Tom Checketts Lumber

07/12/2026

***4/4 LIVE EDGE BUTTERNUT***

I love working with butternut. Sometimes it is a little softer than I would prefer, but it sure is nice to work with. I like using it as a contrasting wood with walnut. It cuts like butter and is easy to sand. I like carving it. I like using it for plaques and bases to mount other projects on.

These 4 planks have a lot of character. Three of them are sequential pieces.

07/10/2026

***CHEST BY DAN EVANS***
Dan made this Cedar Chest out of Walnut and lined it with Cedar for his daughter. He purchased the Walnut from me. Engraved on front is his daughters name on the left. His daughter speaks Chinese and the engraving on the right side is her name in Chinese symbols. The engraving on the inside of the lid is her favorite scripture.
A beautiful piece of heirloom furniture that will hopefully be passed down from one generation to the next.

07/03/2026

***MEANWHILE……BACK IN IOWA***
Jim has been busy harvesting trees, milling logs, stacking lumber and getting it ready for the kiln. Earlier this week he was cutting up several White Oak logs into dimensional lumber. These will be stickered and air dried for a few months before being kiln dried.

06/29/2026

***DENNIS MCKINNON – A FRIEND OF A FRIEND***

Ken Fonnesbeck is a hobby woodworker and woodcarver in Utah and has purchased wood from me. When he found out I was going to be in Eureka CA for a week he suggested that I reach out to a friend of his, Dennis McKinnon. I did, and I am glad I had a chance to visit with Dennis for a few hours.

Prior to visiting with Dennis, who is a Yurok tribal member, I stopped in at the Clark Historical Museum in Eureka to take a look at the exhibit, “The McKinnon Family: From Basketry to Bowls.” On display are baskets made by Dennis’s mother, grandmother and great-grandmother along with woodturnings by Dennis.

When I stopped by Dennis’s shop he showed me how he is trying to keep alive the traditions of his tribe through woodturning. The patterns and symbols that his mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother wove into the baskets are the symbols that Dennis is replicating in his segmented bowls. Each pattern has a special meaning.

Dennis is about 10 years my senior. I hope that in 10 years from now, I will have the same energy and drive that keeps him going. Woodturning, woodworking and woodcarving have given me some unique opportunities to meet and become acquainted with some very special people. I am very thankful for these opportunities.

If you are interested you can see more about Dennis and his family here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ycVwVRPsw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0YH9gICBPQ

06/25/2026

This sawmill made and used by The Redwood Burl Source in Eureka, California is pretty ingenious!

06/23/2026

***WINDOW SHOPPING***
I am in Eureka CA this week. My wife is taking a painting class and each day I am left alone to explore. Yesterday I stopped at The Redwood Burl Source. I just wanted to look around and had no plans to purchase anything. I ended up buying the small stump in the last few photos and had them slice it up. The figure in those slices is unbelievably beautiful! Now I have to figure out how to fit it in the car with our luggage for the ride home. The sawmill these guys have is pretty ingenious. Fun to see it in action. I will post a video of it in action in the next few days.

06/21/2026

06/21/2026

GOT OLD WOOD - SLC, UT

06/18/2026

***LARGE BOOKMATCHED WALNUT***
Do you need to make a large dining table or a good sized conference table? These bookmatched slabs are straight edged on one side. They are over 10 ft long and together they are approximately 4 ft wide. Zoom in to see dimensions and prices.

06/14/2026

***LARGE ASH SLABS***
I have 4 of these slabs that all came from the same tree. This one is 37” wide at the bottom and 29-1/2” at the top. It is 2-1/2” thick, and 98” long. There is one slab a little bigger and two that are smaller.