gavia WOODWORKS - information and stories

Found Wood – Story #1

2/6/2022

We are lucky to be connected to many cottages through our family and friends. Our luck continues when they hear about our woodworking adventure and they let us salvage wood from their properties to turn into good wood pieces for the home and yard. We do not cut down trees for our projects but rather collect pieces that fell or were felled for other reasons. This is one of those stories.

Some of our relatives have a cottage on leased land. The land owner determined several mature poplar (aka cottonwood) trees needed to be cut down. When the land owner cuts down trees on the cottage lots around this lake: the cottagers are not notified; they have no say in the decision; and then are responsible for most of the wood removal and disposal.

We helped with clean up. The long drag marks across the property suggested most of the branches were taken and probably chipped. They did leave several sticking out of the ground - one we had to pull out with our truck. The tree trunks, however, were cut into chunks and left scattered around. Each piece measured over one foot long (over 30cm), up to 3 feet across (80cm) and many weighed well over 50 pounds (23kg)!

Some of the smaller ones we made into campfire chairs. Some of the bigger ones we took to a mill to get sliced and those disks are drying. The natural spaces in the middle are just waiting for epoxy resin pours to become beautiful table tops. We’ll do one as a sample and post it on the website. These pieces will be made to order because of the large amount of time and material used to create them.

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thanks for a great year

12/24/2021

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We very much appreciate all of the support and interest in what we do. It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we launched the website and started promoting our work. It means a lot that others like the idea of diverting wood from the chipper or campfire or landfill to create hand-crafted pieces for the home and yard.

Visit the website often and follow us on facebook @gaviaWOODWORKS. We continue sharing the stories of our found wood and production adventures. There are some great slices in the workshop that are ready for epoxy-resin fill that will make beautiful table tops.

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Handcrafted from Found Wood Means One-of-a-Kind

10/23/2021

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Each piece of wood has a different grain, texture, pattern and colour. That means each serving board or custom epoxy resin pour is unique and different. This custom order (pictured) for a grown-up snack tray reminded us that each piece we make by hand from salvaged wood is so special and beautiful.

Designers use wood to add a timeless touch of warmth and interest to all styles ... city or country, home or cottage, contemporary or rustic, modern or classic.

… love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections …
John Legend’s All of Me

No two pieces will ever be the same. They are not mass produced from store-bought machine-milled lumber and we do not use a CNC router machine. We do use finishes like beeswax and mineral oil to bring out the natural colours and lines in the wood. Salvaged and reclaimed wood has small holes, cracks and other imperfections. Our handiwork does not always completely smooth the grain and edges. We free-hand burn our gavia loon into all pieces. The texture of the wood means the lines and surfaces of the are not always smooth. This all adds character to each piece.

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Pricing … it’s mainly about the wood

4/26/2021

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You may wonder why some pieces cost more than others given their size and appearance on our gaviaWOODWORKS shopping page. There are several parts in our costing formula. A few things have a pretty big impact on the end price. It mostly boils down to the wood – at the starting point and the end (price) point.

All of our wood is found, salvaged or donated to us. [ A big THANK YOU to our friends and contacts! ] Sometimes we go pick it up. Other times, we have to get larger chunks milled or sliced into biscuits because we don’t have a machine for that in our workshop. As much as we love road trips, these add to our costs. Freshly cut wood takes 1-2 years to dry before we start working with it. We let this happen naturally. We’ve got some great pieces in the shop that we can’t wait to work on.

There are different types of wood. Hardwood is generally more expensive. Compared to softwood trees, hardwood are the broadleaf and flowering trees that grow slower. As a result, the wood tends to be denser and harder and so harder to work with. That means cutting, shaping, sanding and finishing all take longer and use more effort, tools and supplies. That translates into a higher price.

Finishes can also affect the price. Some are quicker to apply and cure. Others involve several steps and must rest to dry and cure before being used. We use food-safe finishes on all of our cutting boards, serving boards, cheese boards and charcuterie boards. We generally don’t put finishes on the yard décor (like birdhouses and beehouses) so that they look and weather naturally. Epoxy resin pours have many steps, long drying times and are some of the most expensive of our materials.

Hope you enjoyed hearing about some of what goes into our handcrafted pieces and a bit about what happens in our shop.

salvaged reclaimed wood pieces with interesting space for epoxy resin pour

salvaged reclaimed wood pieces drying in the workshop

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Woodworking Creative Differences

3/28/2021

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At gaviaWOODWORKS , the team designs together and different points of view only add to our creative process.

We’re always looking for ideas so want to thank all artisans, crafters, DIYers and woodworkers who generously share their work and experience online. You inspire us in the workshop and in our own web presence.

It all starts with what we see in the piece of wood. Each of us sees different things in the shape, grain and colour. It all gives hints about what we might bring out by cutting, shaping, sanding and finishing. Once we settle on the project, we often build a sample and use it for a while. This helps us make sure the wood creations last and reveals any glitches in our design. This stage offers many “I told you so” moments.

Here are a couple stories …

The Butter Dish
Mike saw it on the internet and wanted to make one. “But people don’t use butter dishes”, he was told. “Make coasters, mason bee houses and wooden discs for ornaments and wreaths instead”. So he did. After a few completed projects, he went ahead and made the butter dish anyway. Mike really hoped that would be the first piece sold but it was not. We always share a good laugh over this one.

The Lake Table
There were many, many discussions over what colour of epoxy resin to make the lake. Green, turquoise or blue? Metallic or no? More solid or very see-through? The winner was a transparent, blue where the grain can be seen. One drop makes a huge difference so you don’t want to use too much. The first pour was too light so we frantically scooped it out before it hardened. The second pour was perfect. Emotional debate followed over the style of legs and what colour to paint them. We are really pleased with the final product.

The Birdhouse
Who knew that birdhouse height, roof length and pitch, hole shape and location or roofing material could cause such a divide? There were different opinions on all of these topics. We finally agreed, like a big puzzle, to figure out what could be done using just the few pieces of weathered cedar siding that were given to us.

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take care .... of your cutting/charcuterie boards

2/13/2021

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gaviaWOODWORKS creates boards for cutting, cheese, charcuterie and serving. They are handmade with care and we recommend just a bit of ongoing care to help them last. There is a lot of information available, we find these work well.

DO NOT submerge or soak your board in water
DO NOT clean your board in the dishwasher
DO NOT use baking soda to scrub or clean your board
DO NOT store your board near areas of heat, including sunlight
DO NOT put a hot pot or pan from the oven/stovetop on your board
DO NOT cut on a board with epoxy resin, use only for serving
DO NOT use a cedar board for cutting/chopping, use only for serving

live edge serving board with lemon and salt for cleaning

Be Gentle

Carefully scrape off residue
Wipe with a damp cloth, sponge or plastic scrubber
Wash with mild soap (like dishsoap) under warm running water
For a deeper clean and to get rid of smells, rub salt into the board with a piece of fresh lemon then rinse or wipe with water
Stand your board up to dry completely before putting it away

Condition

Every once in a while rub a bit of oil into your board, an oil that will not go rancid
The more you use and wash the board, the more often it could use a rub (you can tell when it starts to look dry)
Food-safe finishes* used at gaviaWOODWORKS actually work well together, so it doesn’t matter if you use something different than the original coating
Other oils you can use, that you may have on hand, are coconut, jojoba and rice
You can bring your board back to us each year and we will give it another coat

*mineral oil, food-grade linseed oil, beeswax, tung oil (once cured), Odie’s Oil™

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what's in a name

1/23/2021

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Welcome to gaviaWOODWORKS ...

It’s pronounced gāvēə [gah’-vee-uh] and is the genus of birds to which loons belong. We love loons because we love the cottage. That’s where we hear the calls of the loon … it’s our happy place.

We think that the Latin rolls nicely off the tongue and looks good when paired with "woodworks". The company name and logo blend the ideas of cottage life with our woodworking adventures. Plus, loons live in every Canadian province and territory. The loon is on our $1 coin (called the “loonie”) and on our 1991 $20 bill series. We are proudly Canadian.

Here are some interesting facts. The name LOON comes from clumsy. Different sources suggest different language origins but all end at loon. Their legs are far back on their body so they are not good at walking. They’re also not efficient at taking off. Loons need a long runway to catch flight (30 yards | 27 m or more).

Unlike other birds, loons breed together for many years and they live longer (often over 20 years). Both parents build the nest, incubate the eggs, feed the chicks, protect them and carry them on their backs. We’re in this together and want to create lasting pieces for you to enjoy in your home and garden.

The name just made sense to us and makes a nice logo. We never get tired of hearing the calls of the loon.

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information & STORIES

Found Wood – Story #1

thanks for a great year

Handcrafted from Found Wood Means One-of-a-Kind

Pricing … it’s mainly about the wood

Woodworking Creative Differences

take care .... of your cutting/charcuterie boards

what's in a name

author

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