Woodford's Hammer

This is Woodford’s Hammer.

Mr. Woodford lived next door to us. An old man alone in an old house, barely able to get around, he was evicted when his property was sold for the back taxes.
He had no electricity and no water, but hung onto his home for four months before they came to kick him out for good.

We never knew what his story was, whether he was too stubborn, infirm or ignorant to ask for help, or if he just did not care. I learned his name only because we once received some of his mail accidentally. The people who bought the house cleaned out the debris of Mr. Woodford’s life, but did little else to it. They eventually had to sell it at a severe loss.

The new owners started the renovation by taking out the Black Oak tree which was pushing into the foundation from below, and knocking holes in the roof from above. I took much of the wood as well as a smaller Black Cherry tree which was doomed by its position between the power lines and the porch.
There was one piece which I picked up and began carving without any thought, almost instinctively. I squared it a little and followed it’s grain and a few hours later had what I knew to be a handle.

But a handle to what?

A hammer? It felt like a hammer handle, but in a very violent sort of way.

A war hammer? An Urban War Hammer? I set the handle aside and considered what I could use for the head. Some rock from Woodford’s yard struck me as the most appropriate, but there were no rocks. Only broken bricks and slices of slate roofing tiles.

A few months later I happened to look into by scrap bin/burn bag and saw a chunk of cherry in there. It was a thick “elbow” from the cherry tree. There was one 4” thick branch which had a 120 or 130 degree bend in it; I had attempted to use that natural line in as chair part, but had given up on it, putting the ends out with the other cherry and the elbow in with the scrap.

It was perfect; lots of mass and a rough, mean look which fit the piece and the concept. The head is sturdy enough to use as a mallet; I squared the ends and added pegs running across the grain to keep it from splitting further.

I will leave it up to whoever wields it whether it is a tool, a weapon, a symbol, or a sculpture.

[tags]hammer, woodford, thor, art, woodwork, wood, sculpture[/tags]