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As is often the case Thomas stumbled onto this fascinating and profitable hobby by accident. A friend, knowing he often ambled into rugged mountainous areas in search of mineral specimens, asked him to gather a few pieces of timber for her invalid son to use in connection with his wood-carving hobby. Thomas willingly obliged by procuring a few branches of mountain juniper (commonly called cedar) for the lad. In so doing he became interested in the odd formations of some of the tree limbs. Unselfishly he gave the child practically all the strangely-shaped branches he found on that first wood-gathering trip. He did, however, save a couple of the heavier pieces for his own use. His creative mind sensed he could make something from them, though at the time he was not sure what it would be.

Turning a grotesque appearing limb first one way, then another, Thomas soon visualized its possibilities for use as the base of a table lamp. Without aid from the hand of man this tree limb already seemed shaped by Mother Nature for just such a purpose. After a period of experimentation, Thomas found by stripping the limb of all small branches that it showed further promise of usefulness.

Upon peeling and scraping the limb with a jackknife, Thomas became more and more enthusiastic as he discovered that richly streaked beauty lay just beneath the dry bark. After completing removal of all the bark he further enhanced this hidden beauty by carefully sanding the wood with sandpaper and steel wool until the rich grain of the wood stood out in striking prominence. After applying several coats of clear varnish to this oddity of nature he fitted it with an electric lamp fixture and purchased a factory-made shade for it.

THE DESERVED praise friends gave Thomas when they saw his clever creation prompted him to make more lamps which he placed on display in their shop along with the varied line of novelties they then carried. Upon finding tourists were more attracted to the lamps than factory-made novelties they have since discontinued nearly all such lines and now handle practically nothing except lamps and other items made from juniper.

Before long Thomas made the interesting discovery that lamp shades, too, could be made from the sweet-scented juniper wood. In making such shades he has the wood cut into thin, narrow strips at a saw mill. After determining the size shade he wishes to use on a certain lamp he cuts these strips of wood into the proper size and shape to fit over a wire frame. He then drills small holes in the wood at both top and bottom—this is to provide a means of fastening the strips together. Using copper craft lacing, which he purchases from a craft supply house, he laces the strips together in such a manner that, as the lacing is done, they are securely attached to the wire frame.

While this capable wood-worker specializes in lamps he also produces equally as unusual and attractive coffee tables, pedestals and smoking stands. One of the greatest difficulties he encounters is in finding timber suitable for the making of these larger pieces.

Knots and malformations are not only permissible but are desirable in making a table base but the log used for the table top must be large and free of defects if, when a cross-section is cut from it, the surface is to be smooth and suitable for such a purpose. When such a log is found, it is an arduous task to drag it down the steep mountain side. Often these logs, before being cut into a slab, weigh 150 pounds.

THE PROCEDURE Thomas uses in preparing timber for the bases or legs of tables is much the same as that used in making the lamp bases. Selecting timber of the right proportions is highly important. The log slab that is to be used as the table top must necessarily be cut thick enough to avoid any danger of warping. After mounting the slab atop its rustic juniper base Thomas gives it a final coat of varnish to achieve a slick, high polish.

Much of the juniper used by Thomas is found in the rugged high country not many miles "as the crow flies" from his home. Even though the basic raw material used in his work is free for the gathering, a charge for the labor involved in transporting the timber from the mountain slopes to his shop must necessarily be included in the cost of production. Cost of electric fittings and other items essential in the making of lamps averages about $2 each. The price of completed lamps ranges from $13.50 to $18.50. The price of tables is $35 and up.

Most sales are made directly from the shop. However, with increasing frequency Thomas is receiving orders from distant places, these usually coming from people who, while vacationing in the area, have visited his shop or have seen his products on display in the window of the little shop. He has made shipment to as distant a place as Venezuela. In such cases an additional charge necessarily has to be made to cover the extra work of packing and for actual shipping charges.

For reasons of economy, as well as for convenience, the Thomas workshop is under the same roof as the salesroom. Since practically all work is done by hand, no great space is needed for heavy equipment or for a large assortment of tools.

Tourists upon visiting this interesting shop are likely to see partially finished juniper pieces on the corner work bench. This often leads to questions as to where these odd pieces of wood were found. Upon being told that most of it came from the mountains within sight of the shop the querying person is often more anxious than ever to purchase a completed piece.

A BORN naturalist Thomas is a discriminating wood gatherer and avoids cutting limbs where it will endanger the life of the tree or will in any way disfigure it. He utilizes either live or dead timber for his work. He finds the live wood to have more distinct contrasts—often an ivory streak merges abruptly into one of a deep brown hue. While the coloring of the dead timber may be equally as rich it is more uniformly streaked throughout the wood.

Unlike a product that comes off an assembly line these novel juniper pieces, with numerous knots and curlicues, are each fantastically different. Mother Nature is no imitator. No two juniper limbs, buffeted by high altitude winds, become twisted and gnarled in just the same manner.

Thomas insists one need not be an artist to turn out juniper lamps and other household furnishings since, he says, nature does the highly important artistic job of designing them. As I cast an admiring eye over the display of novel products I felt it also took a lot of Ivan Thomas's ingenuity and perseverance to bring these pieces to their present state of beauty.