Get to know Fallen Limb Woodcraft

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Hi, i'm Ray and this is my website. Born in Illinois, a past resident of Germany, Hawaii, Las Vegas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in the east and west and now of the Adirondack Mountains. I, my best friend and wife Diane, our three pawed pitbull Brown Sparrow, and Blackster, our old black cat, live together in upstate New York. I'm now settled as much I am capable in the Adirondack mountains. We're hybrid homesteaders, not off grid like our minds would like as it's just not feasible given Diane's work and is probably best given our aging bodies. Our mission though is to do whatever we can not to do harm to this curious and beautiful natural world that allows us to be. In that spirit my carvings start in the forest from a tree or branch that lays dead on the ground, for whatever reason, but not by my hand or the hand of any others. Mostly, these fallen limbs are our firewood for winter, or the framework for a fence post, outbuilding, or raised bed, but occasionally and maybe often, one inspires me through it's color, it's curve, it's spalting, or likely my perspective at that moment to carve a certain piece. This is them. They are often primitive and imperfect. This is me. I choose to use only hand tools, whether carving, sawing, or building, and not to carve green wood unless it has a fallen naturally to the forest floor because what I do isn't so important that I need living wood. We tend not to use any machinery on our homestead as much of the hauling is done via shoulder, pulling sled, or pushing wheelbarrow. Naturally fallen limbs inspire me, make me wonder about their lives and doesn't instill guilt. That I just don't need more of. I craft pieces as I see them as I consider the origin of entrance and what they likely became - a haven for creatures, a buffer for friends - and try to carve something that respects their nature - as I see it. Something that honors the path of its sinews, the arc of its limb, or the color and twists made by the diversity of it's weather. I'm trying to extend it's past into it's afterlife in a way that seems intended, a natural progression hopefully. I'm a restless person, so this website has been a couple years coming and again, imperfect, but this is me and the stuff I/we do. There will be cracks and crooks, like me, but it's solid and sometimes weird like me. I feel like that rolling stone that somehow has managed to also grow moss. I'm okay with that though since I love moss and know it's beauty, its purpose, and how it feels beneath my feet and between my fingers. Roll me in moss. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the site.