USA - The Wood-Mizer Way 99 Spring/Summer 2017 | Page 25

“Creating never gets old.”
I
—The Charles Family
of woodworking in the Caribbean
they have also been able to maximize their lumber grade yield
and create custom sizes not offered by the main island mill. Like
many small businesses, there is no such thing as a typical day. For
the Charles family, one day could be spent felling and transporting
a log and the next they could be using their sawmill to create
woodworking material or putting the final touches on a piece of
furniture. However, the process from log to mill to furniture is
quite fluid for the shop.
First, island teakwood, white cedar, and mahogany logs are
recovered from both public and private lands on the island. Trees
are felled, bucked for grade, and then hauled out using nothing
more than a weighted truck, cables and a snatch block. Once the
logs are milled at the shop, a variety of finished furniture pieces are
created including bed frames, tables, armoires, chairs, and more.
The Charles family sells these finished items to Carriacou
locals, main island Grenadians, residents of Trinidad and
Tobago, as well as Carriacouans who reside in the US that
want furniture to remind them of home. Their customers
value the real, solid, well-crafted and customized pieces along
with the fact that they are part of the Charles’ long and proud
family tradition.
The Charles family praises the versatility of their sawmill as it
can be used in primary breakdown of logs, edging, and resawing of
lumber. Other tools essential to the shop are a jointer, planer, lathe,
and a variety of hand tools for creating all the intricate carving
designs by hand. Another vital piece of equipment the business
uses is a Wood-Mizer BMS250 blade sharpener to maintain the
sharpness and precision of their blades while cutting valuable wood
species for furniture. Being able to sharpen blades on-site
reduces downtime for the business and ensures the best
quality cuts are performed for each piece of material.
As small business owners, Ray and Raynael place an emphasis
on “communication, nothing more” as the driving factor in
achieving success. For the father and son team, Charles Brothers
Joiner Shop has always been an avenue for creative satisfaction.
Their love for the craft and creativity of wood is their secret to
being successful and enjoying every step along the way.
woodmizer.com
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