Reclaimed Wood Projects

"One man's trash, is another man's treasure."

    Okay, so it you can substitute "woman" for "man", but the topic is the same. The Wife and I are all about the reclaimed wood craze. While it's not for everyone, we're hooked. Sure, we're buying and refinishing secondhand furniture. The finishes all seem to contain some form of distressing. The questions though, is why not start projects with ALREADY distressed wood. The Wife and I looked around a bit and my better half came across Vintage Timberworks in Temecula, CA. They have a ton of various types of timber available for projects, as well as some amazing completed commercial projects. 

   There are plenty of projects that are MUCH simpler for the beginner. I'm itching to find some time to replicate this project by a fellow woodsman. The graphic can be anything, but the concept is simple enough that one only needs some time and the guts to get started on the wood project. I've found that going into the first project or two knowing that mistakes will be made helps me from becoming frustrated. By project two or three, MANY lessons have been learned and I'm more confident. That brings me to my final tip. 

   I was getting a morning drink and stumbled across a guy with a trailer FULL of reclaimed wood (pictured above). I had heard of the concept and asked if that what he was doing. He said he was a fence builder, and what I saw was ALL GARBAGE!!! I nearly died, seeing all that aged wood going to the dump. FREE WOOD! It wasn't the time to take it all back home, so I got his card. He said he takes several sections at a time to a local furniture maker, who turns it into something valuable (like this from another website). Oh, one can dream. 

   So dream big, and make a little bit of time each day. I've found that helps me stay creative, while being a dad with three young tikes. If you have any ideas, send 'em my way!

J.