Months ago our friend, hockey dad and famous radio host, Tommy B, enlisted my help with a project. Tom and his family live in a remote corner of beautiful Salt Spring Island, surrounded by parkland, ocean and an ambitious collection of apple trees. They also have a healthy flock of chickens and ducks. The project was to build a roadside stand where they could sell eggs and apples. Tom sent me some photos of other farm stands in the area. Salt Spring Island is full of farm stands.

Tom said that he wanted their farm stand to look like a Buddhist temple. I was keen on that challenge and started dreaming up elaborate shrines to fine woodworking. But Tom’s wife Dtik wisely reminded us that the project should not cost more than the anticipated revenue from eggs and apples. That caused us to change our plans. These days cedar is way more expensive than eggs and apples. So I worked up a basic design that used only 2x4s and 4x4s. The material was not not very exciting but it still provided opportunities for interesting and totally unnecessary joinery, like drawboarded mortise and tenon joints.

Things got interrupted for a few months by ski trips, birthdays, family visits and anniversaries. It happens that way every winter. But by late March I was able to find some time to start the project. I was also able to find some Doug Fir at a reasonable price. After the first weekend of work I had the basic structure figured out. I also figured out some detailing for the rafters that would maybe hint at the Buddhist temple that Tom was hoping for.

In April work was interrupted again. This time by work on the house and then by my last ski trip of the season. But by May, with ski gear finally dried and sorted for the season, I was able to turn my mind back to the farm stand. I finished shaping the rafters and got colour on all the pieces.

Somewhere in the midst of the work, Tom and Dtik asked that the farm stand should also have a reasonably secure box for holding cash. We went back and forth on the design of this part. I initially thought that some kind of robust steel box was in order, but it seems that would not be in keeping with the Salt Spring / Buddhist vibe that we were going for. On the other hand we wanted something a bit more formidable and less footloose than a basic mason jar. We eventually agreed on a hefty oak box with a hasp for a small padlock and hidden bolts connecting it to the farm stand table.

By mid-May I had taken things as far as I could in the shop. Wood was cut to shape, finished and resting comfortably in the shop, and I had managed to find some suitable metal roofing.

So on a fine sunny weekend we packed it all into the car and headed over to Salt Spring for assembly, installation and a visit. Tom’s neighbour Jim helped with the use of his tractor, a few loads of gravel and some cement pavers to create a level base for the stand. We discovered that some of the wood had twisted as it dried. Jim also supplied a couple of extra bar clamps to help us persuade those warped bits to fit back together. It all went together without too many hiccups.

By early Sunday afternoon we had finished the work and were ready to take the ferry back home. Though we managed to find some additions adjustments and refinements that the stand will need sometime soon, such as deer proofing. So we have a perfect excuse for another visit with our friends.

Hard to tell for certain, but the chickens seem to approve too …

Doug fir, spruce, garry oak, analine dye, sansin, metal roofing.