Wooden Ships: "The Atlantic" (Farmer Dave)

For as long as I've known him (almost 20 years), Farmer Dave has built boats. Boats smaller than your hand. Boats as large as your sofa. With Maine's famous maritime history, nautical themes have never been farther away than our wood piles. This, a boat Dave has done periodically almost as long as we've known each other, is one of Dave's most popular renderings...

"The Atlantic"

"Winner of the 1905 Kaiser's Cup.

Built in 1903, the sleek, steel-hulled Atlantic not only won the prestigious trans-Atlantic race, she set a record, unbeaten until 1997, of 12 days, 4 hours, and 1 minute. Powered by a steam auxiliary engine, she sported a spcial low-drag propeller and folding funnel, both of which were removed for racing.

Measuring 185 feet long, with 3 towering masts, she was an impressive sight along the east coast as she cruised. Eventually she became impossible to keep up and came to rest as a dying hulk in a small New Jersey harbor."

Dave's rendering is a bit smaller (41"x41"x5"), though in front of you, it's still an expansive undertaking, with a painstaking detail.



Each one of these knots is hand-tied. Farmer Dave, who has large, fairly arthritic hands, will spend hours upon hours tying these lines, which has always struck me as an impressive display of endurance. Dave refuses to "cheat," determined that all the details measure up to his satisfaction...


This amazing ship is available through Painting With Fire, for $475. Please direct any inquiries to me, Scott, at mudcatz@hotmail.com .

Wooden Novelties: Farmer Dave

Today I get to show off some of my buddy, Farmer Dave's wooden novelties. As subsequent posts will show, Dave is a remarkable and exacting woodworker. Dave all but lives out of his workshop, a rustic and well-equipped workspace set back in the trees. Farmer Dave don't get out much, electing to live way back in the woods, back where the men are men and the livestock are nervous...

Farmer Dave sells all his novelties. All inquiries of the items listed below may be addressed through me, Scott, at "mudcatz(at)hotmail(dot)com."

With so much of our business done on Maine's scenic coastline, it is only fitting that nautical themes show up repeatedly in our work. Dave does wonderful work with miniature sailing vessels. This, his "small boat," measures 16"x16"x5" and lists @ $125.



His Shipwheel Picture Frame is oak and 8". It is marked @ $20 ea.



Farmer Dave's birdhouses have become famous throughout northern New England. These two examples, which utilize reclaimed materials, are styles that Dave struggles to keep in stock...

Welcome Birdhouse, 10 1/2"x6"x6"; $15



Delta Birdhouse, 10 1/4"x6 1/2"x6 1/2"; $10



Among Farmer Dave's more popular items are his single-compartment jewelry boxes. Among them are the Large Lobster Box (12"x5 1/2"; $35)...



and the Small Lobster Box (7 1/4" x 5 1/2" ; $15)



With Christmas fast approaching, Farmer Dave's been finding orders for toy items have been keeping him very busy. When I was last up his way, his workshop looked like it belonged at the North Pole. He has garnered a loyal clientele through the years that find these to be terrific stocking-stuffers, with a fair dose of nostalgia thrown in...

This Bulldozer measures 6" x 4" x 3" and is priced @ $10 ea.



The Tractor is 7"x4"x4" and is also $10 ea.



The Tugboat is 12"x5"x5"; $19.50




While future posts will display a fair more intricate side to Dave's work, I have always been fond of the simple elegance of his maple cutting boards.

Cutting Board, 13 1/4"x6 1/2"; $18



Apple Cutting Board, 12"x9"; $27.50



Dave's "Honey-Do Hammer" (10"x5 1/2"; $5) remains a locally-popular item...



...And Dave's "Lobster Trap" (3 1/2"x4"x5"; $15)...



...comes with its own Maine lobster...




And still the best is yet to come...