Deeper than the grain
story by Katie Simpson
It’s early morning at the Miller Farm in Calloway County. Table saws and wood sanders buzz inside a metal building, where a sawdust fog fills the air.
Claude Miller, 70, works under a spotlight in his son’s shed for six hours to eight hours a day, making wooden cutting boards sold at local farmers’ markets and craft shows.
As Claude sands the first board of the day, his son, Jeff, walks in. Claude has been making these cutting boards for more than three years. The pieces, which combine cherry and walnut, often take two days to complete. Jeff has been helping him for nearly a month.
Since moving back to Murray from Connecticut in 2004, Jeff has reconnected with his father. Claude worked out of town a lot when Jeff was a teenager, separating them both physically and emotionally. The woodworking project brought them closer, and appreciates his father more now that he has children.
Claude has a degree in mechanical engineering and is a good woodworker.
“He taught me everything I know” about the craft, Jeff said.
The two hope to make more money by selling their cutting boards on the Internet. But Jeff said the value of the project is more than profit. Claude suffered from polio as a child, leaving him unable to fully extend his right arm. Woodworking makes his arm stronger and keeps his mind occupied.
“It’s good for my dad,” Jeff said.
Claude Miller, 70 sand the edged of one of his custome cutting boards. He spends two full days to create one finished piece. Miller often spends 6-8 hours per day in the woodshed on his son'f farm in Calloway County.
