Woodcarvings by W.F. (Bill) Judt
46 Harvard Crescent S7H 3R1 Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Today I completed a bedside table for our bedroom. Made from oak wine barrels. This time I included a drawer and a lower shelf. I was in a hurry to get this table out of my shop and into its spot, as evidenced by the dusty surface. Working with wine barrel staves is especially challenging, but the results are unique. Wood: white oak, from a red-wine barrel... Finish: Varathane professional Satin clear coat Height: 25.5" See more

Hi: I recently completed another project for my wife... a custom plant stand made from wine barrel staves. I used wine barrel lids for the two platforms, and staves for the legs, as well as barrel bands for around the legs.... The result is a sturdy and attractive - in a artisan sort of way - plant stand that will last many decades. Clear finish - Varathane Professional, satin. Height is 36". Base platform is 15" and top platform is 12" Now I have three more stands to make :-)

Hi Just today I completed yet another wine-barrel project, this time a coffee table. Slowly but surely the old wooden furniture in the house is being replaced. We had an old Roxton Maple coffee table in the family room that was too large for the space, quite out of style and yet had a perfectly good maple top. I used that top for the new wine-barrel coffee table.... The table top was reshaped to a perfect ellipse and refinished to appear as close as possible to white oak. Of course, the grain of maple is finer, but the idea was to match the color of white oak and also to recycle the old table top. The top is attached on the underside with 1-1/2 plywood, to which I fastened a drawer and four legs. The legs and the face and back of the drawer are fashioned from white oak barrel staves laminated together to form two curved surfaces. This was a tricky process. Lots of hand work involved. I did not incorporate a barrel hoop to surround the table top substructure, as the metal was reluctant to bend to an elliptical shape. This is because the wine barrel hoops are not flat bands, but are narrower on one edge than the other to accommodate the bulging side of the barrel shape. The table legs reveal the inner surface of the white wine barrel which is a deep amber color. I chose to leave the sides of the drawer box open so the lovely maple can be easily viewed. The lid is finished in clear Varathane Professional Matte... three coats. The legs, and lower structure of the table are similarly finished. The inside of the drawer is made from 1/2 baltic birch plywood.

Hi As part of an attempt to replace old and worn-out shop furniture, I recently made a round-top stool from the staves of a white wine barrel. The stool seat is actually made of barrel staves laminated together, and then shaped with the band saw and hand planes. Supporting the seat is a high quality swivel mechanism. I fashioned four legs to provide the support. The footrest is a barrel hoop.... The stool is finished in clear Varathane Professional Matte... three coats. All the wood is White Oak. See more

Hi I recently completed another wine-barrel project, this time an end table. Using the lid of the barrel for the table top, I fashioned four legs to provide the support. The lid is attached on the underside with 1" plywood, to which I fastened four supports for the legs. I decided to hide the plywood with a metal barrel hoop. The lid is finished in clear Varathane Professional Matte... three coats. The legs, with the inside of the barrel facing outward, are similarly finished.... The underside of the table top reveals that it came from a red wine barrel. The legs reveal that they came from a white wine barrel. All the wood is White Oak.

Hi: I’ve made another custom-made wine-barrel bar stool. I ordered five large wine barrels from a local guy, who delivered them to my door. HEAVY! And made of white oak! The last two photos show the barrel as I disassembled it in my shop.... This time I use staves from a white wine barrel. It is a unique, custom design, hand-made in my own shop. Made completely of aged white oak, saturated with a deep amber colour from the wine. This chair utilizes wine barrel staves for the seat, arms rests, legs, braces and also the rest. I used a high quality ball-bearing swivel mechanism, purchased from Lee Valley. Over all, the chair is 31 tall at the seat, 18 wide and 18 deep. The feet are 23 apart. I used #12 and #14 screws as fasteners. The chair is finished with Varathane professional mat polyurethane. This chair is very sturdy, rather heavy and built for generations. Thanks

This week I managed to complete my second wine barrel chair this one for my wife. This time I used the lid of the barrel for the seat, being able to flex the lid to a concave surface. I also chose to make the legs curve outwards. The seat sits on a swivel mechanism, with a 3 tilt.... As with the first stool, this chair is made with white oak stave, coloured burgundy by the wine. The finish is Varathane Professional 1100, matte sheen, 2 coats. Hope you like it.

Dear Carvers: I received a surprise this weekend I got a call from a gentleman letting me know that Holy Family Cathedral in Saskatoon placed the crucifix, which I carved some years ago, in front of the Cathedral for Holy Week. ... The Bishop tasked a few of his parishioners to build a large log cross, mount the crucifix, dig a hole in the ground and place the structure in front of the Cathedral for holy week. There is security 24hrs, and people come by in their cars to view the cross and offer up their prayers. I'm thinking that in the season of Covid-19, this is a wonderful opportunity to offer those who wish to "pay their respects" to their crucified Lord, Jesus. I’m reminded of the statement: "Death is not the enemy, but a chance for Jesus to shine." Bill Judt [email protected]