March 1, 2024 | 4 min read | By: David Harris
Greetings Customers & Friends,
One of the most satisfying things for me (and our staff) here at Parkerville is when our customers and old friends return to show us what they have built with the products they purchase from us. As you may expect, the variation is a vast spectrum ranging from pens to boats, from weekend worriers fixing up their houses, or making wooden toys for their grandchildren to extraordinary furniture makers such as Joel Liebman of Joel Liebman Furniture, whose work is in collections around the country and abroad. You can check out Joel’s work on his website, at WWW.JLFURNITURE.COM It is extraordinary.
A couple of weeks ago I was in our front office when I saw this awesome bright orange restored truck pass by the window and park over by our scrap pile. A few minutes later one of our staff came in and told me that an old friend wanted to say hello. Jim, an old high school friend of mine was the owner and restorer of the truck. Jim was from a large Bolton family which is where I grew up. When I was a kid, everyone knew everyone in Bolton. In fact, Jim’s youngest brother Tommy was my very first employee back in 1981, so it was good to see him.
Jim had recently finished restoring the truck, a 1952 Chevy COE (cab over engine). In its former life it was a dump truck. It now has power brakes, power steering, and power bucket seats from a BMW. Super nice. In the bed of the truck was an old 1960 Wheelhorse tractor that he had also restored that had a very rare 1932 Palmer marine, single cylinder diesel motor in it. Jim told me that he enjoyed restoring the engine so much that he has since purchased and restored a few others. Jim said that the truck frequently gets him in trouble because he runs out for a quick errand and ends up talking to people in the parking lot for an extended time.
Jim also told me that he had been in several times to buy wood for a boat the he recently restored. Jim was from a boating family. His Dad had a beautiful older 40’ Elco, and I frequently went out fishing with one of Jim’s older brothers. The boat Jim restored is a 1960 Chesapeake Bay Sharpie, the Waterman model which were popular for shell fishing. A true work boat. See the before and after pictures that are included here. The boat is currently powered by a 1910 Grey Marine single cylinder diesel engine that Jim also restored. Jim is an incredibly talented mechanic and craftsman. I asked him if he minded if I shared his work with all of you, which he said was fine. Jim is a retired machinist and works on these projects for pure pleasure. He does not do this for money and is not looking for business. I hope you enjoy these pictures of his work.
So, to all our customers near and far, please show us your work. We love to see the fruits of your labor and what you make from the wood that we sell here at Parkerville. We will occasionally show some of our customers work with your permission, and if you are a professional may promote your work and your business to our audience. We are all in favor of business-to-business promotion.
Don’t forget that our wood warehouse is open this Saturday at 49 Brainard Place in Manchester from 8-2. It is time to get your holiday woodworking projects planned.
I hope to see you there, and at our main shop at 580 Parker St.
Sincerely,
David Harris, President
Parkerville Wood Products, Inc.
Do you need help with a woodworking or wood-related project and don’t know where to turn? We’re here to help. Whether you’re looking for consultation and advice, want help with design options or you’re simply looking for the right selection of wood for your project, we’re more than happy to assist you. Need help when it comes to milling or other services? We can assist you with that as well.
Parkerville Wood Products
580 Parker Street
Manchester, CT 06042
GPS Address
22 Mitchell Drive
Manchester, CT 06042
When planning a trip to our facility, please note that you must have proper footwear to enter the shop and lumber mill area. Safety regulations require that open toe shoes or sandals are not to be worn on the shop floor. Thank you for your cooperation.
Parkerville Wood Products
580 Parker Street
Manchester, CT, 06042
GPS Address
22 Mitchell Rd
Manchester, CT, 06042
When planning a trip to our facility, please note that you must have proper footwear to enter the shop and lumber mill area. Safety regulations require that open toe shoes or sandals are not to be worn on the shop floor. Thank you for your cooperation.
In celebration of President’s Day, our selection of 4/4 Cherry is on sale! Regular 4/4 Cherry is discounted to $3.99 bf with 8+” wide at $4.49.
Sale runs until February 24th!
** We’re open until 7 PM on Thursdays **
