Woods inspire crafty Larry Wozney
Woodworker gazes across his forested property and sees possibilities galore
Stand outside on Larry Wozney’s property and you’ll see trees, plenty of trees.
But to him these picturesque stands of white and black poplar, jack pine and spruce — there’s also birch, tamarack and willow trees — on his farm just outside of Redwater represent much more than the beauty Mother Nature instils on a sunny, winter-like day. To Wozney, a self-taught woodworker, these trees represent infinite possibilities.
“I get a certain satisfaction from taking a tree in the round — bark and all — and transforming it into something beautiful,” said Wozney, a retired oil industry worker who now spends his days crafting trees into benches, tables, and even bathroom-like vanities when he’s not using timber to construct garden sheds, elaborate outhouses or awe-inspiring tree houses.
“I wanted to do something I could be tired at when I came in at the end of the day,” explained Wozney about his life after oil. “I like to exert energy, I like to be outside and I like wood.”
EXPANDING THROUGH PRACTICE AND PATIENCE
What initially started as more of a hobby than a business — at one point he wouldn’t even consider selling his creations, as he was just doing small pieces for family members — has morphed into Spruce Sawyer Timberworks, where he now creates custom furniture. His operation has grown to include a wood kiln, which is needed to ensure that the wood is dry enough to create a product that won’t end up with unwanted cracks or warping, and a band-saw sawmill that allows him to cut 30inch, 16-foot-long logs into any dimension.
The equipment is more about efficiency rather than mass production, said Wozney, who notes that there is a limit to the time he is willing to spend on each piece. “The rule of thumb is that for every one inch of thickness you have to wait a year for the wood to properly dry, and I don’t have the patience to wait four years to have the wood to be able to build a table with fourby-six legs,” he said.
One of the more unique pieces he is currently working is an outdoor garden sink intended for backyard use around a garden, barbecue or firepit. Built out of poplar and topped off with a vessel sink, it could just as easily work as an indoor bathroom vanity in a contemporary house. It’s made even more striking with a live edge finish, a touch that leaves the original edge of the tree on the piece with the bark either on or off — in this case the bark is on and it creates an eye-catching highlight for the finished product.
On a smaller scale, Wozney used white poplar to create a drawerlike inbox that adds charm and character to the typical plastic or metal inbox you would find on an office desk. He’s created log-like cutting boards that evoke memories of the trees they came from, and he’s also well-known for his log doggie beds made from peeled tamarack.
In the ‘go big or go home’ category, Wozney built a 30-foot tall, two-storey tree house that offers spectacular outdoor views of his property. And if that weren’t enough he crowned it off with a custom king-sized log bed made out of jack pine that takes camping out to the next level. There’s also a garden shed that includes a porch and seating area, as well the outhouse with sliding wooden doors and full plumbing. All of these outdoor projects are not only designed to be visually appealing, they also include thoughtful finishing touches that are practical and helpful, like the outdoor shower attached to the back of the outhouse.
EQUAL PARTS INSPIRATION AND PERSPIRATION
Wozney builds everything from scratch, letting his imagination guide his creative instincts as if wood was literally in his blood. And if he doesn’t know something, he’ll research it and is a quick learner.
“It’s hands-on. It’s creative. It’s working with what you have right around you. Every time I take a piece off the sawmill I stop to look at the grain and I admire it. It’s another pearl,” said Wozney, who prefers to use locally sourced wood for his work.
“I (recently) found some 90-year-old Russian poplar trees growing in the old farmstead that my grandfather planted a couple of generations ago,” said Wozney, describing this find as a woodworker’s equivalent of striking gold. “They are massive, and I’m milling them with the anticipation of making some very interesting tables, benches and beds, and the gold is that they have some close family connections to me and my family. The bases of these matriarchs are up to 30 inches in diameter and extremely heavy, and when you cut into them they reveal some very nice wood grain, with an almost mahoganylike dark streaking.”
Interest in (and demand for) his work continues to rise. Three dining tables are in the works, a couple of serving trays need to be made, one customer has ordered a slab coffee table, and a log doggie bed all must be finished before Christmas. After Christmas an Edmonton-area upscale home builder is interested in a higherend desk for a new show home, and possibly a fireplace mantle, creating a new list of work orders for Wozney.
“I got my wish. At the end of the day I come into the house and I’m tired,” said Wozney, adding that it’s a good tired. “It’s my playground.”