In The Workshop

In the workshop at this time I am getting started on some natural tree curtain rods and hooks. This is a great way to add a rustic look to a room. For this customer I have chosen to use Maple for both the rustic rods and hooks, and I will leave the bark on. I have cut the rods from trees that are fairly young and straight. They were growing in an area that was cleared but then left to grow back in, so the trees are pretty tight together. The diameter is about 1 1/2 " and they will be about 4 ' long. The hooks will be one piece where a branch was growing from the tree and the rod will sit upon one at each end of the window opening. The customer is then going to make her own curtains that will slide over the rod. Of course, these will not be completely straight and that is part of the rustic charm. As I mentioned, the bark will be left on and then I am going to put a completely environmentally safe and non toxic clear finish on which will protect the wood for easy clean up but also darken the wood a bit. That's my current project along with starting to collect wood for another Adirondack table I hope to start soon, but I'll fill you in on that later. I'll try to post some pictures of the rustic curtain rods and hooks when I get them done.

Holiday Food Drive

The Wilderness Creations food drive was a great success again this year! During the month of December, leading up to Christmas we gathered 143 pounds of food! Thank you to all of our customers and visitors that dropped of food for this important cause. It was wonderful to see people pull in and drop of bags of food that will go to help families in our community. We will be donating the food to The Community Kitchen of Keene NH for distribution.
Thank you again, and Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

From all of us at Wilderness Creations, we would like to wish you a very happy new year! We hope your holidays have been filled with joy and that 2010 brings you much happiness. 2010, can you believe it? Let's make it a great year and the start of a great decade!
Be well.

Power Tenon Cutter

Set of Tenon Cutters and an example of a stick cut with the tenon cutter.

Tenon Cutters

Tenon cutters are a great tool for the rustic woodworker. Yes you can make nice tenons by hand using a draw knife but the cutters can be very handy and fast, and make a nice looking, consistent tenon for your rustic projects. I purchased a set from Lee Valley and Veritas that included six tenon cutters ranging in size from 5/8" to 2". They are light weight and fit into a standard drill or drill press. I typically use mine in my 18 volt cordless Dewalt driver and they work quite nicely. On many occasions you may need to bring down the wood's end diameter to get it closer to the tenon size which you can do using a draw knife. These hand held cutters can get to be more challenging and a bit more work when you get up into the 2" range because of the wood size but they still are quicker and give you a nice even tenon. The cutters also feature a built in level so that you can get your tenon going the proper direction. There is always some "eye balling" that goes on when doing it free hand without a guide, but you can usually get them close enough that you can make small adjustments when it is in the mortise hole, by turning the wood to the spot where it fits best for your project. There are several other companies that make this type of tenon cutter, such as Bosworth, Blue Ox, and Northwest. At Lee Valley the cost of these cutters ranges from $87 for the 5/8 up to $109 for the 2", but they do offer sets that can save you a bit of money. I found them well worth the cost and I have had mine for about 8 years, with no problems. So, have fun making your rustic furniture and try out some tenon cutters for a beautiful and secure log/stick connection.

Copper as an accent on rustic furniture.

Copper is a great accent to use on rustic style projects. Copper is one of the most beautiful metals and it goes very well, in my opinion, with twigs, birch bark, barn wood, and other rustic furniture materials. So, what is the best way to incorporate copper into your home projects? What I do is I buy copper flashing at the local hardware store. No, it’s not cheap but the metal itself will probably hold it’s value no matter what you do with it. It comes in different widths and in various length rolls, used by builders to protect areas on roofs and other spots where water can get to the building. Once you have purchased your copper you can cut it with shears that can also be purchased at any hardware or home improvement store. As with anything, it will pay to get a good solid pair of shears because they will last longer and cut easier. I like to add copper accents on to my mirror/picture frame projects, along with twigs and White Birch bark. Sometimes I keep it new and shiny and other times I leave it outside until it tarnishes and looks older. Another way to prepare the copper is by banging it with a rounded hammer to give it the old pounded look (you will see examples of this in the accompanying photos). This takes a bit of time to get it completely pounded and looking somewhat authentic but it is fun to see it start to fill in and come together. When applying the copper to your project you want to glue it in place and then you will also cover the edges and hold it down with logs, twigs, or whatever material you are working with. This will hold it securely in place as well as hide the edges. It’s really as simple as that. You can add some wonderful copper accents to your project and it will be pretty straight forward. I do not put any special finish on the copper I just let it change as it may over time, but if you need to spray a finish of some type over the bark or twigs it is fine to go over the copper as well. Good luck with your rustic/Adirondack home project and please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions on using copper to cover flat areas.

If you desire larger pieces of copper furniture like tables, beds, and more then please contact us to learn about the line of rustic copper furniture that we carry. Mark@RusticFurnitureGallery.com

Old Hickory Furniture Co.

Wilderness Creations, LLC. is proud to carry Old Hickory Furniture, made in Indiana, USA.

We offer the entire Old Hickory catalog and give personal attention to each and every customer.