Woodworking artist offers his creations to customers

SEELEY LAKE - Missoula Woodworker Dave Erickson brought his collection of wooden bookcases, benches and birdhouses to sell at the Seeley Lake Market. Erickson has been a merchant at the market for three or four years, however he has been crafting a plethora of wooden decorations for around 50.

"There was an old carpenter from Lolo back in '62 that got me into carpentry," he said. "And I helped build houses for probably four or five years."

Currently Erickson does woodworking mostly as a hobby. His favorite aspect of the process is being able to take something from nothing and transform it into something that people can use.

He approaches every new project by going to a lumberyard and ordering cull lumber, pieces of wood that were either leftover from trimming or have been damaged in some way. He then cuts out the straightest piece and determines what project it would best suit. His wife Troy helps with tiling some of his projects although she is often busy with her own quilting and crocheting projects.

He said the most popular product he sells at the market is his plant stands.

Erickson said he enjoys getting out of "the big city" whenever he comes into Seeley Lake for the market.

"[I] just [like] getting to know people," he said.

He sells his artwork outside of the market and even does special orders. Those that are interested are encouraged to send him a picture and give him measurements at eaglese@bresnan.net.