Mark Davis’ work shed is forested with timber, its grains, hues and smells fill the senses. A jarrah log, measuring 6m tall, reaches to the roof, alongside huon pine beams, while a grand old piece of red gum reveals ancient swirls and rich veins. Source: Weekly Times Now
His beachside Phillip Island home in Victoria is a temple of timber clad in wood scorched with fire, an experimental technique, while inside every surface is a timber palette of blonde to crimson.
All the wood used in his home, or in his Finding the Grain furniture and bespoke timber pieces, is, Mark said, recycled or salvaged.
“I’m passionate about not using new timber. I don’t see a need to when there’s enough people wrecking the world, without me adding to it,’’he said.
“I love bush walking and spending time in the bush. I’m happy to see it where it is meant to be, not in someone’s kitchen or fireplace.
“It’s ridiculous when people donate to World Wildlife Fund then the next minute install a merbau deck straight from Asia.
“I think it’s just about having a bit of a conscience.’’
Philosophy aside, Mark said he is first and foremost an artisan, relishing the alchemy of timber. Most of his Finding the Grain pieces are tables, chairs, TV units, beds, or doors, made using traditional joins – no screws or nails – and commissioned largely by older clients tired of kids breaking their Ikea pieces, or seeing cheap pine tables dumped at the tip.
On average, a Finding the Grain table will take two weeks to make, while a set of chairs possibly months, considering Mark starts by making a prototype of a chair and tries to smash it to find stress points.
“I love watching the timber come to life. You start off with something that, when you look at it, looks like it’s just garbage. Friends in the industry ask me why I bother, say that I’m mad,” he said.
“Working with recycled timber is hard and dirty and time consuming but it’s rewarding.”
And beyond the skill, the art, he is a treasure-seeker. Mark said while most of his recycled timber comes from local Gippsland demolition sites, he and Nyree (his wife) relish scouting salvaged finds. Although, he adds, Phillip Island – with historically old weatherboard bungalows – is not the best spot in the state for sourcing gems.
“We lived in WA for a while and had an old Land Rover which we’d fill. We went to an old fellmonger and we filled a container with lengths of jarrah,” he said.
“In the old days they’d make abattoirs with jarrah walls filled in between with lumps of coal for insulation.”
Despite his conservation philosophy, Mark said you have to be pragmatic to work in the timber industry.
“You have to have a balance. You have to realise there’s people who need to work and eat and there’s an industry that still needs to be sustained.’’
His training in the trade came early, through his stepfather, a furniture maker. When Mark moved out of home at the age of 15, necessity required him to make the furniture for his rented home.
It was a mate who suggested Mark should set up his own business and four years ago Finding the Grain was born. He said that despite it being at times a risky venture, his dedication to the philosophy and art of recycled timber means he never quavers.
