The Linton Casket Company

I have worked with wood some 20 years or so, although without resorting to use of commercially milled lumber. Nature leaves its own trail of debris. High winds, ice storms, lightening, and floods can bring down major limbs and branches, and often an entire tree. It takes team work and machinery to drag a fallen tree from the woods to the work table, and the permission of the land-owner as well. I was one of the organizers in the early 90s of a coop of craftsmen with this intention. It was called The Linton Casket Company because of an initial project idea of making biodegradable caskets for pets. Together we were able to reclaim the forest's debris and turn it into unique sculpture and furniture. In addition to the natural blow-down that occurs in the life cycle of a forest, we were able to reclaim urban fall-out as well. Trees taken down by utility companies, real estate developers, and trees taken down for new highway construction. All such wood was milled on our own hand built sawmill and cured by sun and air in open fields rather than in kilns.

Studio perspective: One of our several work and exhibit arenas. (Click on images to enlarge)



All wood shown above (except 2X4 stud walls of the building) has been reclaimed for use by non-commercial means. Pictured to my right is a pet casket under construction, this one for a large dog of small town fame; the mascot of the local fire department. In the air on the left, a portion of Bud's "Bye-Plane" a flying casket of sorts. In the air on the right is " Pegasus Retro-fitted" a piece I put together. Both aerial pieces were temporary constructions created only to add ambiance to an up-coming show. They were later dismantled and the wood recycled again. (Painting on the wall above my head is from an earlier period of work in airbrushed acrylic. I may post some of these at a later date.)

In the Work Yard



Shown above: Several of my pieces under construction. Feather on wall is approximately 10' long and is made of paulownia and poplar. Chair is made from a piece of walnut I found half-submerged in a river. It is assembled with wood pegged white oak twigs. The stick figure to the right which I called a "coyote" is of red oak and features a burl basket in one hand and a bird cage in the other.

Fire Wood Bench



I called this the "fire wood bench" because it is made from scrap wood from the "bone-pile" at the mill. Such cast off wood typically is used as firewood and kindling for the wood stove in the studio. It is made of cherry with white oak pegs.