Walking Sticks

Walking sticks can be very useful when walking around the home or hiking in tough terrain. Many hikers use two poles for balance and stability. More modern hiking poles are light weight aluminum and adjustable with easy to hold grips, much like ski poles. A more traditional hiking stick can be heavy and more cumbersome to carry on a long trek. Instead of bringing one of your favorite walking sticks into the back country you can find them as you go and as needed. Here in New England there is no shortage of fairly straight branches that are already dead and down on the ground. Simply break it to your preferred length and keep it as long as you feel necessary. Many times when hikers find nice ones, they will leave them by a trail head for others to use.
If you are walking from your home and not going out for days, then it is nice to carry your own stick. Perhaps you have a collection and grab different ones on different days. They can be made of many different woods, carved, painted or decorated with feathers or other treasures. Hang or lean them by the door so you don't forget to grab it on the way out.
Walking sticks can be useful for extra support and balance. If you are heading up or down hill you can use it for stability or to take a bit of the load off of a bad knee or ankle. They are useful when crossing streams on a log or rocks. They can also give you a bit more security if you run across a dog or other aggressive animal. I like to use them for knocking the spider webs out of my path. Certain times of year they are everywhere and it can get annoying fast to have them across your face, time after time. Other uses for walking sticks or hiking poles are for setting up a sleeping tarp or for emergencies, like immobilizing a wounded leg.
One recommendation is to make sure you have rubber tips on your poles or walking sticks. They can help the base stick securely on rocks, pavement, and so forth. Then they are less likely to slip out on you. If the walking stick doesn't have that you can buy them at hardware stores and slip them on yourself. Usually you can find a size that is close to the size of the end of the stick or pole.
Of course it all comes down to personal preference and how it feels to you. Some will never want to carry extra things, some will find a stick for when they need it, some will need the latest and lightest hiking poles while others don't want to enter the woods without their favorite stick. Give any of these approaches a try to see if it feels right to you, and get out in the woods and enjoy a nice hike.


www.RusticFurnitureGallery.com

In The Workshop

This is a rustic plant stand, pedestal table that I just completed. It has a burl base with a Pine top and twig accents around the edge. The base has an oil finish and the top has an exterior polywhey finish. It stands 43 1/4" tall and the top is roughly 12 by 12. This item is in stock and priced at $230. It is perfect for putting plants on or any kind of pottery, art, or other item that you may want to display. It is a unique, one of a kind piece of furniture from Wilderness Creations. Email Mark@RusticfurnitureGallery.com

Visit our website at: www.RusticFurnitureGallery.com

Yes, we have a "real" store.

We believe that we have put together a very nice website. This takes alot of time and financial resources but it just has to be done because that is where most people go to find out about products and services that they are looking for. Customers can search our products, get directions to our location, contact us and so forth. We also have what these days is called a brick and mortar store, an actual physical location. This is where we can visit with people face to face, and really get a feel for their interests and needs. Our visitors and clients love to come in and see what we've got. They take their time and touch the wood, sit in the chairs, and ask questions about the construction. Many people have never been into a store that is filled with beautiful Adirondack and rustic style furniture and accessory pieces. Others have only seen galleries like ours in Lake Placid or Aspen Colorado. They comment on the smell of the wood and the natural shapes that are formed into a functional piece of furniture. These are all things that can't be properly conveyed over the internet. It's a great tool, but you can't get it all through. You can't stimulate all of the senses. That is why we love to have customers and new visitors into the gallery, because we can see their smiles and feel their excitement. We can communicate face to face and hear their stories. They tell us about their new home or the retreat that they are planning to build. This type of interaction just can't be duplicated online. You can't catch a facial expression or appreciate a message through the tone of voice. A physical store location also attracts neighbors and friends and allows you to work with the people from your town or region. That is special.
Of course this type of interaction comes at a cost to us as well. We don't have flexible hours and there is alot of overhead for the space and utilities, but we understand and accept this, because I don't want to have a completely cold and faceless transaction every time. Some days it would be really nice to be home in my bathrobe answering calls, but I just don't think that is the best way to do business. I don't feel that you can give the customer all of the attention that they deserve. I guess I'll always be a bit "old fashion", but we'll stick with our brick and mortar gallery here in Dublin, NH. and continue to build and improve our website so that our customers can research, purchase, and gather information at their leisure. Please let us know how we can make our website or our store even better, we are always open to your ideas. Stop by for a visit if you are in the Monadnock area.

Mark
www.RusticFurnitureGallery.com

Barnwood Furniture

Making furniture out of old weathered wood or barn wood is a great way to bring in an old rustic look to your home. The old wood with all of it's distress markings and years of use is like bringing in an antique, but just the wood is old, in a new form and with a new purpose. You can think about how long ago it may have been cut and the way things were back then. So much took place in that time with different families growing up and moving on. If you tear down an old structure or find an old piece of wood with beauty and character, then consider using it in a "new" piece of furniture. Tackle the project yourself or have a local craftsman turn it into something lovely and functional.

You can test some sanding and finish options on a small piece of wood. Sometimes it is best to do very little sanding, other times you may like the look of the wood if you bring it down just a little farther. Sand enough to get the splintery wood out of the way. You can leave the wood as is or put a protective coat on top of the wood. I find that it can be a very nice look to do some finish coats. It protects the wood, creates a nice look and makes it easier to clean up and dust.

Some companies make furniture that is made to look like barn wood by distressing it themselves and putting on a finish that make it look old and weathered. This can still be a nice appearance and it allows the company to have lines of furniture that keep a consistent look. Other companies and individual crafts people will buy and collect truly old barn wood for their projects. Both can look very nice, but with the real barn wood you feel that their really is a story that comes with the materials.

Projects that may be quicker and easier with barn wood are side tables, coffee tables, shelves, and benches. If you have a good supply of wood then you can get into bigger projects like a dining table.

Barn wood and weathered wood have a great look and can fit into many styles of decor. It is recycling at it's best when you salvage some old wood from a burn pile and make it into a wonderful new piece of furniture. Next time you see this wood being tossed out or thrown into a pile, think about whether you could have it made into something, or maybe you have a wood worker friend that would love to have some old boards.

Good luck hunting for those old boards with tons of character and know that they can be transformed into something beautiful and functional for your home.

Mark

http://www.rusticfurnituregallery.com/

Call or email for more information on our line of barn wood furniture.

Bed and night stand pictured were made by Green Gables furniture. Wilderness Creations carries the full line of Green Gables barnwood furnishings. Located in Dublin, NH.

Free Shipping on Safe Wood Cleaner!

As a special introductory offer http://www.ecowoodfinish.com/ is offering free shipping and handling on any purchase of Vermont Natural Coatings environmentally safe, vegetable based wood cleaners. Simply enter coupon code: "cleaner" at check out. This offer is good anywhere in the lower 48 US states. This will save you money so you can give this great new cleaner a try at your home or business. Please view the previous blog for more information on these biodegradable wood cleaners with no harsh chemicals. ecowoodfinish.com accepts major credit cards and paypal.
If you live in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire then you can stop by our store to pick up some wood cleaner. 1327 Main Street (route 101) Dublin, NH. 03444