Ben Jackson

Metalworker & Woodworker

I tend to notice the sometimes obscure slants and twinkles that an object reflects. I'm a dreamer. I enjoy abstract things but I am also comforted by being able to relate to what lies in front of me. I like looking at a piece of art and rolling into a distant memory but I also like having my mind sparked. Balance is essential to me. My goal is to create pieces which have an equilibrium where the pendulum swings between flairs of whimsicality and stability.

Keeping the inherent identity of a tree shows its 'perfectness' in nature. Gorgeous grains and unique characteristics paint the heritage of a tree's existence. After a tree is turned into lumber and made into furniture, its existence is often lost to man. Over-machining and manipulating a piece can degrade and devalue the serendipity that nature provides. I try and build around the uniqueness of a piece of wood and dictate the design based on a tree's character. I enjoy organic shapes, live edges, funky grain, and naturally occurring stresses.

I work with my older brother Don Jackson and we take fallen or downed trees from areas local to Asheville. We form symbiotic relationships with homeowners, where we get fallen trees out of their yards (so they don't have to deal with paying someone for removal or do it themselves). We also do a lot of urban tree removal off the sides of highways, roads, and neighborhoods. Most of the time these felled trees are turned into mulch, burned, or left to rot. We try and salvage every part of a tree to use in our green furniture operation. We run a chainsaw mill, which we can use on site, and a stationary band saw mill.

I am an ASU graduate and I obtained a grant from the school to build a passive and active solar wood drying kiln for research. After we mill up the salvaged trees, the solar kiln dries our wood and prepares it for use (it is one of the most valuable tools to our trade). The solar kiln speeds up the process of drying without drying too fast; at night time the kiln allows the wood to distress and relax. Our lumber quality turns out very good (you can tell when lumber is dried out too fast because it loses a lot of its color and beauty).

It is a rather spiritual thing to see and be involved with the whole process of designing a piece of furniture. We see the trees in their original habitats and states and then are able to enjoy the fresh smell and first sight of the sawed treasures– it's like Christmas. We don't want to bite the hands that feed us (earth) so it is essential to us that our operation has a minimal impact on the environment. Much of our shop is energized by photovoltaic solar panels. We heat our house with the branches and parts of a tree we can not use and we compost all of our saw dust. For more information visit www.steelrootfurniture.com.