Walnut and Legends

My parents dropped off some walnut yesterday. They've been cleaning up my grandparent's house to sell. My grandpa passed away in '91 and was a hobbyist woodworker. He built furniture for his children and grandchildren. The lumber I received of his isn't much, probably some cutoffs and smaller pieces that he never got around to use. I'm excited though. I hope to create something special knowing this was the same stock he used 30, 40, 50 years ago.

2009 marks the passing of two woodworking legends. The term woodworker doesn't do justice to describe them as they were artists of wood. Sam Maloof and James Krenov are the two I am referring to. Both lived long lives and worked with wood until the end. I wish I would've had the pleasure to have met them. Numerous articles can be found on them along with numerous knock-offs. Do a google image search on the Maloof rocker or Krenov cabinet and see what it yields. Maloof often took raw lumber and said that the bandsaw was his pencil and would pass the wood through to create sinewy curves as part of his furniture relying only on his eye to judge without creating jigs and drawing curves prior. Krenov's sight was failing in his old age and much of what he did was by feel toward the end. It truly makes me wonder if we'll ever see again woodworking icons as these two men were.