ANCIENT WOOD CREATIONS

Ancient wood deserves ancient joinery

Steve's Story

My journey began with my grandfather, a finish carpenter, who could take a homemade wooden toolbox filled with nothing but block planes, bench chisels, and hand saws, and fashion a perfect hinge mortise for a door, or reconfigure an entire set of kitchen cabinets. I was always fascinated by the tools and the skills he brought to their use.

My education and career began in design drafting, but life being a crooked trail, took many unrelated turns before I was finally able to follow in Granddaddy's footsteps, starting first as a trim carpenter, then opening a mill works specializing in flooring, trim, and stair parts. But my real interest and passion was for building furniture.

Another generation has learned the craft, my son, D. Wesley Averett, now a part of AWC.

Steve's Passion

Not only is my passion in the crafting of a fine piece of furniture, but it is in the wood carefully selected for each piece.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to build unique, one of a kind pieces, preferably from recovered, reclaimed, and repurposed woods, and I knew I had to build it using traditional joinery.

After years of practice with many of the same kinds of hand tools I had seen my grandfather use, and the fortuitous discovery of a source for river recovered sinker cypress and pine, I started Ancient Wood Creations.

His Promise

Each piece that you see here was a one of a kind heirloom, commissioned by one of our very discriminating clients, all of whom share our love for the wood and the beauty and function of the joinery. Each piece reflects our personal philosophy: a philosophy insistent on a higher calling than merely making money, a firmly held belief that not just form, but also function, must be present for there to be lasting beauty, and an obsessive attention to detail. What you find here is personal, both to us and the people who order our work. The wood is carefully selected and matched for each piece. The joinery is hand cut and fitted. The finishes are hand-rubbed using traditional finishes and methods.