SWMBO and I went on an Open Studio Tour yesterday. That's one of those self-guided tours where artists and crafts-people open their studios and workshops to the public, sell their wares, etc. This one was in the Finger Lakes wine country of Western NY. A 60 mile loop.
One of the stops was at the home/workshop of Tom Macallister, owner of Mac's Woods.
When I mentioned to Tom that I like to make sawdust, he spent a considerable amount of time showing me around his rather rustic shop, store room, etc. He was especially proud of his 25" planer which allows him to plane full size slabs for his tables and other projects. All of his wood comes from his own land, which he mills on site. He built a "solar oven" which he uses to kill any insects that might be in his slabs. On a sunny day, it'll get up to 180°F.
He does a lot of work with epoxy and showed me a table that he is currently working on. His SWMBO captured a bunch of Japanese beetles, which he "gently killed" by soaking in rubbing alcohol. He said he tried mineral spirits first, but they just swam around. As soon as he added the rubbing alcohol, they "swam around real fast for a few seconds and then died". He filled a deep void in a slab with epoxy and then added the beetles, arranging them at various levels. A lot of his pieces have "visual effects" built in. Deer racks, live pine branches, etc.
He told me that he doesn't sell his slabs as a regular part of his business, but if I ever want some "interesting wood", he has more than he'll ever use, so just give him a call. "I make enough money selling my finished pieces, so I don't ask a lot if someone wants a slab or two." My daughter is about to close on her first house so I think I'll work on a housewarming gift. SWMBO was wondering if I could piece together a bunch of slabs and make a kitchen counter top.
Later that day we stopped at a couple of different shops in the town of Naples, NY and found a bunch of his pieces for sale. One of the store owner's said that he was one of her favorite suppliers - a really nice guy to work with.