THE CRAFTSMAN BEHIND THE CRAFT

Putting on the “Blank Tape”

Cloudland’s Jim Everette is turning out unique furniture of steel, stone and wood

Jim Everette’s company name pretty much defines his work: “Steel, Stone, and Wood” is his one-man furniture making operation, located on top of Lookout Mountain not far from Trenton, Georgia. It’s the perfect outlet for a man who has spent his entire life learning how to build things.

Everette is the descendent of settlers who came into this area trailing behind their free-range livestock back in the 1800’s. The land on which he lives has been in his family for generations, and its trees provide the basic raw material for the pieces he makes. By day he’s a Jack-of-all-trades: carpenter, stone mason, electrician, plumber, cabinet maker- in fact, like a lot of mountain people, he does many things in order to keep meat (and his own organic veggies) on the table. Furniture making, something he’s been doing for 25-30 years, is a perfect addition to his resume in that he manages to use many of the skills he has learned in construction to create a unique line of custom made furniture.

Getting “lost in the work” seems to be a regular occurrence for Jim. He says, “When I’m working in my shop, I call it “putting on the blank tape.” I disconnect from the outside world, even though I may actually have some music on the stereo.  I get totally immersed in my work, and I get a great amount of satisfaction.”

As you watch Jim creating his furniture pieces (blank tape blaring only in his mind), you notice he doesn’t work from blueprints or drawn-out plans. “I see the blueprint in my head,” he says. “The finished product, if you’re a creative person, is like scratching your itch. That’s why I do this.”

Buying his first real tool when he was still a preteen (it was a hammer), Jim grew up building things. He used to make his own kites out of flour paste, scraps of string from feed sacks, and the dried branches of fallen trees. He’d straighten out old used nails so he could build a play fort. That “use what you find” habit has stayed intact over the intervening years. Taking a look around his work shop you notice that the power tools look vaguely familiar but aren’t quite what you’d expect to see at Tools-R-Us. He figures if he knows what a tool needs to be able to do, and he has the right kinds of parts, he can mimic an expensive store-bought item for a fraction of the cost. It’s the tool’s functionality, not sleek looks, that matter.

He likes to show his clients interesting pieces of wood he’s found on his land, or that he’s run across somewhere else. He’ll also show them processed wood, and then let them decide which piece they’d like him to use. Invariably, they choose the “found” wood. He also adds stone to his pieces, as well as welded metal. The results are unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that bear his highly distinctive style. Word of mouth does the rest, as clients tell their friends about Jim Everette’s craftsmanship and creativity.

Jim is also a musician, having played guitar for years in traveling rock bands. His furniture has also done a lot of traveling; and he has no idea where many of his pieces are now. He has no maker’s remorse, however. Once he’s made a piece, its design stays with him, and it’s no problem to make a similar object again if he needs to. He estimates that 95% of the furniture in his house is of his own making.

As the photos accompanying this article show, Jim is an imaginative craftsman who manages to create a distinctive blend of steel, stone and wood furniture in a kind of partnership with his clients. “I have the drive to do this, and I have the skills to do it. And while I’m doing it, I forget the troubles of the world and just let the blank tape play.”LV

Jim Everette can be reached at 706-398-3536.

 

 

 

Short takes

Chattanooga... Saturday, September 6  Join five Chattanooga Poets at Mocha Joe’s Bistro, 3914 St. Elmo Avenue, for an evening of reading. The previous reading on July 19 reached “Standing Room Only” proportions.

Michael Crumb has a doctorate in modernist poetics from Louisiana State University. His self- published poetry book Potshots was printed in 1998 and withdrawn from print in 2000 after 100 copies were sold. He is currently completing another book titled Animals Dream.

Bruce Majors is a retired engineer and former concert Bassoonist. Bruce’s book, The Fields of Owl Roost, was a finalist for an Indie Award.

Julie Alexander is a visual artist, a plumber, and mother of two. Her poetry features dynamic life images. She is currently revising a  book for self publication.

Ninian Williams is a former English teacher and editor of the online literary journal Vine Street Press.

Ray Zimmerman’s poem “Glen Falls Trail” won second place in the Tennessee Writers Alliance poetry contest. His book Searching for Cranes includes nature images, environmentalist angst, and poems about recovery from open heart surgery. He won second place in the Tennessee Writers Alliance 2008 Poetry contest, and will be interviewed in the September issue of Chattanooga’s Blush magazine.

Mentone... Saturday, September 20 “Tall Meadow Rue Chapel’s Art Show and Sale,” will feature many artists from around Mentone who will display their works from 11am until 4pm. The site is located one block south of the Mentone Springs Hotel, in the heart of town.

Chattanooga... Saturday, September 20 Reflection Riding’s Fall Open House and Native Plant Sale. Guided wild flower walks, long hikes through the property, talks on gardening and botanical subjects, and children’s activities. Plus hundreds of native plants, shrubs, and trees for sale.

Cloudland/New Salem... October 11 & 12 Fall Fringe Fest at the ArtBox, near the intersection of highways 157 and 136, on the mountain just 4 miles from Trenton, Georgia. We are soliciting fine craft artists for this show. Call Jeanette at 706-398-0011 for more information. LV