MowryJournal.com   Life's Passions

I have this love/hate relationship with special orders.

I love being a part of weddings. Making a handmade wedding gift for a client is truly fulfilling in a unique way. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of some couple’s oh-so-special day?

On the other hand, I hate the time pressure that’s inevitable with special orders. Even if people don’t specify an impossible deadline, I always have a date in mind that I tell them the board should be done by …

And it’s always too soon.

Well, it seems that way, in any event.

The reality of my situation is that I have so much to do, there’s never time to not be doing.

It’s a wonderful problem to have!

So, with these special orders, I’m about as caught up as I ever am. Still in the shop are 2 more that just need feet attached to be done. There are 4 more awaiting construction, one restoration to finish … and then there are the 2 big corporate orders to complete in October. And don’t forget, 2 of our biggest events of the year are in October.

So, yes, I’ve got more to do … even as I celebrate some of what I’ve done.

Cutting Board 17 – 433. Jatoba, Hard Maple & Canarywood. End grain. 16″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″. Commissioned piece.

Cutting Board 17 – 128. In-counter board replacement. Hard Maple, Purpleheart, & Jatoba. 14″ x 20″ x 3/4″. Commissioned piece.

Engraved 17 – 025. Edge grain cutting board with the back engraved. Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Padauk, Yellowheart & Bubinga. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″. Purchased before it was completed.

Engraved 17 – 025 detail. Personalized engraving on back of the board.

Engraved 17 – 023. Black Walnut, Cherry & Hard Maple. Engraving styled after the “save the date” received for their wedding.

Engraved 17 – 024. Black Walnut, Cherry & Hard Maple.

Engraved 17 – 027. Black Walnut, Cherry & Hard Maple.

Engraved 17 – 022. Hard Maple.

Engraved 17 – 019. Sapele.

Engraved 17 – 020. Sapele.

Engraved 17 – 021. Sapele.

Engraved 17 – 026. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Jatoba. 16″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″. End grain. Commissioned piece.

Detail of Engraved 17 – 026. The bride & groom’s names were engraved along with their wedding date.

Yes, these are cutting boards. Or they can be.

Yes, these are serving pieces. Or they can be.

The big boards are great cutting boards, or course … the Hickory board is particularly fetching, I think. Great cutting board. The dark, squarish board with Pau Ferro didn’t photograph well, but it’s subtlety is not lost in direct light.

And then there are the smaller boards that I call cheese boards. They all can be cutting boards, though they are small if you intend to do more than slice a tomato or cut a lemon. For some, they are perfect for cutting boards. I’m told.

So, adults get to choose in my booth. I will tell them what I call a piece … and then they tell me what they call them.

That’s the thing about being an adult. You get a vote.

Cutting Board 17 – 435. Black Walnut, Hickory & Bloodwood. End grain. 16″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.

Cutting Board 17 – 434. Black Walnut, Padauk, Pau Ferro & Jatoba. End Grain. 14″ x 15″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 17 – 130. Goncalo Alves, Cherry, Black Walnut & Honey Locust. Edge grain. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.

Cheese Board 17 – 325. Black Walnut, Cherry, Jatoba, Goncalo Alves & Purpleheart. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Small Board 17 – 236. Goncalo Alves, Jatoba, Black Walnut, Honey Locust & Cherry. 6″ x 14″ x 1-1/4″.

Small Board 17 – 234. Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Jatoba & Pau Ferro. 5″ x 11″ x 1-1/4″.

Small Board 17 – 235. Purpleheart, Cherry, Black Walnut & Pau Ferro. 6″ x 11″ x 1-1/4″.

Small Board 17 – 233. Goncalo Alves, Cherry, Black Walnut & Honey Locust. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.

Cheese Board 17 – 337. Canarywood, Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Padauk & Black Walnut. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 327. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Honey Locust, Canarywood, Padauk & Bubinga. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 328. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Jatoba. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 329. Canarywood, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Caribbean Rosewood. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 330. Purpleheart, Padauk, Hard Maple & Bubinga. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 331. Black Walnut, Canarywood, Hard Maple and Yellowheart. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 339. Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Canarywood & Bubinga. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 332. Padauk, Yellowheart & Cherry. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 333. Chaos board. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Padauk, Canarywood, Yellowheart, Honey Locust & Bloodwood. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 -342. Purpleheart, Bubinga, Cherry & Bloodwood. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 334. Chaos Board. Padauk, Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Canarywood, Honey Locust, Bubinga & Bloodwood. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 334. Purpleheart, Bubingba & Cherry. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 336. Yellowheart, Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Bubinga & Bloodwood. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 338. Birds Eye Maple, Cherry, Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. 10″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 343. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Padauk, Goncalo Alves & Purpleheart. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 340. Padauk, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. 10″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Cheese Board 17 – 341. Hard Maple, Jatoba, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Black Walnut, Cherry, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Back again.

It’s simply lovely to have a bit of shop time that lets me catch up. Inventory is once again over 200 pieces, if only for a short while. A bit of creativity can get sparked when I have shop time, thank goodness. And that’s when things can get pretty.

This board was a special order. I was tasked to make an in-counter replacement board, and it needed a splash of Bird’s Eye Maple in a field of brown. It was going to match another piece in its new home, I was told, and the board needed to be just right.

So, OK! I first had to find that perfect piece of Bird’s Eye, and then I had to design a board around it. I take what the wood gives me. And in this case, I’m happy to get this board to an owner who appreciates the uniqueness of the wood.

This is the front:

Cutting Board 17 – 129. Black Walnut, Padauk and Bird’s Eye Maple. 16″ x 20″ x 3/4″. Commissioned piece.

And this is the back:

Cutting Board 17 – 129. Detail of the back of the board, including my logo in the lower right corner.

When she picked it up, the new owner of the board said that it will never be cut on. With wood this pretty, I entirely support that decision!

More

The 250th Cutting Board (4/18/17)

The 200th Cutting Board, 6th Time ‘Round (2/9/17)

The 200th Cutting Board, 5th Time ‘Round (11/30/16)

The 200th Cutting Board, 4th Time ‘Round (10/7/16)

The 200th Cutting Board, Third Time ‘Round (8/5/16)

The 200th Cutting Board, 8 Months Later (4/9/16)

The 200th Cutting Board (9/18/15)

The garage woodshop has been pretty crazy for the last few weeks.

• Inventory is down – critically down – and our fall events begin NEXT WEEK.
• Panic has set in.
• The new tool is on order, and shop space has to be cleared for it. Unfortunately the shop is bursting at the seams right now with lumber. That’s a good thing … but it’s gotta go. I need to make stuff from the lumber, so I have space for the new tool.
• Which is on order.
• Tic. Tic. Tic.

Here are a few boards which made it to the finish line this week. There are oh so many more coming … and some new surprises, too! … but first things first.

Nine boards, humbly submitted for your consideration.

Cutting Board 17 – 430. End grain. Bubinga, Hard Maple and Pau Ferro. 16-1/2″ x 21-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.

Small Board 17 – 232. Jatoba & Hard Maple. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 17 – 124. Edge grain. Cherry, Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Pau Ferro. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.

Small Board 17 – 231. Purpleheart, Jatoba, Hard Maple and Bloodwood. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 17 – 125. Edge grain. Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Jatoba and Bubinga. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 17 – 431. End grain. Black Walnut, Pau Ferro & Hickory. 14″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.

Cutting Board 17 – 126. Edge grain. Jatoba & Hard Maple. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 17 – 127. Edge grain. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Cherry. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 17 – 432. End Grain. Black Walnut. 16-1/2″ x 21-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.