My Friend Derek
Today is the International Day of Friendship. So I’d like to introduce you all to my friend Derek Brabender
I have green woodworking and the internet to thank for our friendship. Derek and I first met back in 2015. He’d stumbled across my online ramblings while I was playing with wood and sharp things back in the UK. I then announced that I’d be moving to the States. It just so happened that I was moving to the same city he was living in.
We first met face-to-face when he invited me to tag along with him to the Driftless Folk School Spoon Gathering. My prejudices shone through when Derek came to pick me up. I was totally expecting a much older gentleman. So much so that I almost asked him if his Dad was waiting in the car. Fortunately I kept my mouth shut and didn’t start the two hour journey with maximum awkwardness.
At the Spoon Gathering we connected with several others who lived in or around the Madison area who were interested in spoon carving and green woodworking. Thus the Madison Chop and Chat was born. Since that first spoon road trip, Derek and I have since made quite a few similar journeys, including:
320 miles to Carvorama in Minnesota
1,150 miles to the first Green Wood Fest
Spoonfest (UK) 2017
Outside of spoon carving, we’ve spent countless hours hanging out together. I was Best Man at his wedding, our wives swap gardening tips (at least, that’s what they claim they’re talking about), Derek’s taught me photography skills and helped renovate my workshop.
If you’re visiting this blog, then you’re probably interested in green woodworking. If you’re on Instagram, give Derek a follow: @green_wood_spoons
Since Derek works as a product photographer, all of the photos of his own work are, of course, beautiful. But the work itself is fantastic. Derek has a deep interest in the historical aspect of green woodworking. Some of his spoons are extremely accurate replications of antique spoons. His pole lathe turned bowls are inspired by Norwegian ale bowls. He has woven some fantastic birch bark creations. He also dabbles in some seriously cool locking boxes.
He sometimes has things for sale. Since he’s almost as bad a businessperson as I am, at the time of writing he doesn’t have anything in stock on his website. But he’s probably open to discussing commissions.
Comment below with a link to your craft friends. Let’s all commiserate over how annoying talented our friends are.
