​WOODWORKING

           When you meet Dave the first thing you notice is his height. However as I walked into and around the Kilgore home, decorated with his works, there is so much more to Dave than meets the eye. 

           Kilgore and his wife met when they were 17 and 18. One of Kilgores pieces, a root lamp, he made for her 24th birthday; which now sits next to their TV. When Kilgore looks at wood "it's like a work of art, take a piece of wood and put it up there and say ""well is this going to look right?"" and see how it goes together." 

           As a young boy he cut firewood with his brothers and father. "I would see wood and say that would make a nice piece of furniture," Kilgore explained. "I was always kind of an idea man." 

          Whenever Kilgore married he stopped frequently woodworking and got into the lumber business, sometimes working 80 hours a week. A dedicated father of five children Kilgore never saw his woodworking as a career; looking back he supposed it could have been. It wasn't until 2006 he had his own shop where he dried the wood in a kiln and cut the slabs himself. 

         For Kilgore he didn't have the vast  learning resrouces now available. Kilgores youngest son, Ben, says "I am proud of my dad for the wood working but it is the legacy of integrity, hard work, and his pride in crafting something unique and beautiful and one of a kind." 

         This legacy does not only impact Ben but his children. "They both have demonstrated an interest. They have done a few things on their level," Ben explained. 

         Starters should "Keep at it, I have learned a ton. I have learned more in 2 years than my previous 20 years," he expressed. 

         "Because of the time and crafting it takes, it is tough to make a living doing it. It is something that you have to invest in over time or takes a large investment at once. Bottom line, not many people are doing this type of woodwork," said Kilgores son. 

          It is so clear to see how proud Kilgores wife and son are of him. Many of the pieces he has made he has given to friends and family. 

          When he had his own shop he would often sell items for a profit. Once the market started to go down, sales did the same, causing him to sell the land and the shop. It is only in these last few years Kilgore has been able to get back into sharing his gift. 

          Kilgore likes to "show what God created in the wood." What you learn from Dave Kilgore is not only how to craft a beautiful table, or the most important tool, it is to look and see Gods creation.