From Long-Term Physician to Ardent Woodworker
We are consistently impressed with the creativity of our customers and love seeing their visions come to life! We had the opportunity to meet and talk with Graystone Wood Creations owner David Cash, a loyal customer of ours from Statesville, NC. David is a retired physician who discovered his love for woodworking soon into his retirement. He has been working with Osborne since 2019, creating incredible heirlooms for his home as well as for family members, friends and acquaintances.
“I was a family-practice physician for 36 years and just turned 70 this year. When I retired, I was wondering what I would spend my time doing. I didn’t know I had any aspirations or skills with woodworking,” David explained.
It was not until he moved into a new home in need of some upgrades that he discovered this new passion. He and his wife decided to replace carpets within the home with maple hardwood floors. They stored the extra maple flooring from that project in their garage and it was taking up a good bit of space.
“I realized one day that I needed to use that flooring or get rid of it. I had a study that needed an extra dining size table and decided to see if I could build the table out of that wood. I didn’t have many tools but enjoyed every aspect of the project from drawing and cutting the pieces to finishing the assembled design. I decided to keep building other items for around our house after that and then family members started making furniture requests,” said David.
As projects became more frequent, David searched online for inspiration. He was interested in various Amish furniture sites and wanted to achieve similar designs. When looking for table leg suppliers, he knew that he could get some items on Amazon or Home Depot, but he always preferred supporting local, family-owned businesses. This is when he discovered Osborne and was impressed with the diverse group of products available as well as the services offered such as the rectangular split service. Now, when he begins a project he is able to show the customer a catalog or direct them the Osborne’s website in order to find the style of leg they would like and the build progresses from there. Several individuals trust him to make the decisions for them so he will take a look at the space that the piece will be and look though the catalog for items that match the aesthetic. Most of his designs are traditional or craftsman style using items made from red oak, walnut or cherry.
“Osborne has such a diverse group of products. I ordered online and it was such a simple process. I am simply a satisfied customer that keeps coming back,” said David. “My wife and I even had the opportunity to visit about a year ago and tour the facility while picking up some items I had ordered. Soon after that, members of Osborne asked to visit my home shop. I was flattered.”
Over these last 5 years, David has completed several projects from small end tables to bedroom suits. His most recent project involved redesigning his home fireplace. This intricate build took around two months to complete and involved a lot of planning. David and his wife knew they wanted to use cherry after finding some beautiful stock pieces at a local hardware store. They also knew that they wanted a hearth and a place for their TV incorporated into the build. This involved cutting flooring and granite, as well as creating custom boxes and panels to make sure everything was symmetrical in the end.
This fireplace features several Osborne components in cherry:
- Extended Roman Island Height Corbels with Acanthus Leaves (Part #1506)
- Islander Kitchen Island Leg with Acanthus Leaves (Part #1741)
- Acanthus Leaf Moulding (Part #7401)
- Medium Modified Acanthus Leaf Corbel (Part #891227)
We are incredibly impressed with the end result of this fireplace! Especially when we saw the before and after shots. David was able to uniquely incorporate each of these pieces into this custom build. The dark stain on the cherry items make them stand out. The attention to detail ensures no area of this fireplace will go unnoticed!
Although this large project just ended, David is already working on his next builds which include a mahogany novelty cabinet and dining room table with matching side cabinet. The cabinet (shown below) was an experimental piece with combinations of a brown stain and different colored stains. By lightly sanding the drawer fronts, both stain types become visible and create an antique look. This interesting design features split Jackson Kitchen Island Legs (Part #2442) and Bridle Round Bun Feet (Part #4075) from Osborne.
What David has accomplished in his retirement thus far is remarkable. The passion for woodworking and craftsmanship is truly evident in each of his designs. He has helped prove that the possibilities with Osborne components are truly endless! We can’t wait to see what he creates next!
