1 00:00:00,766 --> 00:00:04,933 (bright music) (saw swishes) 2 00:00:06,033 --> 00:00:07,300 - Welcome to the "Volunteer Woodworker." 3 00:00:07,300 --> 00:00:09,333 I'm your host, Charles Brock. 4 00:00:09,333 --> 00:00:12,133 Come with me as we drive the back roads, 5 00:00:12,133 --> 00:00:16,500 bringing you the story of America's finest woodworkers. 6 00:00:16,500 --> 00:00:21,466 (bright music) (door thuds) 7 00:00:25,700 --> 00:00:29,066 (bright music continues) 8 00:00:35,133 --> 00:00:40,066 We're going to Downtown Nashville to meet Kelly Maxwell. 9 00:00:41,333 --> 00:00:44,266 Kelly works with giant figured wood slabs 10 00:00:44,266 --> 00:00:47,333 with that popular live edge. 11 00:00:47,333 --> 00:00:50,200 Using his artistry and experience, 12 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,233 he builds one-of-a-kind pieces 13 00:00:52,233 --> 00:00:55,866 of fine furniture for the finest homes. 14 00:00:55,866 --> 00:00:57,866 Let's meet Kelly Maxwell. 15 00:00:57,866 --> 00:01:02,200 (bright music) (saw swishes) 16 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,966 - [Announcer] "Volunteer Woodworker" is funded in part by: 17 00:01:04,966 --> 00:01:06,133 (saw swishes) 18 00:01:06,133 --> 00:01:08,266 Since 1970, Whiteside Machine Company 19 00:01:08,266 --> 00:01:10,766 has been producing industrial-grade router bits 20 00:01:10,766 --> 00:01:12,466 in Claremont, North Carolina. 21 00:01:12,466 --> 00:01:15,166 Whiteside makes carbide bits for edge forming, 22 00:01:15,166 --> 00:01:17,700 grooving, and CNC application. 23 00:01:17,700 --> 00:01:20,500 Learn more at whitesiderouterbits.com. 24 00:01:21,633 --> 00:01:24,266 Real Milk Paint Company makes VOC-free, 25 00:01:24,266 --> 00:01:27,966 non-toxic milk paint, available in 56 colors. 26 00:01:27,966 --> 00:01:30,233 Milk Paint creates a matte wood finish 27 00:01:30,233 --> 00:01:33,033 that can be distressed for an antique look. 28 00:01:33,033 --> 00:01:35,500 (gentle music) 29 00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:37,766 Good Wood Nashville designs custom furniture 30 00:01:37,766 --> 00:01:40,366 and is a supplier of vintage hardwoods. 31 00:01:41,533 --> 00:01:43,700 Keri Price with Keller Williams Realty 32 00:01:43,700 --> 00:01:46,000 has been assisting Middle Tennessee home buyers 33 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,766 and sellers since 2013. 34 00:01:48,766 --> 00:01:50,333 Mayfield Hardwood Lumber, 35 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,466 supplying Appalachian Hardwoods worldwide. 36 00:01:56,866 --> 00:01:59,066 Anna's Creative Lens, 37 00:01:59,066 --> 00:02:02,500 crafters of resin-on-wood decorative arts. 38 00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:04,100 - Kelly Maxwell. - Charles Brock, 39 00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:05,400 good to see you. 40 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:06,800 - Oh, it's so nice to be here in your shop 41 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:08,633 in Nashville, Tennessee. 42 00:02:10,166 --> 00:02:14,533 It's interesting that we were neighbors, almost, 43 00:02:14,533 --> 00:02:18,133 in Columbus, Georgia for a long time. 44 00:02:18,133 --> 00:02:21,233 We knew of each other, but we had never met each other. 45 00:02:21,233 --> 00:02:25,533 Then we moved to Nashville, Tennessee and we became friends. 46 00:02:25,533 --> 00:02:27,100 - Yeah, I mean, it's kind of crazy. 47 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:28,233 Had a mutual friend there, 48 00:02:28,233 --> 00:02:30,300 but never met each other in person. 49 00:02:30,300 --> 00:02:34,233 - Well, you do some amazing work. 50 00:02:34,233 --> 00:02:39,200 And the wood selection that you have is just tremendous. 51 00:02:41,900 --> 00:02:45,666 Live edge is a big thing 52 00:02:45,666 --> 00:02:49,800 in the world of furniture and decorating 53 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,133 and woodworking these days. 54 00:02:52,133 --> 00:02:56,333 You're kind of my king of the live edge. 55 00:02:56,333 --> 00:02:57,566 - Well, I thank you on that. 56 00:02:57,566 --> 00:02:59,500 Kind of interestingly enough, 57 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:02,966 you know, live edge has been around for generations. 58 00:03:02,966 --> 00:03:04,600 I mean, you might know a gentleman 59 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:06,833 by the name of George Nakashima. 60 00:03:06,833 --> 00:03:09,833 He actually made it famous back in his day. 61 00:03:09,833 --> 00:03:13,200 - Yeah, "The Soul of a Tree." - Exactly. Exactly. 62 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,833 - Yeah. Well, Kelly, what exactly is live edge? 63 00:03:17,833 --> 00:03:21,333 - Live edge is the outside portion of the tree 64 00:03:21,333 --> 00:03:23,400 without the bark. 65 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,633 We really don't wanna leave the bark on. 66 00:03:25,633 --> 00:03:27,500 Majority of the time in the drying process, 67 00:03:27,500 --> 00:03:28,766 it's gonna fall off. 68 00:03:29,900 --> 00:03:31,533 But it also, if you leave it on, 69 00:03:31,533 --> 00:03:34,133 will actually cause an issue with creating bugs, 70 00:03:34,133 --> 00:03:36,400 or bugs will want to come and live in it, 71 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:37,800 and that's not a good thing. 72 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,800 So we take all of our bark off 73 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,533 and actual live edge is just the outside of the tree 74 00:03:43,533 --> 00:03:45,633 or the outer layer of the tree. 75 00:03:45,633 --> 00:03:48,933 - And so some people might see those things as faults, 76 00:03:48,933 --> 00:03:51,300 but you celebrate them. 77 00:03:51,300 --> 00:03:54,066 - Yeah, I mean, the beauty that's found in it, 78 00:03:54,066 --> 00:03:59,000 you can create endless amounts of furniture designs 79 00:04:00,266 --> 00:04:03,300 with live edge by either cutting some of it off 80 00:04:03,300 --> 00:04:06,333 or leaving the live edge there completely. 81 00:04:06,333 --> 00:04:09,400 Just the raw organic beauty is, 82 00:04:11,100 --> 00:04:12,666 that's the stunning part about it. 83 00:04:12,666 --> 00:04:16,800 - So if you want your furniture 84 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:21,100 or a piece in your house to look really organic, 85 00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:24,300 then live-edge furniture might be for you. 86 00:04:24,300 --> 00:04:26,633 - Yeah, I mean, and we tend to think 87 00:04:26,633 --> 00:04:30,033 that it's only for a log cabin or a rustic-style place, 88 00:04:30,033 --> 00:04:33,466 but no, it actually will bring a lot of energy 89 00:04:33,466 --> 00:04:38,433 and a renewed life into the, 90 00:04:38,433 --> 00:04:41,800 a modern style or even a contemporary home. 91 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,200 We do a lot of fireplaces now with live-edge mantles on it 92 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,633 just because you're bringing that piece of nature 93 00:04:49,633 --> 00:04:51,033 into the home. 94 00:04:51,033 --> 00:04:55,600 - Piece behind us, I think is a beautiful example 95 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,733 of your art, the composition and everything. 96 00:04:59,733 --> 00:05:03,500 But it's also a multimedia piece. 97 00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:07,733 You have more than just this beautiful wood. 98 00:05:07,733 --> 00:05:09,166 - It's an award-winning design 99 00:05:09,166 --> 00:05:12,533 from Western Design Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming 100 00:05:12,533 --> 00:05:17,000 that I designed with Anthony Martin of Red Tail Forge Works. 101 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:21,700 We used spalted bigleaf maple burl, 102 00:05:21,700 --> 00:05:24,333 and it's extremely spalted. 103 00:05:24,333 --> 00:05:29,100 And then he created aspen trees all out of steel. 104 00:05:29,100 --> 00:05:33,400 The trees actually have 5,000 leaves on it, 105 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:34,666 believe it or not. 106 00:05:37,433 --> 00:05:41,300 It's all hand done, done out. It's really a cool piece. 107 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:45,866 - Yeah, now, spalting, a lot of your slabs, 108 00:05:45,866 --> 00:05:49,900 live-edge slabs, have spalting. 109 00:05:49,900 --> 00:05:51,266 What is spalting? 110 00:05:51,266 --> 00:05:53,100 - Spalting is decaying wood. 111 00:05:53,100 --> 00:05:55,366 And there's different colors 112 00:05:55,366 --> 00:05:58,133 of the spalt marks will be different funguses. 113 00:05:58,133 --> 00:06:01,200 It's a fungus that's in the wood that's starting to decay. 114 00:06:02,633 --> 00:06:04,733 You let it go to a certain point, and then you stop. 115 00:06:04,733 --> 00:06:08,500 If you go too far, you've just got rotted, punky wood. 116 00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:11,666 But if you stop at the right part, you have beautiful, 117 00:06:11,666 --> 00:06:14,933 I mean, it is just absolutely breathtaking 118 00:06:14,933 --> 00:06:17,000 and can be used from everything from furniture, 119 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,200 to bowls, to pens. 120 00:06:20,533 --> 00:06:23,333 - So, Kelly, you call this composition "Entwined." 121 00:06:23,333 --> 00:06:24,666 What does that mean? 122 00:06:24,666 --> 00:06:26,500 - The name "Entwined" is my interpretation. 123 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:31,100 Aspen trees are the largest plant out there, 124 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:33,666 entwined because they're entwined through the root systems. 125 00:06:33,666 --> 00:06:36,533 They speak and live a lifestyle together. 126 00:06:36,533 --> 00:06:40,400 The spalted maple speaks to me of the root systems 127 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,533 and the intertwining of those root systems and life together 128 00:06:44,533 --> 00:06:46,633 and taking it back to life in general, 129 00:06:46,633 --> 00:06:49,300 that we're all entwined in each other. 130 00:06:49,300 --> 00:06:54,266 - Well, your work is very entwined, 131 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,733 but you started out as a kid. 132 00:06:57,733 --> 00:07:00,433 How did you get on this path 133 00:07:00,433 --> 00:07:02,900 to become the artist that you are? 134 00:07:02,900 --> 00:07:04,633 Not everybody takes that path. 135 00:07:04,633 --> 00:07:08,000 - No, man, I'm a farm boy from Kuna, Idaho, 136 00:07:09,433 --> 00:07:11,633 just southwest of Boise. 137 00:07:11,633 --> 00:07:13,033 Grew up there my whole life. 138 00:07:13,033 --> 00:07:16,200 I did not think I knew nothing about woodworking. 139 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,366 I am 100% self-taught. 140 00:07:18,366 --> 00:07:23,133 I did not pick up woodworking until I was 36 years old. 141 00:07:23,133 --> 00:07:26,933 And that was purely because my wife 142 00:07:26,933 --> 00:07:29,100 and my stepdaughter came to me. 143 00:07:29,100 --> 00:07:31,466 My stepdaughter got engaged to be married, 144 00:07:31,466 --> 00:07:35,933 and the wedding was coming up, and they said, 145 00:07:35,933 --> 00:07:37,800 "Can you build some of this furniture we see 146 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:39,133 in the log home magazines?" 147 00:07:39,133 --> 00:07:42,766 And I being the, I guess crazy guy, 148 00:07:42,766 --> 00:07:45,000 I said, "Sure I can." (Charles chuckles) 149 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:46,866 I did 20 pieces for the wedding. 150 00:07:46,866 --> 00:07:49,633 I gave some of it away, and I sold some. 151 00:07:49,633 --> 00:07:52,800 Good friend said, "Hey, come do this little show here," 152 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,166 throws this application out. 153 00:07:54,166 --> 00:07:56,500 He was my boss in EMS. I was a full-time paramedic. 154 00:07:56,500 --> 00:07:59,400 And he said, "Come do this little craft show." 155 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,366 Write a check for $25, and I showed up. 156 00:08:03,366 --> 00:08:05,100 I looked like the redneck stepchild 157 00:08:05,100 --> 00:08:07,600 because I was in a little green beach tent. 158 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:09,166 I was not in a little white tent 159 00:08:09,166 --> 00:08:11,700 with all the other vendors. 160 00:08:11,700 --> 00:08:13,266 But I sold. 161 00:08:13,266 --> 00:08:16,666 I went back, and that was the start of actually marketing 162 00:08:16,666 --> 00:08:18,766 and selling log-style furniture. 163 00:08:19,633 --> 00:08:20,633 - And so, at some point, 164 00:08:20,633 --> 00:08:25,600 you left your day job as an EMT 165 00:08:26,966 --> 00:08:29,533 and you tackled the world of being self-employed 166 00:08:29,533 --> 00:08:31,500 as an artist. 167 00:08:31,500 --> 00:08:32,866 - Yeah, I did that. 168 00:08:32,866 --> 00:08:35,600 And 10 years ago we moved to Nashville, Tennessee. 169 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,266 At that time, I retired my paramedic license. 170 00:08:38,266 --> 00:08:42,866 Before that, I had worked full-time, 171 00:08:42,866 --> 00:08:44,900 or part-time at least, as a paramedic. 172 00:08:44,900 --> 00:08:48,266 But when I moved to Nashville, I retired 10 years ago 173 00:08:48,266 --> 00:08:52,300 and run a studio here in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. 174 00:08:52,300 --> 00:08:54,000 - Kelly, what is it about you 175 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,800 that has helped you become the artist you are today? 176 00:09:00,433 --> 00:09:05,400 - Man, me stumbling on myself, creating something, 177 00:09:07,866 --> 00:09:12,733 a natural drive to find the next thing, 178 00:09:12,733 --> 00:09:14,333 push it to the next level. 179 00:09:15,566 --> 00:09:17,333 It's not easy. 180 00:09:17,333 --> 00:09:20,733 It's blood, sweat, and tears. I mean, it literally is. 181 00:09:20,733 --> 00:09:25,033 If you think that it's going to be a easy thing, 182 00:09:25,033 --> 00:09:27,400 you go out and set up a website, market, 183 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,066 and everything else, 184 00:09:29,066 --> 00:09:33,033 you're gonna be working 100, 200 hours a week. 185 00:09:33,033 --> 00:09:34,433 And that's fictitious, 186 00:09:34,433 --> 00:09:38,266 but you live this job 24/7 if you want to market. 187 00:09:38,266 --> 00:09:40,366 You can't just build art. 188 00:09:40,366 --> 00:09:42,200 You gotta learn how to market it, too. 189 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:45,700 And that's what I've learned to do 190 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:52,766 is to design furniture that's functional. 191 00:09:53,533 --> 00:09:54,833 Not just look good, 192 00:09:54,833 --> 00:09:57,066 but it's gotta serve a purpose, be functional, 193 00:10:00,166 --> 00:10:02,100 and then sell it to customers 194 00:10:02,100 --> 00:10:05,366 that can actually use that furniture in their homes 195 00:10:05,366 --> 00:10:07,300 and enjoy it for the rest of their lives 196 00:10:07,300 --> 00:10:09,333 and many other generations. 197 00:10:09,333 --> 00:10:10,833 - Well said. (saw swishes) 198 00:10:10,833 --> 00:10:15,800 (bright music) (saw swishes) 199 00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:24,300 (bright music continues) 200 00:10:30,300 --> 00:10:33,666 (bright music continues) 201 00:10:39,633 --> 00:10:43,000 (bright music continues) 202 00:10:48,666 --> 00:10:52,033 (bright music continues) 203 00:10:56,866 --> 00:11:00,200 (bright music continues) 204 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:10,000 (bright music continues) 205 00:11:16,633 --> 00:11:20,766 (bright music continues) (saw swishes) 206 00:11:20,766 --> 00:11:23,700 Kelly, before you return to your studio 207 00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:26,233 and make some more beautiful furniture, 208 00:11:26,233 --> 00:11:30,133 I want you to tell me about a few of these gorgeous pieces. 209 00:11:30,133 --> 00:11:35,100 This one (chuckles) is Mother Nature's delight. 210 00:11:35,733 --> 00:11:37,100 - Thanks, Chuck. 211 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:38,266 I'll be glad to talk to you about this piece here. 212 00:11:38,266 --> 00:11:40,100 This is "The Wizard." 213 00:11:41,633 --> 00:11:44,800 My style has been defined over the years as being more 214 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:48,100 of a nature-themed, raw, organic, 215 00:11:48,100 --> 00:11:50,966 taking the raw materials from nature 216 00:11:50,966 --> 00:11:54,500 and creating a functional piece of furniture. 217 00:11:55,866 --> 00:12:00,266 This piece here is a young-growth redwood root. 218 00:12:01,733 --> 00:12:03,600 I like to leave the freeform edge 219 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,933 and the gnarl and everything here. 220 00:12:05,933 --> 00:12:08,833 So when you run your hand across it, you feel it, 221 00:12:08,833 --> 00:12:10,933 but it's smooth as a baby's bottom. 222 00:12:10,933 --> 00:12:13,400 There's no, nothing that's gonna reach out 223 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:14,733 and grab you and hurt you. 224 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,433 I use a real clear, soft, natural matte finish, 225 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,533 and the base is a western cedar root. 226 00:12:26,533 --> 00:12:31,500 And this one was really just perfect for this piece, 227 00:12:32,766 --> 00:12:36,500 as I brought the root through the top, so it- 228 00:12:36,500 --> 00:12:39,233 - Thus, we have the name of the piece: "The Wizard." 229 00:12:39,233 --> 00:12:42,433 - "The Wizard." The wonderful wizard. 230 00:12:42,433 --> 00:12:45,933 - Now, you have done some inlay work here, 231 00:12:45,933 --> 00:12:48,400 but it has purpose and function. 232 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:49,800 - It does, it does. 233 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:51,933 I mean, in furniture, the most important thing is, 234 00:12:51,933 --> 00:12:53,266 you can have a cool-looking design, 235 00:12:53,266 --> 00:12:55,733 but if it does not have functionality, 236 00:12:55,733 --> 00:12:59,733 it's just a hunk of wood sitting there, in my opinion. 237 00:12:59,733 --> 00:13:02,600 But I've taken and placed some bow ties, 238 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:07,166 and I opted in this piece to be a little bit progressive, 239 00:13:07,166 --> 00:13:10,933 and I used a contrasting wood of a maple burl 240 00:13:10,933 --> 00:13:12,366 to do my inlays. 241 00:13:12,366 --> 00:13:15,400 And I did bow ties to actually support this crack 242 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,500 instead of filling it with epoxy. 243 00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:20,333 This piece has no epoxy used in it. 244 00:13:20,333 --> 00:13:23,466 It is literally just some old-school joinery, 245 00:13:23,466 --> 00:13:24,733 putting the pieces together. 246 00:13:24,733 --> 00:13:28,600 - This inlay, the little bow ties here, 247 00:13:29,633 --> 00:13:31,566 they kind of center the eye. 248 00:13:31,566 --> 00:13:34,266 They pull the eye toward the piece, 249 00:13:34,266 --> 00:13:37,533 which is really great design. - [Kelly] Correct. 250 00:13:37,533 --> 00:13:38,866 And it also, at the same time, 251 00:13:38,866 --> 00:13:41,033 complements two different styles of burl. 252 00:13:41,033 --> 00:13:42,733 - Have you got another piece you wanna show? 253 00:13:42,733 --> 00:13:43,700 - Sure. 254 00:13:43,700 --> 00:13:44,633 We got a little buckeye burl, 255 00:13:44,633 --> 00:13:46,100 right over the top of this here. 256 00:13:46,100 --> 00:13:48,400 - Wow. Wall art. - That is wall art. 257 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:50,266 I mean, it is functional art. 258 00:13:50,266 --> 00:13:52,233 It is just raw, organic. 259 00:13:52,233 --> 00:13:53,733 I mean, you're sitting here, 260 00:13:53,733 --> 00:13:57,566 you know, you can't make an abstract that's that pure. 261 00:13:58,866 --> 00:14:00,733 The best painter in the world cannot paint 262 00:14:00,733 --> 00:14:03,133 what nature creates. 263 00:14:03,133 --> 00:14:07,200 - That's wonderful. Now, it's all ingrain? 264 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:08,133 - This is all ingrain. 265 00:14:08,133 --> 00:14:09,700 Actually, this is out of a root, 266 00:14:09,700 --> 00:14:12,200 so that's kind of a questionable. 267 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,366 If it is ingrain or if it's along the grain, 268 00:14:15,366 --> 00:14:16,733 there is no grain in the root 269 00:14:16,733 --> 00:14:18,300 'cause it goes every different direction, 270 00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:19,900 especially in these. 271 00:14:19,900 --> 00:14:21,466 But I do see some of the inlay, 272 00:14:21,466 --> 00:14:23,466 or some of the lines around the outside. 273 00:14:23,466 --> 00:14:26,133 And this is where it went up into the tree. 274 00:14:26,133 --> 00:14:28,266 - And it's highly spalted. 275 00:14:28,266 --> 00:14:29,866 - Highly spalted, a lot of figure. 276 00:14:29,866 --> 00:14:31,400 That's what I love about buckeye 277 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,766 is just the unique color patterns. 278 00:14:33,766 --> 00:14:36,333 I love the contrasting of the burl, 279 00:14:36,333 --> 00:14:37,833 the darkness of the burl, 280 00:14:37,833 --> 00:14:42,800 the compression curls in the root system, the voids. 281 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,666 'Cause this will grow around rocks, and dirt, and clay, 282 00:14:45,666 --> 00:14:48,833 and everything in the natural habitat where it's at. 283 00:14:48,833 --> 00:14:52,200 - That shows Mother Nature at its finest. 284 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:53,600 - That it does. - Yeah. 285 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,733 Oh, I'd love to have that in my home. 286 00:14:56,733 --> 00:14:59,900 Kelly, I feel like we're in Middle Earth, 287 00:14:59,900 --> 00:15:04,866 and I'm a a little bitty guy amongst a field of mushrooms 288 00:15:06,066 --> 00:15:08,100 that have been cut off to make tables. 289 00:15:08,100 --> 00:15:09,800 (chuckles) Tell me about these. 290 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:11,500 - Well, you are. 291 00:15:11,500 --> 00:15:14,633 - Uh-oh. We're in trouble now. - We are. 292 00:15:14,633 --> 00:15:16,400 Let's talk about these little tables. 293 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,500 These are a new adventure in my life. 294 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:22,266 It's something I've been playing with a little bit. 295 00:15:22,266 --> 00:15:24,033 These are cluster burl logs. 296 00:15:24,033 --> 00:15:27,300 These are actually maple cluster burl logs. 297 00:15:27,300 --> 00:15:29,733 And these logs have been sitting around for a while, 298 00:15:29,733 --> 00:15:31,233 and we've been a little bit mean to 'em. 299 00:15:31,233 --> 00:15:33,533 We just left them out in the elements 300 00:15:33,533 --> 00:15:36,300 with some of the bark on, some of the bark off. 301 00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:38,533 Just kind of didn't take care of 'em. 302 00:15:38,533 --> 00:15:41,700 Well, that's when nature gets to do its real work. 303 00:15:41,700 --> 00:15:46,000 'Cause if you notice, we've got all these burls here, 304 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:49,000 and then you've got all these unique colors. 305 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,500 There's no way you can paint all those colors 306 00:15:51,500 --> 00:15:53,233 or texture, all that in there. 307 00:15:53,233 --> 00:15:55,900 I mean, nature made it just the way it is. 308 00:15:55,900 --> 00:15:59,533 All we do is come in, clean these off, 309 00:15:59,533 --> 00:16:02,966 flap 'em down with a flap sander situation, 310 00:16:02,966 --> 00:16:05,400 knock off the bark, clean 'em up, 311 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:10,400 let 'em dry for several years, and then build a table. 312 00:16:11,766 --> 00:16:13,366 - [Charles] And this is just as smooth as it can be. 313 00:16:13,366 --> 00:16:16,333 And you would think this would be rough, but it's not. 314 00:16:16,333 --> 00:16:18,433 - No, that's why we spend the time 315 00:16:18,433 --> 00:16:21,000 so you can run your hand all over the outside of it, 316 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,300 and yeah, you feel the organic, the true, 317 00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:26,400 like you're feeling the outside of the log. 318 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,400 But it's all sealed, and finished, and smooth, 319 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:33,000 where you're not gonna get tore up or cut or anything else. 320 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:34,366 And this table here, Chuck, 321 00:16:34,366 --> 00:16:37,266 it's a little bit bigger version of the small ones. 322 00:16:37,266 --> 00:16:39,133 Same type of situation. 323 00:16:39,133 --> 00:16:43,266 We cut the log in a leveler with a big sawmill, 324 00:16:43,266 --> 00:16:48,233 chainsaw mill, leaves these natural cluster burls around. 325 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,400 We flap and clean the edge to literally keep it 326 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,233 to where it shows the grain 327 00:16:55,233 --> 00:16:57,333 and it looks like the raw log. 328 00:16:57,333 --> 00:16:59,400 We haven't put any paint or anything on this. 329 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,233 This is the true colors of the log. 330 00:17:02,233 --> 00:17:04,000 We're just enhancing it with the finish 331 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,033 that we're using on it. 332 00:17:06,033 --> 00:17:08,400 - And this is a cluster burl. - This is a cluster burl. 333 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,733 If you was to cut this and look at the top side of it here, 334 00:17:12,733 --> 00:17:14,066 you're gonna see the burl. 335 00:17:14,066 --> 00:17:15,166 This is a burl. 336 00:17:15,166 --> 00:17:17,900 Burls grow in the ground. 337 00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:19,633 They grow on the outside of the tree. 338 00:17:19,633 --> 00:17:22,500 And sometimes you will have the whole tree here 339 00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:24,266 will be nothing but a big burl. 340 00:17:24,266 --> 00:17:27,566 - Wow. - This is just a cluster burl. 341 00:17:27,566 --> 00:17:31,000 So this is just a bigger version of this. 342 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:32,266 - That's wonderful. 343 00:17:32,266 --> 00:17:34,200 - Doesn't have the same coloring, either. 344 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:36,200 - You know, what I like, Kelly, 345 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:41,166 is you take what nature gives us and you enhance it. 346 00:17:42,766 --> 00:17:44,033 It just fits your home. 347 00:17:44,033 --> 00:17:46,400 - I just fluffed the dust off the top of it, 348 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:48,166 and yeah, they're mushroom tables. 349 00:17:48,166 --> 00:17:50,200 (Charles laughs) (saw swishes) 350 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,666 - Well, Kelly, this is a beautiful desk 351 00:17:53,666 --> 00:17:57,400 for a moderately-sized office. 352 00:17:57,400 --> 00:17:58,966 - Yeah, it is. 353 00:17:58,966 --> 00:18:02,233 I mean, I designed this to be perfect for the home office 354 00:18:02,233 --> 00:18:06,433 or even for a reception area in a small office building. 355 00:18:06,433 --> 00:18:08,833 It is old-growth redwood. 356 00:18:08,833 --> 00:18:10,233 And funny enough, 357 00:18:10,233 --> 00:18:12,666 when the slab came in about four or five years ago, 358 00:18:12,666 --> 00:18:14,666 it looked like a frog swimming. 359 00:18:14,666 --> 00:18:16,933 The waterfall legs are kind of sprawled 360 00:18:16,933 --> 00:18:18,466 and they have two pieces. 361 00:18:18,466 --> 00:18:21,233 Well, it had looked like feet coming off the end of it. 362 00:18:21,233 --> 00:18:23,166 And there was a piece out here that broke off 363 00:18:23,166 --> 00:18:24,700 and another piece over there that broke off 364 00:18:24,700 --> 00:18:27,000 that looked like the front legs were just pushing back 365 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:28,433 like it was swimming through water. 366 00:18:28,433 --> 00:18:30,266 - Wow. - It's a cool piece. 367 00:18:30,266 --> 00:18:33,200 But this is old-growth curly redwood. 368 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:35,100 I did a waterfall end on it, 369 00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:37,700 and then I did a pie front leg, 370 00:18:39,300 --> 00:18:43,233 kind of a simple modernist-style design underneath there, 371 00:18:43,233 --> 00:18:45,200 to connect, to hold and support this leg 372 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,966 that's really clean and open-aired. 373 00:18:50,566 --> 00:18:53,700 I used a simple natural wood finish 374 00:18:53,700 --> 00:18:57,333 that I use in my studio here, which is a premium hard wax. 375 00:18:57,333 --> 00:18:58,700 It's durable. 376 00:18:58,700 --> 00:19:01,033 It actually repels water, wine, soda, everything. 377 00:19:01,033 --> 00:19:02,433 It's phenomenal. 378 00:19:02,433 --> 00:19:05,266 But what I love about curly redwood is the shimmer. 379 00:19:05,266 --> 00:19:07,866 It reminds me of the ocean, 380 00:19:07,866 --> 00:19:10,933 and the soft waves coming in, 381 00:19:10,933 --> 00:19:14,466 and the design, the ripples that are created 382 00:19:14,466 --> 00:19:16,133 in the sand underneath. 383 00:19:17,666 --> 00:19:22,066 - That is just gorgeous. I think I'll take it. 384 00:19:23,366 --> 00:19:25,566 - I'll write it up, Chuck. (Charles chuckles) 385 00:19:25,566 --> 00:19:30,566 (saw swishes) (bright music) 386 00:19:34,900 --> 00:19:38,266 (bright music continues) 387 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,400 (bright music continues) 388 00:19:54,566 --> 00:19:57,933 (bright music continues) 389 00:20:03,766 --> 00:20:07,166 (bright music continues) 390 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,166 (bright music continues) 391 00:20:21,766 --> 00:20:25,133 (bright music continues) 392 00:20:30,766 --> 00:20:34,166 (bright music continues) 393 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:42,200 (bright music continues) (saw swishes) 394 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:46,633 - Well, this beautiful burl is ready for, to be a tabletop. 395 00:20:46,633 --> 00:20:49,800 You've already got it all finished and shined up, 396 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:51,866 ready for a pedestal. 397 00:20:51,866 --> 00:20:54,933 You're starting to evaluate this piece here. 398 00:20:54,933 --> 00:20:56,533 What can you do with this? 399 00:20:56,533 --> 00:20:58,366 - Well, this is a claro walnut. 400 00:20:58,366 --> 00:21:01,133 It's actually out of a walnut grove out of California, 401 00:21:01,133 --> 00:21:03,533 which is the only place claro walnut grows. 402 00:21:04,966 --> 00:21:07,600 I'm gonna create a, cut a straight line across here. 403 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,766 Then I'm gonna come up, measure it 30 inches tall 404 00:21:10,766 --> 00:21:13,600 'cause I want my table to be 30 inches tall. 405 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:15,333 I'm gonna cut a fold into here. 406 00:21:15,333 --> 00:21:17,633 So I'm gonna create a continuous waterfall 407 00:21:17,633 --> 00:21:19,700 when I connect this leg back onto it. 408 00:21:19,700 --> 00:21:21,233 So it'll stand up 409 00:21:21,233 --> 00:21:23,533 and have a waterfall fold coming across the table. 410 00:21:23,533 --> 00:21:25,633 - So it'll be at a 90-degree angle. 411 00:21:25,633 --> 00:21:27,666 - Correct. - With a miter joint. 412 00:21:27,666 --> 00:21:30,033 - Correct. I'm gonna put a couple of miters in here. 413 00:21:30,033 --> 00:21:31,633 I'm gonna take this to a little bit more 414 00:21:31,633 --> 00:21:36,600 of a rustic, modern-style table, and put a dimensional, 415 00:21:37,700 --> 00:21:39,833 clean-line slab down on the bottom, 416 00:21:39,833 --> 00:21:42,166 probably about an inch and a quarter thick. 417 00:21:42,166 --> 00:21:44,300 Then I'll put a couple of legs down here on this end 418 00:21:44,300 --> 00:21:45,400 and tie that in. 419 00:21:46,466 --> 00:21:47,800 This is a little bit too rugged 420 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:50,200 and crazy for a conventional table. 421 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:51,866 I'm gonna shape this off here, 422 00:21:51,866 --> 00:21:53,700 do a little bit of shaping up in here, 423 00:21:53,700 --> 00:21:56,666 and trim a little bit of this trashy stuff down here. 424 00:21:56,666 --> 00:21:59,000 But I'm gonna leave all the raw organic 425 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,433 of the cellular collapse in the the slab itself. 426 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,566 - Now, this has already been flattened. 427 00:22:07,566 --> 00:22:10,900 I bet that is a very interesting process. 428 00:22:10,900 --> 00:22:12,300 - It can be. 429 00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:13,833 I'm lucky enough here in my studio, 430 00:22:13,833 --> 00:22:16,866 I have a CNC, but I also have a big double-belt sander 431 00:22:16,866 --> 00:22:18,533 so I can surface 'em down. 432 00:22:18,533 --> 00:22:21,333 But the DIY person or somebody at home, 433 00:22:21,333 --> 00:22:24,233 smaller, a little router sled, they work great. 434 00:22:24,233 --> 00:22:25,300 (saw swishes) 435 00:22:25,300 --> 00:22:27,500 How do I make a straight line 436 00:22:29,266 --> 00:22:31,966 across the bottom of this slab 437 00:22:31,966 --> 00:22:34,800 when I have no barriers to base it off of? 438 00:22:36,066 --> 00:22:40,633 I take a T-square that I've had for years, 439 00:22:40,633 --> 00:22:43,466 I lay it in the center of my slab here, 440 00:22:43,466 --> 00:22:48,400 and I split the difference from my live edge, 441 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:49,533 making a straight line. 442 00:22:52,766 --> 00:22:54,766 (clamp clanks and clicks) 443 00:22:54,766 --> 00:22:55,733 I lock it down. 444 00:23:00,366 --> 00:23:02,533 (clamp rattles and clicks) 445 00:23:02,533 --> 00:23:07,500 (bright music) (saw buzzing) 446 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:17,466 (bright music continues) (saw continues buzzing) 447 00:23:21,266 --> 00:23:26,266 (saw buzzes) (bright music continues) 448 00:23:30,866 --> 00:23:34,233 (bright music continues) 449 00:23:40,933 --> 00:23:44,300 (bright music continues) 450 00:23:51,333 --> 00:23:53,633 (saw whirs) 451 00:23:56,233 --> 00:23:57,600 And then we have a straight line. 452 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:02,266 (clamps clank and rattle) 453 00:24:03,433 --> 00:24:05,000 You can measure up. 454 00:24:05,966 --> 00:24:07,466 Mark my 30 inches. 455 00:24:08,366 --> 00:24:09,900 After I make my measurement, 456 00:24:09,900 --> 00:24:12,666 I'm gonna take it over to my panel saw to create my fold 457 00:24:12,666 --> 00:24:14,933 so I can create the waterfall in this table. 458 00:24:14,933 --> 00:24:18,300 - Yeah, I've done that many times myself. 459 00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:20,800 This requires a lot of sanding, I bet. 460 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:22,100 - Yeah, it does, Charles. 461 00:24:22,100 --> 00:24:24,400 And this might be your project today. 462 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,233 - Oh, geez. I hate sanding. 463 00:24:26,233 --> 00:24:28,866 - You know, you come to my shop, you gotta work. 464 00:24:28,866 --> 00:24:31,166 - All right. Where's the sander? 465 00:24:31,166 --> 00:24:32,800 - Right over here. I'll get it for you. 466 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:35,366 - Can't wait. I just love sanding. 467 00:24:38,033 --> 00:24:41,500 (sander buzzes and whirs) 468 00:24:42,766 --> 00:24:45,833 (sander whirring) 469 00:24:45,833 --> 00:24:49,300 - [Kelly] Here we go! 470 00:24:49,300 --> 00:24:51,966 Whoo! (sander whirs) 471 00:24:51,966 --> 00:24:53,433 - Well, Kelly, I really need to go see a man 472 00:24:53,433 --> 00:24:56,066 about a horse. (Kelly groans) 473 00:24:56,066 --> 00:24:57,433 (saw swishes) (bright music) 474 00:24:57,433 --> 00:24:59,433 I'm gonna be heading down the road to find a story 475 00:24:59,433 --> 00:25:01,933 of another great woodworker. 476 00:25:01,933 --> 00:25:05,966 See you next time on the "Volunteer Woodworker." 477 00:25:05,966 --> 00:25:10,933 (door thuds) (bright music) 478 00:25:15,733 --> 00:25:19,100 (bright music continues) 479 00:25:24,300 --> 00:25:26,000 (saw swishes) 480 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,533 - [Announcer] "Volunteer Woodworker" is funded in part by: 481 00:25:27,533 --> 00:25:28,700 (saw swishes) 482 00:25:28,700 --> 00:25:30,600 Since 1970, Whiteside Machine Company 483 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,100 has been producing industrial-grade router bits 484 00:25:33,100 --> 00:25:34,866 in Claremont, North Carolina. 485 00:25:34,866 --> 00:25:37,566 Whiteside makes carbide bits for edge forming, 486 00:25:37,566 --> 00:25:40,100 grooving, and CNC application. 487 00:25:40,100 --> 00:25:42,900 Learn more at whitesiderouterbits.com. 488 00:25:44,066 --> 00:25:46,666 Real Milk Paint Company makes VOC-free, 489 00:25:46,666 --> 00:25:50,400 non-toxic milk paint, available in 56 colors. 490 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,633 Milk Paint creates a matte wood finish 491 00:25:52,633 --> 00:25:55,133 that can be distressed for an antique look. 492 00:25:55,133 --> 00:25:57,900 (gentle music) 493 00:25:57,900 --> 00:26:00,133 Good Wood Nashville designs custom furniture 494 00:26:00,133 --> 00:26:02,633 and is a supplier of vintage hardwoods. 495 00:26:03,766 --> 00:26:05,966 Keri Price with Keller Williams Realty 496 00:26:05,966 --> 00:26:08,300 has been assisting Middle Tennessee home buyers 497 00:26:08,300 --> 00:26:11,066 and sellers since 2013. 498 00:26:11,066 --> 00:26:12,633 Mayfield Hardwood Lumber, 499 00:26:14,100 --> 00:26:16,766 supplying Appalachian Hardwoods worldwide. 500 00:26:19,166 --> 00:26:21,333 Anna's Creative Lens, 501 00:26:21,333 --> 00:26:24,800 crafters of resin-on-wood decorative arts. 502 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:26,966 Visit charlesbrockchairmaker.com 503 00:26:26,966 --> 00:26:29,300 for all you need to know about woodworking. 504 00:26:30,266 --> 00:26:32,066 If you'd like to learn even more, 505 00:26:32,066 --> 00:26:35,100 free classes and a variety of subjects are available 506 00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:39,066 for streaming from charlesbrockchairmaker.com. 507 00:26:39,066 --> 00:26:41,533 (bright music) 508 00:26:43,266 --> 00:26:45,300 (vibrant music)