Natural beauty

Peyton Lee knew Bear Jones for years before he finished working with a local construction company and graduated. She knew of his artistic eye and talent and knew he understood the importance of conservation and preserving the environment. So when she had the idea to open Wood Worx Inc., a Homewood-based business specializing in custom, chain saw-carved home and office furnishings from trees, Lee knew she couldn’t wait. 

“It was great timing,” she said. “If I didn’t approach [Bear] then, then I knew I would never do it.” 

Lee is the president of Wood Worx Inc., and together with resident artist Jones, she works with clients to create custom pieces. Located on 137 Citation Court in Oxmoor Business Park, Jones works out of a shop and uses chainsaws to carve sculptures and furniture pieces out of trees. 

Jones started chain saw carving about seven years ago when he still worked in construction.

“We got rained out one day, and I ran back to the shop. I dozed off to rain hitting the metal roof,” he said. “I don’t know if I was dreaming about it or what, but when I woke up I saw the chain saw in front of me.” 

From there, Jones started playing around with pieces of wood he could find.

“My first piece was an eagle. It didn’t come out good, though,” he said.

After finding that the inside of the tree had rotted out, Jones learned to not plan a sculpture until knowing more about the wood he was using. He soon expanded his carving repertoire to including home furnishings. 

All of the carvings come from natural sources, such as trees that have already fallen, and Lee and Jones refuse to cut down trees to create furniture or sculptures. The logs and trunks can often be found by walking through the woods, and other times, people will call in fallen trees they have found. 

Even with a variety of options, Jones said he doesn’t always know what he’s looking for in a tree.

“Sometimes I have pieces that need an additional part,” he said, “but sometimes I say, ‘Hey, let’s go for a hike and see what we can find.’” 

Together with Lee, who has ties to The Nature Conservancy, the pair works toward achieving a certain level of preservation of the environment.

“It’s all kind of how I am anyway, you know, with trying to give things new life and allowing people to see that everything doesn’t have to be disposable,” Jones said.

Once the raw materials are back at Jones’ workshop, the artwork begins. In many instances, he works off of sketches he does in his spare time or little pieces of inspiration he finds in day-to-day activities. 

“I’ve always enjoyed doing the more custom pieces, the fine woodworking kind of stuff,” he said. 

Carving custom pieces with a chainsaw is no simple feat and can be physically taxing, but to ease his work, he has each of his six chainsaws set up differently and outfitted with specialty carving bars. 

“You can be a mediocre artist, but then when you throw the chainsaw into it, it gets intense,” Jones said. “It’s basically like reverse engineering. The chainsaw is just a giant eraser.”

So far, he has made countless sculptures, dish gardens, root-ball tables, pots, topsy-turvy tables and coffee tables for both himself and clients, but both Lee and Jones agreed that his most memorable work to date was a carved five-foot alligator named Matilda.

“It was like a step into a different dimension,” Lee said. “It even scared a guy.”

Jones said he prefers to get a sense of realism out of his sculptures and uses his special carving tools to add the details that will really make each piece unique. 

“[The alligator] made me look at it from the perspective of ‘I can do this,’ you know, I am in the game with some of the guys who have been in this for 40 years,” he said. 

Prices for Jones’ custom creations can range anywhere from $50 to $5,000 depending on the size, intricacy and type of wood, but he and Lee work so each piece fits the client’s vision.

“All you have to do is bring an idea in the door, and Bear knows how to make it,” Lee said. 

Through a series of appointments, Jones sits down with clients to draw a mock-up of a design and create a rough concept, and he will visit the area that the piece will go when it is finished to make sure everything fits together.

“I’m a visual person,” he said. “I try to find out details about a person and incorporate that into their piece. They’re one-of-a-kind items.”

To view some of Bear Jones’ work and see his workshop, visitors are welcome to stop by the Wood Worx Inc. workshop and showroom in the Oxmoor Business Park, or go to woodworxinc.com.