Popular Woodworking 2009-06 № 176, страница 63

' Out of the Woodwork •

But it was a Bargain

Bird poop and bug carcasses may just be hiding a treasure.

L»ikc most everyone reading this. I am an avid collector of wood It does not usually matter what specie*, what color or count ry of origin. I am non-discriminatory in that department. All that matters is that the piece in question can serve a purpose in the future for a project yet to he determined.

Some horrendously disfigured wood purchases haw more than once had my wife shaking her head. I reassure her that not only is the wxxxl a diamond in the tough, but thai I got it at a great price.

One recent expedition started innocent ly enough wit h a line-by-line scouringof the local classified section. The classified ad was for an upcom-ingestate auction ofasawniilland its enure inventory due to the untimely departureof Usowncr from the earth. Idroolcdwithaniicipationaslclippcd I he i n for mat ion from the classi fied sect ion and plotted out the location

Situated in the previously unknown town of Genoa. Neb., this would be a veritable gold mine in deeply discounted lumber becausc it was located more than 100 miles from the nearest civilization. What other human would waste a weekend driving to the middle of nowhere to bid on some rough-cut lumber? Besides. Genoa is so smal I it's not even on the map and wxnild require some planning just to get there. Because I wanted to makcthedrtveworthmy while, I borrowed a flatbed trailer from a friend at work and hitched it to the back of my truck.

My young son (and trusty sidekick in all my woodworkingad\entures)and I departed at dawn for the Shangri-la of sawmill sales. After several hours of drivingthrough the grasslands of central Nebraska, we finally arrived in the town of Genoa.

Our hearts immediately sank. Thistny hamlet of200 permanent residentshad he.-n mysteriously transformed intothc metropolis of the Midwest. Everywhere we looked, our auction adversaries had pickups and J-I lauls ready to load with my treasure trore. We finally found a parkingspot and wentto inspect the objects of our desire.

An old barn seemed to be the ccnttal hubof activity so we went toinvestiga e Our spi rits were f uil her squashed as we sow stacks of dark rough-cut lumber coveredin horse pec. cow manure, bird poop, bat duig and insect bodies My education in Nebraska frontier life was now complete: Barm don't kecpanimalsout.barnsare where anlnuls live.

Fortunately for me. woodworkers are a friendly and talkative bunch. Some of tic locals educated me on the fact that this was old-growth walnut. grown in the area and air-dried for decades. I scraped away some of the accumulated dirt and debris and ny biddingjuk.es begin lo flow anew. The auc-tioneer started, and my son and I entered the feeding frenzy. Fiscal restraint tool a back seat. When the dust settled we were the proud owners of more lumber than ve knew what todo with.

We began the arduous process of loading t he t railer and driving our precious cargo hackhome to Lincoln. Thedrive was painfully slow and long because our borrowed trailer was stacked dangerously high with hard-won walnut. It was even longerasour lo.uI shifted and wore through my friend's trailer lire, which I replaced with a much more expensive new one.

As the sun began to set we pulled into our driveway looking much like nomadic wood gatherers. My wife met me in the driveway with the usual. "What are the neighbors going to think?" greeting, followed shortly thereafter by my. • Who cares. I lelp me unload"

As the pieces migrated post my wife to the garage. I could tell she was less enthusiast ic about theembedded farm aroma and occasional insect stow-away than the fact she would not get her car in the garage until the lumber was cleaned up and stored in my basement shop.

After wearing out several sets of high-quality planer blades and 55 bogs of sawdust chips Liter (which the trash service charged meSl dollar a htigloluul away), these hoard* yielded some of the richest-colored walnut I'vecversccnducky forme). I've since turned them intoa fireplace mantlc.a blanket chest, some canoe-shaped shelves, a pair of file cabinets and a Murphy bed. with enough walnut left to build an ark (or at least a very nkc walnut desk).

My wife's last com mcnt was."11 hi nk we have enough wood for awhile." To which I replied. "But it was a bargain " PW

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