish. These tables are for my wife, so I wanted too make them special. As I thought about how best to do that I remembered that I had re-sawed some lace wood for a project in which I ended up using cocobolo. The re-sawed boards were too thin for many applications, but I thought they’d make nice drawer bottoms for the side tables.

Since these tables have drawers, they need some internal structure to support them. Obviously a secondary wood was called for, so for this I selected some old oak that had been in the barn at Red Fox Run before we sold it. The drawers themselves were constructed from part of the headboard of an old bed.

I used special wood when I built a rocking horse for my grandson’s first birthday as well. This little horse is made of walnut with maple rockers and a cherry seat. I wanted a touch of the farm to go along, so I cut the end off an old broom handle and used that for the hand grips on the little horse. Now every time my grandson rides the horse, he has a grip on the past. Something old; something new.

One local church we’ve attended a lot has a cross in the front of the sanctuary made of wood from a gingko tree taken down to make room for an expansion. The special tree is gone, and yet lives on.

Special wood is not necessarily highly-figured or rare. It can also be special because of its history. Most importantly though, special wood need not be reserved for the masterpiece project of one’s life. It can be used to accent any project and give it extra sentimental value.