Alan Garbers - From Tree to Table

2019 by Alan Garbers and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Fox Chapel Publishers, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

ISBN 978-1-60765-646-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Garbers, Alan, author.

Title: From tree to table / Alan Garbers.

Description: Mount Joy, PA : Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., [2019] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018045954 (print) | LCCN 2018046731 (ebook) | ISBN 9781607656463 (ebook) | ISBN 9781565239821 (softcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Rustic woodwork--Amateurs' manuals. | Furniture making--Amateurs' manuals. | Country furniture--Amateurs' manuals.

Classification: LCC TT195 (ebook) | LCC TT195 .G39 2019 (print) | DDC 684.1--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018045954

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Printed in Singapore
First printing

Because working with wood and other materials inherently includes the risk of injury and damage, this book cannot guarantee that creating the projects in this book is safe for everyone. For this reason, this book is sold without warranties or guarantees of any kind, expressed or implied, and the publisher and the author disclaim any liability for any injuries, losses, or damages caused in any way by the content of this book or the readers use of the tools needed to complete the projects presented here. The publisher and the author urge all readers to thoroughly review each project and to understand the use of all tools before beginning any project.

CHAPTER 1:
Getting Ideas and Finding Inspiration

CHAPTER 2:
Safety First

CHAPTER 3:
Styles of Furniture

CHAPTER 4:
Logs

CHAPTER 5:
Peeling Bark

CHAPTER 6:
Why Wood Shrinks, Warps, and Cracks

CHAPTER 7:
Found Wood

CHAPTER 8:
Bark On or Bark Off?

CHAPTER 9:
Working with Logs

CHAPTER 10:
InsectsFriend or Foe?

CHAPTER 11:
Drying Wood

CHAPTER 12:
Finding Natures Gifts

CHAPTER 13:
Steam Bending

CHAPTER 14:
Fastening/Joining Wood

CHAPTER 15:
Finishing Your Artwork

CHAPTER 16:
Portable Band Saw Mills

CHAPTER 17:
Glue and Gluing

CHAPTER 18:
Sanding

CHAPTER 19:
Workstations

CHAPTER 20:
The Basics of Making Furniture

CHAPTER 21:
Building a Slab Bench

CHAPTER 22:
Making a Rustic Framed Mirror

CHAPTER 23:
Rustic Coat Rack

CHAPTER 24:
Making Tables

CHAPTER 25:
Rustic and Log Lamps

CHAPTER 26:
Building a Quilt or Rug Ladder

CHAPTER 27:
Building Beds

CHAPTER 28:
Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

CHAPTER 29:
Making Money from Scraps

My education in the area of making rustic and log furniture came from the College of Hard Knocks. As I was going through each lesson in life, I realized how little information was available about this subject. As I suffered setback after setback, I kept thinking, someone should write a book about this stuff so other folks wont have to endure the pain and suffering I went through. I finally decided I should write this book.

I dont have a fancy studio or gallery, but I have sold and traded my furniture to countless folks across North America. I have even traded my artwork in logs for two free fishing trips in Canada.

Unlike some craftsmen I have encountered, I want to share my experience with you. I want you to succeed and make beautiful furniture. So here it is, from my garage to yours.

Happy building!

There are many reasons why folks love rustic and log furniture.

For some of us, the deep earthy colors of a hickory chair or table is a visual reminder of a family vacation to the wilderness of the Northwoods, of the wild open western United States, of one of the many gorgeous National Park lodges, like those at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, or Yosemite. If you paid attention, youd recognize the familiar basket-weave pattern of hickory used by Old Hickory Furniture. Old Hickory Furniture was manufactured in Martinsville, Indiana, for generations, and Martinsville has been my home for over two decades.

Others may have fallen in love with a piece of locally handcrafted furniture while at a remote hunting or fishing lodge. I think about the clatter of golden aspen leaves in a light breeze while hunting up north when I think about rustic settings. I think of our adventures in the mountains in Arizona, or of bear hunting and muskie fishing in Canada every time I use a piece of aspen.

Some may want to commemorate an old house, shed, or barn from a family homestead by using recycled material from them. For example, I have a bookshelf I made from wood I had been squirreling away from various locations in which we lived over the decades. Some of the wood came from an old shed on a ranch we lived on in Mancos, Colorado. I had used the shed as a blind when hunting for mule deer.