A Stone's Throw

The modern cabin chair on the banks of Lake Vermillion.

Sometimes an idea hits you (like a rock) and you can’t let it go. I have a few of these ideas come to me every so often believe it or not. This was one of them. If you live in Minnesota, one of the places almost everyone ventures to is the North Shore (of Lake Superior). Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring, it doesn’t matter. The views are breathtaking and the sound of the waves are mesmerizing. On one of our earliest treks north to gichi-gami we came across a beach with millions of these dark sculpted rocks. Their shape and color never left my mind. 

In the middle of one of my many sleepless nights I was thinking of how to incorporate a rock from the lake, any of the 10,000+ located in Minnesota, into a chair design. It came to me pretty quick that night. My only hurdle was going to be how to permanently affix the rock to the chair. That solve I’ll keep to myself, but needless to say, I’m pretty impressed with myself. 

While I should have built a prototype to prove my theory of how this would work, that’s not how this maker works. I quickly sold the idea to the owners of Ely Log Cabin and it was suddenly time to prove my theories. Needless to say, it all worked out the way I had (hoped) planned. Their logo is etched into the rock and then mounted flush with the back rest of the chair. ‘GENIUS’, I say! They also added on a side table. The possibilities are endless for this concept and I have found so much more inspiration for this concept online since. This alone could keep my mind busy for years to come. I’ve had more ideas wake me since then however.

Custom Solutions

Would you look at that?!?

Creating something custom is a lot of work. From the first mention of, ‘could you…’ to the final finish and assembly, a custom piece takes time. I’ve drawn up several ideas that have never made it off my computer for one reason or another. I have several more items I know would be the “cat’s meow” and they’ll make there way off my laptop in due time. Below are just a handful of ideas that customers came to me with that made it through the table saw and out the door. From converting the Milwaukee Bucks logo into a chair to modifying an online plan to fit the needs of a grill master. It’s been fun helping others create their ideas out of cedar to become great smelling works of art.

If you have a school athletic program that needs a uniquely branded item, like the Anoka baseball chair or blue Minnetonka chair for a silent auction, I’m ready to help. Know someone who is opening a taproom and in need of customized yard games or chairs? I do work for beer. Reach out and let me know what you’re thinking and we’ll go from there.

Cedar Grill (+Beverage) Cart

Wait, that’s not a chair!

No. No, it’s not. During the fall I’m still pretty busy and I’m so thankful for that. Because I’m busy I don’t usually take on projects that aren’t chair related. This was an exception. Holly and Dave used to be our neighbors and we miss them. I know it’s not the noise I make in the garage that drove them away because Dave made just as much doing his own woodworking.

One of Dave’s biggest hobbies now is grilling. 🥩 So for his birthday Holly asked me to craft a grill cart that would stand along side his Kamoto Joe. The plans called for an area to store a propane tank below the drawer. Since he’s a charcoal guy, I suggested we utilize the area for a refrigerator instead. 🤯 I happen to know that Dave likes his beer (cold) too. I used a lot of Kreg joinery that is pretty much all concealed. The top is made up of 5 - 2x6 pieces of cedar milled and glued like a butcher block top. This was a first for me for a top of this size. If you’d like to see a video of this piece, head over to my Facebook page (@saegervillecedar) and look under my videos.

I’ll have to go back in the spring and take more photos of it in use and see what suds he’ll store in the fridge. 🍻

Saegerville Chili

Beer, coffee and brown sugar?!? In chili? Heck yeah! I came across this chili recipe over ten years ago and over the years have modified it to the taste of Saegerville. It's my go to for a hearty late fall to early spring meal on the weekend because it takes some planning and some time to simmer. I've even won an in office chili contest with it. Happy National Chili Day cedar lovers! Now here's the recipe...

8 Servings

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 lb cubed beef sirloin
2 bottles of your favorite local lager or pilsner
   (One for marinating the cubed beef in and one to add to the pot)
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
1 cup strong brewed coffee (we use local favorite Caribou Coffee)
1 (14.5 oz) can peeled and diced  tomatoes w/ juice
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
4 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
3 tbsp and 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1  tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Chopped scallions, shredded cheese and sour cream (optional)

Marinate cubed beef for a minimum of 30 minutes in 6 oz of beer. We’ve marinaded as long as overnight though. What you do with the other 6 oz. is up to you. NOTE: We don’t use the good beer for cooking. There is usually a bottle or two of these other beers laying around. Bud or Miller Lite are good cooking beers. They’re not our favorite for drinking. 

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Liberally salt chopped sirloin and ground beef and cook with onions and garlic for 10 minutes or until meet is browned and onions are tender.

Mix in remainder of ingredients and simmer for 2 hours. If you choose not to marinade the beef in beer only add one bottle to the pot for cooking. 

Divide into bowls and top with cheese, scallions and/or sour cream if desired and enjoy around a fire or the dinner table with company. Don't expect too many leftovers unless you double the recipe which is what we do and freeze some to enjoy next week.

The Saegerville Cooler Beverage Side Table

The next evolution of the beverage side table. With this side table you will never leave your fire unattended to run and grab a beverage. 

• Interior liner is removable for easy stocking for the night and cleaning when the fire is over
• Battery operated LED light for when the sun goes down
• Beverage holders accommodate pint glasses, cans, and stemmed wine glasses
• Side mount bottle opener

Custom Sign Making Available

View fullsize

How it's done.
1.  Computer design layout (I know this killer graphic designer)
2. Computer numerical controlled (CnC) routing of wood, 
    in this case - cedar.
3. Wood is stained and letters are hand painted.

Have an idea for a custom sign or saying routed into wood. Let me know.
 

Another view with a little more daylight.

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Close up of the painted letters.

Ribbon Chair

I can only imagine how exhausting battling an enemy like cancer can be and this beast has entered my world three times now in the past year. Brian contacted me to work on this special project of two chairs for Colleen. Congratulations Colleen for kicking Non-Hodgkin lymphoma's ass. I'd like to think beating cancer has never smelled so good.

“They are Awesome!!”

— Brian D. Van Asten

The color can be changed to reflect any awareness. Cancer, autism, supporting our troops, etc.

Here is how it's done. 
1. The ribbon shape is routed into the cedar at three separate depths. This adds dimension to the shape.

2. After sanding the rough edges the wood is painted three shades of the color. Again this adds to the ribbon's depth.

3. An epoxy resin is poured into the shape and hardens to a glossy finish protecting the color and shape for years to come.

Homemade Applesauce

INGREDIENTS

(Original recipe makes 8 servings)

    8 apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

    1/2 cup water

    3/4 cup packed brown sugar

    1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

DIRECTIONS

    Combine the apples and water in a slow cooker; cook on Low for
    6 to 8 hours. Stir in the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice;
    continue cooking another 30 minutes.

Cedar Plank Salmon

What’s for dinner? I’ve taken this cedar passion to a whole new level. Now I’m cooking on it. So, have you all heard of grilling salmon on cedar planks? I had and finally tried it on a camping trip earlier this year. It’s pretty simple and very DELICIOUS!

First, we soaked the cedar planks in the lake our site was on for 1-2 hours. While we were waiting, we enjoyed a couple beers (from the cedar-clad keg cooler).

A pot of water would work too.

After soaking, so they wouldn't burn so quickly, we placed them on the grate with the salmon filets on top, skin side down.

Mmmm...

We cooked the salmon 12-15 minutes after covering the filets with aluminum foil.

The aluminum foil kept in some of the heat to cook the salmon from all sides.

When the salmon flakes off the skin with a fork, it's time to eat and enjoy.

The cedar plank doubled as a plate.

Since we were camping, we ate directly from the cedar plank. When we were done the 'plate' went into the fire.

Lance.

Night Light Chair

I told you it was R&D time in Saegerville and this one I just can't keep to myself.

Pinterest can be a time suck, no doubt about it. Before you know it an afternoon can be spent pinning dozens of images. I've compiled a number myself. I have a board that includes what inspires me to keep building. On that board one might find a couple images that look out of place (seen below). It includes accents, or as my dad might have put it "accoutrements", to items that aren't chairs. I saw these images and ... looked at them differently.

That's where the Saegerville Cedar Night Light Chair was born. How its done is relatively easy, it took me less than ten minutes once I had all the supplies. Here are all the items you need to complete this project: (Image A) a solar powered rope light kit (available at Home Depot), a hammer (this one pictured is a special hammer, you'll see it serve double duty in this post), plastic cord staples, two 1-5/8" screws, a drill with a 3/32" bit and a Saegerville Cedar chair.

Need a chair? Shoot me an email through the Contact page of this web site. This project will work on any adult sized Saegerville Cedar chair.

Next you'll want to choose the spot to mount the solar cell. I apologize but I'm going to state the obvious... unfortunately this piece can't be hidden under the chair as it needs the sun to charge the battery that powers the led lights. I chose the left back leg (image B). Next I drilled two holes through the plastic mounting tube that comes with the lights (Image C). I then screwed that plastic piece to the inside of the back left chair (Image D). Now it's just a matter of neatly coiling up the extra cord and lights on the under side of the chair seat and hammering the cord staples to hold the rope light in place (Images E and F). One thing I also did was to make sure none of the lights show through the spaces between the seat slats. Once your done the back of the chair looks like image G.

And finally, I pulled out that hammer again. It helps open an adult beverage to celebrate another creative project completed (Image H).

Here is the final product at night again.

Lance.