Watkins Wood Works Blog

I've had an idea in my head for a number of years that was inspired by the furniture and buildings of my youth. I have great memories of the Western furniture and designs of the lodges from West Yellowstone through Jackson Hole. The figures left under the bark as insects chewed away the wood were always fascinating to me.

Fast forward a number of years to a "New Yankee Workshop" where Norm builds a cowboy side board in the Molesworth style and the memories of my youth came flooding back. Summers spent sitting in chairs and rockers at the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone with my grandparents as I munched away on mint chocolate chip ice cream cones and traced the insect trails on the furniture with my finger.

After seeing that episode I knew I had to incorporate some Molesworth into some of my pieces. Thomas Molesworth was a Western designer who lived in and was inspired by the Wild West in the early to mid 1900's. His designs reflect those of the local Native American tribes as well as the natural features of wood and insects. He was also inspired by the arts and crafts movement that was going on at the time and incorporated his flare for the West with the simplicity and clean lines of the Arts and Crafts movement. He often used bold colors and materials to add focal points and add life to a piece.

So with that in mind I've added a new series of boxes to my collection. Our Molesworth inspired boxes will use darker woods with rich texture and grain structures that will be at home in the summer cabin or to add a touch of Western flair to any modern home.

Here's a peek at the first go round. It's a his and hers set with matching tops. Hers is quartersawn Bubinga and his is figured Rosewood. They've received the initial coats of finish and will be buttoned up shortly,so stay tuned.

It's a sad day locally for me. Southern Utah has been primarily over looked as being hugely impacted by the credit crunch and housing bubble burst. For a number of years St. George has been ranked in the top 5 places to retire in the US and as a result the housing market was booming. Then the credit cards came due and the contractors went out of business and with them several of the cabinet shops with them. Our local supply shop was holding on and doing the best it could to weather the storm, but I've just learned that it too has fallen victim to the economy. It's a loss to the area that is going to be tough to fill as they were the nearest woodworking supply store in a 200 mile radius.

What does this mean for me? Well, simply it means I'm back to mail order or mass purchases when I travel to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. It also means those last minute changes or short sights in planning will make or break projects.

It's a shame that another small, indipendant store has fallen victim of the economy.

I know this post has been too long in the making. The last time I posted up I was finishing up the final touches on my Kane Tsugi bow front table. Well that has been finished and...well, it's been refinished again.

Unfortunately after it made its debut as an outstanding Christmas gift for my client, it seems I fell victim to the enemy of every wood worker...material movement. When working over the details I really wanted to produce the top as a solid top out of two or three wide pieces. I was concerned about solidly enclosing the top into the frame that is built when using the kane tsugi but thought I had planned through it enough that any movement would be minimal. Unfortunately I still fell victim to mother natures whim.

 But before we get to the injuries lets take a look at the finished product. It definitely turned out better than my expectations and was well worth the effort at cold pressing the drawer fronts. The book matching of the drawer fronts also added a spectacular touch.