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About 6 weeks ago, our local church’s ladies had a garage sale in the parking lot. (I try to stay away from things like this as I know I will get roped into fixing something, and I did.) I was not aware they were having it, but needed to drop some papers off to the pastor. The pastor's wife came up to me and said, “I bought a cute little doll bed, but it needs some fixing. 2 finials that hold the canopy top onto the posts have been lost. Do you think you can fix it? I would like to give it to my granddaughter for Christmas.”
Me: “Let me see.” The doll bed was about 18” by 30” and 30” tall at the posts/canopy. The canopy was totally off the post but intact, and it was made out of walnut.
Me. “I think so, but it will be a couple of week ends before Christmas before I can do it,”
Her: “That’s fine. I will spray paint it white when you finish it.
I didn’t say anything but the lady she bought it from said,”It’s Walnut, you don’t want to paint walnut! Maybe sand it down and re-finish it". Pastors wife agreed.
THEN the lady said, “Mr. Watson from Robinsonville made that for us at our request - so we could give it to our daughter when she was 2 or 3.”
I perked up, “Mr. Watson made that for you?” She: “Yes, do you remember him?”
ME: “Sure I do, he got that walnut from my dad. I used to play under that walnut tree when I was a kid. Mr. Watson made some things for our family out of the walnut in exchange for dad giving him a lot of walnut. (About 500BF, IIRC - beyond what he used to make what my dad wanted.)
The tree came home to roost, so to speak.
I made 4 new finials to replace the lost 2 and to make sure all were the same size and shape. AND the wood I used was from the same tree, That tree was about 4 1/2 ft diameter, with a bole about 18 feet to the first limb, and was harvested in the mid ‘60s. Lots of wood in that tree.
Me: “Let me see.” The doll bed was about 18” by 30” and 30” tall at the posts/canopy. The canopy was totally off the post but intact, and it was made out of walnut.
Me. “I think so, but it will be a couple of week ends before Christmas before I can do it,”
Her: “That’s fine. I will spray paint it white when you finish it.
I didn’t say anything but the lady she bought it from said,”It’s Walnut, you don’t want to paint walnut! Maybe sand it down and re-finish it". Pastors wife agreed.
THEN the lady said, “Mr. Watson from Robinsonville made that for us at our request - so we could give it to our daughter when she was 2 or 3.”
I perked up, “Mr. Watson made that for you?” She: “Yes, do you remember him?”
ME: “Sure I do, he got that walnut from my dad. I used to play under that walnut tree when I was a kid. Mr. Watson made some things for our family out of the walnut in exchange for dad giving him a lot of walnut. (About 500BF, IIRC - beyond what he used to make what my dad wanted.)
The tree came home to roost, so to speak.
I made 4 new finials to replace the lost 2 and to make sure all were the same size and shape. AND the wood I used was from the same tree, That tree was about 4 1/2 ft diameter, with a bole about 18 feet to the first limb, and was harvested in the mid ‘60s. Lots of wood in that tree.
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