Timber To Tables: Scott Stewart

from Family Magazine Winter 2021

A Capsule Wardrobe

Reflecting on past and present woodworking projects, Scott Stewart’s expression can light up a room. Since handcrafting his first wooden table over 40 years ago, Scott’s skills and talent for transforming ordinary timber into extraordinary tables have progressed drastically with the incorporation of new techniques, lumber variety, finishes and even the occasional pop of color. Nevertheless, becoming a lumber artisan was never his intention. Even now—over 250 tables later—Scott insists that he doesn’t make wooden structures, but rather, he listens to music—the result of which just happens to be something visually remarkable.

Throughout the last four decades, Scott has retained a range of positions from entrepreneurial roles as cofounder of Ellianos Coffee Company to developer and president at The Preserve, as well as his most recent standing as a commercial real estate specialist with Rockford Realty Group. However, sitting proudly on his office shelf is a vintage drill that serves as a reminder of humble beginnings. Fresh out of high school, Scott’s first career was as a carpenter, and though he was successful in the trade, his growing family meant an occupational change was in order. In doing so, Scott hung up his tool belt for the time being until all six of his kids began to have families of their own.

Never one to sit still, five years ago Scott used the free time he had on weekends or after work to start making wooden tables again. Rather than fishing or hunting, early Saturday mornings became reserved for woodworking and experimenting with raw materials—most of which

originated from his property with others deriving from locally demolished, 100-year-old buildings and some from as far as the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Instead of tossing cut trees into the burn pile, over several decades, Scott and his father, Roger, created a stockpile of lumber featuring large, live edge slabs, scrap boards and wide branches— each piece harboring unique knots, cracks, discoloration and marks that others may consider flaws, but Scott views as limitless possibilities. “All over the place, there’s opportunity. There’s wood, there are pallets, there are trees,” he says. “It’s junk wood to most people; some of it you’ll see it’s just like a piece of garbage, but you put epoxy on it, you mold it, you tweak it and you get to reuse it.”

When the Saturday sun rises, Scott goes to his barn to overlook his expansive timber inventory, which he notes is enough for 600 more tables, and decides on a project depending on what piece speaks to him, which could be anything from repurposing an old rolltop desk or enhancing a design that’s naturally present in the hardwood like a dolphin to hand-carving a vessel fit for preserving a specific object like Scott did for his dad’s magnum shotgun—the comb of which has delicately painted embellishments of nature.

When he’s feeling more adventurous, Scott will eclipse his live edge, epoxy-glazed bases and manipulate the wood to create something unique like fashioning a large table of which the center is filled with over 600 coffee beans or molding a shelf with vibrant colors that seamlessly melt into the wooden fractures.

To add to the diversity of tables he opts to keep realistic and authentic to their roots, Scott uses multiple varieties of wood—some of his favorites being pecan and red cedar with his least favorite a local staple: live oak, which, though beautiful when first cut, easily warps. While typically electing to use metal, Scott will also use thick grapevines as table legs as yet another way to modify his carpentry catalog. “So I just put different legs, different styles, different—maybe it’s slabs of wood, old wood, new wood, epoxy, just some colored wood, some finishes—no real pattern.

Scot with his dad Roger

I go to my barn on Saturday—I work Saturdays all the time early in the morning—so I just go out there, I walk to my pile—I have a bunch of wood—and I say ‘what do I feel like doing today,’” he says. That innovation and desire to make something both tangible and artistic is apparently hereditary as Scott’s dad, Roger, who recently turned 90, retired from wood-based projects to make acrylic bowls, vases and windowpane wall accents while sharing in his son’s habit of listening to music to tune out the world and delve into a sense of creativity. It’s been over fi ve years since Scott began making tables regularly and he’s refused to sell any of them, instead, insisting on giving them away whether it’s to a nonprofi t organization like the Rotary Club of Lake City or the Pregnancy Care Center to auction off during fundraising events or hosting recurring Facebook giveaways. Not accepting money for his work ensures that his hobby will continue to be an enjoyable passion rather than a job. “I do it for fun and I like to help people out, so I guess that’s it so if I can give tables away and brighten their day, it’s more fun to do that,” he says. “It’s a passion; it’s a hobby, and I think people like them—that’s great—but it’s fun to give them away. When people like stuff it’s fun.” Aligning with his altruistic personality, Scott’s goals for the future of his craft involve using his skills to help the Imani Children’s Choir in Uganda, which he learned about when those visiting the area needed a place to stay—continuing his involvement by later sponsoring three children in the organization. “If I have a dream and a goal in reference to tables, that’s kind of it, is to go back to Uganda one day and spend a week just making tables,” he says. From a coff ee bean river cutting through the center of a conference table to a family heirloom preserved in 100-yearold wood and clear epoxy, each piece Scott creates is a oneof-a-kind work of art—a realization anyone who sets sight on his work can instantly recognize, even if Scott still tries to convince himself otherwise. Simply listening to music has never been so optically awe-inspiring. ■

Reclaimed wood serves both aesthetic and practical purposes. Visually stunning, reclaimed wood also is a great way to make use of old-growth forest wood. Why is that signifi cant? According to the United States Forest Service, just three percent of old-growth forest has survived into the second decade of the 21st century. Old-growth forest wood, like that from longleaf pine trees, has long been touted as excellent building material, but the pine utilized today comes from trees that are cut down when they’re young. Reclaimed wood taken from old or demolished homes built with old-growth forest wood off ers access to this highly valued building material while also providing the environmental benefi ts that come with reusing existing materials.

Reclaimed wood can be incorporated into a home’s interior rather easily, and the results are often stunning.

• Accent wall: Transforming a wall into an accent wall with reclaimed wood is a simple project that won’t aff ect the existing design of a home’s interior. A living room or home offi ce can be given a whole new look with the addition of an accent wall made from reclaimed wood. Homeowners who want their bedrooms to give off the vibe of a rustic retreat can consider adding an accent wall made of reclaimed wood.

• Furniture: Reclaimed wood also can be put to use, or reuse, as furniture. A home offi ce desk made from reclaimed wood can be both stunning and sturdy, while end tables and coff ee tables made from reclaimed wood can add some unique character to a living room.

• Kitchen islands: Homeowners who aspire to have a farmhouse kitchen can consider reclaimed wood when creating their kitchen islands. Reclaimed wood can be used to make the body of the island, complete with cabinets and drawers, that sits beneath the counter top where cooks will prepare their meals.

• Storage beds: Guest rooms tend to be smaller than other rooms in the house, and that means little room for furniture like dressers. Rather than cramming lots of furniture into a small room, homeowners can utilize reclaimed wood to create storage bed frames. The frames won’t take up extra space in the room, reassuring guests that they won’t be spending a weekend in cramped quarters. Not to mention the rustic look of reclaimed wood storage beds can be an instant stunner when guests arrive.