Bill Cerny from Edwardsville, Illinois, is an artist whose medium is wood.  He collects logs and stumps like some people collect stamps.

Ever since Bill held his first bow saw as a little boy, he has been fascinated by the character and color of wood.  Where most of us look at a log and see firewood, Bill sees the potential for a one-of-a-kind piece of Mission-stype furniture or a unique desk accessory.  He loves worm holes, short trunks, or limbs that create interesting wave patterns and crotch wood from the fork of a tree that has waves and peaks.

Today, he indulges his passion for wood at his home/workshop in Edwardsville, Illinois.  The property is littered with hundreds of logs, old stumps, boards, and other pieces of wood.  On a tour, Bill can tell you exactly what kind of wood is in each pile, and, in many cases, where he acquired it.

A true master craftsman, Bill saws his own logs, dries the wood, and stacks it in the woodshop.  He says, "Quality furniture requires that the boards be both air-dried and kiln dried.  Without proper drying, the boards are subject to uncontrollable shrinkage, which produces loose joints, splits in the wood, and panel distortions."

There are no loose joints in any of Bill's furniture.  He prefers Mission-style because it showcases quality joinery plus the natural beauty of top grade wood with vivid grain patterns.  He incorporates mortise-and-tenon and wood pegs for the frames, dovetail joints for drawers, and bowties for flat panels.  Because Bill takes such care choosing the wood, he often doesn't use any stain, just several coats of finish.

Bill has a variety of items already built using cherry, maple, quarter-sawn oak, ash, black oak, and red oak, but he welcomes custom orders for a one-of-a-kind heirloom piece.  He says "If you can dream it, I can build it!"  He also arranges tours by appointment for high school or college groups at a nominal fee.  For more information, please contact Bill Cerny.