Cory Bagdon, a local craftsman

September 2024

If you’re thinking of adding some new furniture to your home, you may want to think outside of the box.

Anyone can purchase furniture from a chain store, but when you do, you’re missing out on the chance to let your new furnishings tell a story.

This begs for an explanation.

Cory Bagdon of PA Woodcraft works along with Rutter Urban Forestry and uses locally harvested trees and turns them into furniture that can be considered works of art. With the wide variety of hardwoods available there is never a shortage of choices. Cory has used everything from old apple trees from people’s backyards to fallen birch trees on lake properties to make stunning bar and counter tops, end tables, chairs and much more.

All custom designed.

And that’s where the story begins.

“Each piece of wood that I use is unique,” Cory says. “They have different histories to them, different growth patterns that all tell a story of the life of that tree.”

If a person, for example, has an old apple tree in their backyard that is starting to come down, Cory works with Rutter Urban Forestry to remove the tree and then prepares the tree into slabs for
a project. When the item is finished, the new owner has something that has a personal connection to them.

When a tree has a burl – a sort of cancerous growth that looks like a giant sap bubble – or any other uniqueness to it, then the grain pattern in the wood can be all over the place and the natural random growth can make for some very interesting patterns. “I really enjoy creating pieces from this wood,” Cory says. “The wood takes over and tells me where I should cut and where I should join.”

The trick behind creating something beautiful is not to rush. The whole process takes years to complete.

The wood must be cut, then dried for at least two years, unless it can be dried in a kiln, and then there’s the blueprints, then, finally, the creation process can begin. Fortunately, Cory has plenty of dried wood ready and available in his shop for his customers to pick and choose from.

“I have a great appreciation for the finished project,” Cory says. “I’m not selling pieces of furniture as much as I’m selling a story. When people choose their own lumber, whether it’s from my shop, their own backyard or a place that has sentimental value to them, and then have a say in the style, then the piece becomes personal. You can’t get that out of a box.”

And nothing beats the warmth of wood. Wood has uniqueness, no two pieces look alike, and a well created coffee table or any other furnishing can become the focal point of the room, drawing people in, welcoming them into your home – with a story.

“The quality of my work is my advertising,” Cory maintains. “I ensure that every piece of wood is dried properly and won’t warp once it becomes part of a piece. I want people to look at my work, admire its beauty, and then ask, ‘Hey, who made this?’”

Cory first became interested in working with wood when he spent the summers at his grandfather’s home in White River. The big garage on the property was the perfect haven for tinkering and fiddling. With a bit of guidance from his grandfather he started off by making mail boxes and realized he had a knack for figuring out the creating process.

A few years later he completed the fine wood working course at Selkirk College in Nelson, B.C. and began making cabinets and remodelling kitchens. In 2019, seven years after he graduated, Cory decided to work along with Rutter Urban Forestry and take a different direction with his skills.

“I love my job,” Cory says with a grin.

“I get to see a slab of wood turn into something beautiful and functional.

I get to create. I get to make people happy. I get to tell a story.”

You can check out Cory’s work online at pawoodcraft.ca

Donna White is an accomplished author and Jubilee Medal winner for her volunteer work with World Vision. Visit her website at www.DonnaWhiteBooks.com

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