{"id":936,"date":"2021-09-02T20:34:31","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T20:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8009\/stories\/?p=936"},"modified":"2024-06-25T19:46:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T19:46:52","slug":"woodworkers-of-rayonier-new-zealands-sam-middlemass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/woodworkers-of-rayonier-new-zealands-sam-middlemass\/","title":{"rendered":"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: New Zealand\u2019s Sam Middlemass"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the forestry industry, it\u2019s our business to grow the best trees to make lumber for building and DIY projects. Woodwork DIYers found solace in their craft throughout the pandemic, which gave us the idea: let\u2019s seek out some of the best wood-based DIY projects out there. We started with a contest for our own employees, and they didn\u2019t disappoint! Today we\u2019re featuring Sam Middlemass, who built many beautiful projects while staying home during the pandemic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

New Zealand has been one of the most successful countries in keeping coronavirus at bay. But that doesn\u2019t mean its citizens got to skip lockdowns. On the contrary, their lockdown periods were stricter and longer than here in the United States. That gave Northland Forest Manager Sam Middlemass some extra time\u2014and extra challenges\u2014in creating his DIY wood projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Obsession Started In Primary School<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not every child who has the opportunity to take woodworking in school these days. However, in New Zealand it was offered as part of Sam\u2019s primary school curriculum. And from that simple grade school instruction, a full-blown passion developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter school, I worked as a fencing contractor like my father did for the bulk of my childhood, until I was employed by New England Forestry,\u201d says Sam, who’s based in Whangarei. \u201cSo my work has always involved wood in one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam is humble in describing his approach to woodworking: \u201cI focus on prominently timber and reasonably rough construction. Everything I\u2019ve made is pretty much all for outdoor application and doesn\u2019t require a great degree of craftsmanship. To give you an idea, one of my favorite tools is the chainsaw!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sam
Sam and his son, Max, during a hike in one of our Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, forests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Special Challenge Of Procuring Wood On A Small Island During A Pandemic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People from around the world have different opinions about the United States in general. However, if there\u2019s one thing they all agree on, it\u2019s that we are spoiled in terms of the variety and availability of consumer products. And according to Sam, wood is no exception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing I found very interesting with this DIY contest was seeing what types of pieces were made in the States. I\u2019m always amazed at how many types of wood working tools and materials are available there. Here in New Zealand we typically have locally-grown pines, so to get black woods or eucalyptus, etc., you usually have to go to a specialty store.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

You can view some of the winning U.S.-based projects in our other Woodworkers of New England Forestry articles<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sam added procuring any type of wood for projects during lockdowns was even more of a challenge due to an unprecedented run on supplies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLuckily, I have my wood pile under the house, so I had to be resourceful and made due with what I had on hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many houses in New Zealand and other coastal areas, Sam\u2019s is elevated, which provides the perfect spot to store wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Covered
During the pandemic lockdown, Sam made numerous home improvements, including building this porch with built-in benches.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Cape Cod Chair That Became A Picnic Table Bench<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of Sam\u2019s favorite projects was a beautiful picnic table bench combination which he made at the request of his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt came about because my wife mentioned that she wanted a version of a Cape Cod chair. I had no idea what that was, so I looked it up and thought it was rather ugly! So, I sort of figured out how to redesign it and that\u2019s how we got the picnic table bench. I started it one afternoon and finished it the next morning. If I made another one now, I\u2019d probably bang it out in an afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI put the table together pretty quickly but it actually does work and I\u2019m quite proud of that. And the satisfaction you can get knowing that it was done by just looking at a picture! I like to look at something and make it better and customized. I never make something exactly from someone else\u2019s design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During New Zealand lockdowns, Sam and his wife took advantage of the time to do some more extensive woodworking projects, including changing out their back porch for a more functional design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sam's
Sam invented this clever variation on the chairs his wife wanted. You can take the backs of the benches off and set them on the bottoms of the benches, turning them into a picnic table!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His Favorite Project And Favorite Woodworking Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Insofar as his favorite project ever, Sam says: \u201cThat would have to be when I extended the decking on our house and made it much more useful and less narrow. I expanded the width and did away with the kink in the decking. That\u2019s probably the piece that was most useful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like his craft, Sam keeps his woodshop simple. Set up in his garage, he keeps a skill saw, an angle grinder, a jigsaw and other basic tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy favorite DIY tool at the moment is an angle grinder with a sanding disc attachment. This is used to make joints fit neatly if they don’t, round edges and create shapes in softer wood types, such as finishing off chainsaw-carved bowls or platters. It removes wood much faster than an electric sander and I’d hate to have to do what it does by hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like our other contestants, he emphasized that you don\u2019t need a lot of fancy expensive equipment or tools to create functional wooden pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DIY
Sam emphasizes building functional pieces that don’t require too many fancy tools, like this plant stand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sam\u2019s advice for aspiring woodworkers: start simple and seek inspiration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sam\u2019s no-frills designs speak to his core beliefs about woodworking: it should be simple, fun and rustic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCrikey, my only advice would be to just give it a go. It\u2019s not hard. Particularly these days with screwing things together, we\u2019ve got the power tools for it\u2014so get into it. Start rustic first and work your way up to the higher-level skill stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought this competition was fantastic because of the fact you get to see so many quirky projects that other people have made. It inspires you to expand your horizons when you see somebody else’s creations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can’t wait to see what Sam comes up with next!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the forestry industry, it\u2019s our business to grow the best trees to make lumber for building and DIY projects. Woodwork DIYers found solace in their craft throughout the pandemic, which gave us the idea: let\u2019s seek out some of the best wood-based DIY projects out there. We started with a contest for our own…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[53,2,50],"tags":[52],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nNew England Forestry Woodworkers: New Zealand's Sam Middlemass | New England Forestry Stories<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the forestry industry, it\u2019s our business to grow the best trees to make lumber for building and DIY projects.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/woodworkers-of-rayonier-new-zealands-sam-middlemass\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New England Forestry Woodworkers: New Zealand's Sam 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