Baker County's Sesquicentinnial includes traditional woodworking

Baker County's Sesquicentinnial includes traditional woodworking

The Press - Features

Written by Kelley Lannigan

Thursday, 22 September 2011 08:43

Roger Johnson planing beams by hand.

Roger Johnson, a woodworker from Lakeland, Georgia, will be among the many traditional crafts demonstrators at the county’s Sesquicentennial celebration September 24.

Using the customary hand tools of his craft, his demonstration will include splitting and shaping cypress shakes with a froe and wooden mallet and shaping them on a shaving horse with a draw knife. Shakes are wooden shingles more common in earlier times to cover the roof and sides of wooden buildings.

With a passion for log cabins and early 19th and 20th Century houses, Mr. Johnson’s most recent projects include building a replica of a block-style log cabin with dove tail joints for the Lowndes County Historical Society.

The cabin is one of a group of buildings in downtown Lakeland, including a syrup shed, railroad depot, the R. L. Patten General Store and the Miller HardwareStore, that have benefited from his attention. In addition, he has worked on renovations to the town’s circa 1890s historical society building.

He’s been involved in the preservation of many other sites and projects as well.

Mr. Johnson’s talent for woodworking began on his family’s Lakeland tree farm when he started building cypress bird feeders and houses when he was a boy. Over time, he moved from those small endeavors to constructing bee hives, then went on to larger, more complicated projects such as furniture.

He is currently constructing a woodworking shop after rolling the trees to the site himself before cutting, planing and notching the lumber at his sawmill.

He also creates large scale animal sculptures of wood such as alligators, woodpeckers and owls.

Last Updated on Friday, 23 September 2011 08:07

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