Getting Started

I tried starting a blog several years ago and I stuck with it for a couple of weeks, but after several days of trying to write something and coming up blank I finally gave it up. My goal this time is to share some thoughts while I am working and I hope to write something at least weekly. We'll just have to see how it goes.

Several years ago, while I was still on active duty in the US Army, I started doing basic wood working making displays for my wife's business. She makes jewelry and other unique pieces of art and was selling them at craft/trade shows in various parts of the country. After retiring from the military, I began to build small pieces of furniture and other small items to give as gifts and to give me something to work toward.

In the years since, woodworking has become a sort of therapy for me. Transitioning from the military into civilian life was very difficult for me. For the first time in over 25 years, I had no clear direction in where I was headed or where I wanted to go. I enjoy taking a plain piece of wood and turning it into something completely different. I have since made small pieces such as signs and keychains as well as large items such as a queen size bed frame, a china cabinet, and a large 8 ft wooden circle to be used in a friend's wedding.

I do not claim to be an expert woodworker and I am still learning new tricks of the trade all the time, but I love creating things that bring a little joy into someone's life. I especially like using "reclaimed" wood such as broken furniture, pallets, and old wooden fencing or decking in my creations. It is a good feeling to know that I can take something that was once destined for a landfill and turn it into something completely different that is useful and unique.

Most of my creations don't come from any plans. They usually start with an image in my head or an idea and it kind of evolves as I go through the process. Very rarely is the finished product exactly as I planned in the beginning. This method often leads to a lot of trial and error, but I love the evolution of an idea into a completed project. I can also say that most of the things that I build are truly unique because of my creative "process."

One last thing before I go. I am often asked what the "OBV" in OBV Designs means. I have my daughter to thank for that. When I started creating simple home decor for craft shows, my wife and daughter said that I needed a unique business name. There were several suggestions but nothing seemed to fit. After we bought our home and a few days of moving boxes and furniture and getting my workshop set up, I was extremely sore (I rarely ask for help when working on any project). When my wife saw me nursing a sore back and walking a little slower than usual, she called me an "old busted vet." My daughter overheard this and yelled out "OBV!!!" And that is how the name OBV Designs came about.