What if a Woodchuck Could Chuck...?

I am not one that claims to be an artist or even to be that creative, but lately I keep catching myself wanting to design and build things out of wood. I have always enjoyed woodwork and I absolutely love and respect good workmanship when I see it. For some reason wooden works of art catch my attention. Whether it be a rustic and rough or polished and smooth, wood can be beautiful. I have begun to look at every piece of furniture and cabinetry that crosses my path with a highly analytical curiosity. Each piece is broken down in my mind to decide what works and what does not. I have been contemplating why or what has triggered this vivid curiosity for some time now, and have narrowed my keen intrest in woodwork to few poignant truths (this has brought out the hippy in me, so do not be surprised at my kooky outlook on wood):

• There is life in wood.  Think about the steps that are taken to have a piece or wooden furniture. A tree must first be grown, sometimes this process takes hundreds of years! A chair takes on a whole new meaning if you think about it growing from a tiny seed to face season upon season of wear and tear from the elements on the slope of some hill far far away. You may be resting on something that has stood for over a century! 

• The process that encompasses the life of this tree from seed to chair is also really quite amazing. It is cut down, shipped, milled, kilned, treated, and more all before it reaches the hands of a carpenter. It is then in the carpenter's hands that beauty of the wood is molded into something that takes on another meaning for those who use or admire it. The fact that a chunk of wood can be transformed into a useful and aesthetically pleasing object is magical. 

• True workmanship can harness the strength and longevity of a piece of wood in such a way that it might last a couple more centuries or so. Think about the handcrafted antiques that become cherished heirlooms and contrast them to the processed garbage that you might find in the put it together yourself section of your nearest hardware store. I have nothing against pre-made furniture, but, from what I have experienced, such items usually don't last. My disappointment with such furniture might be another reason that I have begun to formulate and design my own heavy duty furniture that can last the test of time. 

I love wood. If I were King of the world, I would have a gigantic wood shop with an endless supply of the finest wood that this earth has to offer. I think I want to build this soon: