The Forestry Forum

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Dear Jeff:

Please find the enclose picture that I was telling you about some time ago. This rocking horse was made from one of our maintenance oiler. He has a little wood shop back at the house. His name is Louie Peffers.

Last year when I was thinning out some of the trees in front of my office, Louie asked that I save him the log from a cherry tree that was leaning over the driveway. I told him I would and made sure that Louie received his log. Louie promised that he would use it to make something I would be proud of, but I really did not care if he took home as firewood. That was the demise of the other trees that were taken out.

Louie labored over the horse, day and night, and kept me updated with weekly progress reports. We would chat for a bit in the parking lot, or maybe in the lunchroom, until one day he showed up with this picture. I thought that it turned out beautifully. Louie went on to tell me how difficult certain parts of the horse were to make. The shoulder took a lot of time he insisted.

The tree was cut down October 2001. It was then dried, and milled and cut into separate pieces for the body. Louie took a lot of time making sure he had just the right piece for the part of the horse he was making. It meant a lot that the best qualities of the wood show, so that others could appreciate the beauty of the wood, as well as the beauty of his craftsmanship. Louie completed the horse in about 10 months.

The saddle is made from a black walnut, and the base is made from hard maple. All the wood came from Michigan forests and every scrap is being saved for other projects that Louie might do. I hope that you are able to feature Louie's horse on your web site and tell a little about what went into making it.

Thanks Jeff. Take care.

Sincerely,
Frank Laurence, Jr.
Wood Procurement Manger

Looks like a labor of love, to me.  Nice job, Louie! 8) 8)

Now, that thang is right purty. A good job well done, Louie.

Thanks for letting us see that, Frank.  Louie did a good job in representing a horse as well as the woods.  You can't help but like someone that has that much talent and cares that much for the resource.

That's some real craftsmanship!  It's always nice to see a tree used for something other than firewood not that firewood isn't a good cause.