My first serious wood lathe work began in the 8^th grade. At that time I already had enough tool knowledge to make a rather tall table lamp from a piece of tulip popular tree.  I grew up on the new dairy farm established in Durham , NC back about 1923. I say new because the milk operation had to move out of the expanded city limits. We had a “shop” in a side building that was more than a wood shop. Every thing got fixed in there and some things by my hand got broken.  I blame my woodworking on my great grandfather and grandfather who gave me full run of the shop.  I realize now that for those of us who are given the genetic gift to create something, freedom to develop that creative part of us is essential.

            I am, however, more mechanical at times than artistic.  My mother was the true artist and my creativeness for certain came from her. The rest of my creativity comes from full Irish ancestry where if you make a mess you get to laugh at it. Then there is the other part of the Irish temper that flares a bit each time we admit that in my case at least, my art could withstand some further refinement. If the balance between ire and smile can be maintained, we at least relax enough to produce that which we hope can be called art.  I always strive for a high degree of quality and individuality that may be found in each piece I complete.

            The most enjoyable part of working with wood is that I can make anything out of wood just from looking at a picture.  I’m very visual and if I see a picture, then the object gets transferred into my mind then to the wood.  Wood is fantastic to work with, but you must treat it gently. I carved out a chair with a chainsaw once, and remain surprised even now at the amount of careful cuts that are required to create something with a chain saw that doesn’t look like a bomb hit a tree.

            I can also become very tired at times as I start from a harvested whole tree usually found as storm causality. The tree is wrestled onto a 5-ton capacity trailer and brought to the wood lot here beside the shop.  Working in the shop does not allow sitting…ever, and there are no short 40 hour work weeks. Even so, after an evening meal, I can go out to the shop again and the tiredness seems to fade. I began in the woodshop and have in one way or another remained there and have kept my love of wood working going for a life time.  It’s much different than my corporate past life.  I know for sure that I’d rather be making sawdust during that one-of-a-kind creation process than making some unforgiving CEO happy inside a stuffy office building.  I'm my shop, I'm my own CEO and I'm also the trash man... I'm very happy about it.

CM Stanley