Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)
So this was a heavy build, both literally and figuratively. Literally because it weighs about 30 pounds and will need a thick screw to hold it on the wall. Figuratively because… The Heavy:
I have lived my entire life in Queens, NY. I was in college in 2001 in Brooklyn. From the roof of my school building I saw the towers after they were attacked but before they fell, then from across the Brooklyn Heights Promenade I saw downtown in a cloud of the thickest smoke imaginable in a world that changed forever.Then came the flurry of missing persons and funerals including what would eventually come to include 343 firefighters.
The Light:
Recently I have been making rustic style American Flags. They have been pretty popular and I have made a bit of extra money selling them. Like a bunch of people here I have been hoping to start a little woodworking business so I have been posting my builds on Facebook and Instagram (angelo.builds) and occasionally a friend or family member will repost them.Some more Heavy:
The widow of FDNY Firefighter Raymond York reached out to me saying that she saw one of the flags I had made (thanks to my aunt for reposting) and asked if I could make one to honor her husband Raymond. She had reached out to an online shop to get one made previously but when she mentioned the elements she wanted; his shield, 'In Memory Of' and his name they could not come to terms. She sent me a picture of his shield and I said I could do it. I was hoping I actually could do it, but truthfully I wasn't sure.Back to Light:
It took a bit of planning to decide how to lay it out. Would the laser run for as long as it would take to do the shield and lettering? Eight hours later that question was answered. What would be the best way to go from the flag side to the red color side where the engraving will rest, I decided to go with a dark deep burn with a torch. I also decided to frame it out just because it adds so much to the look.Last bit of Heavy:
Since I was making this flag I had to know at least a bit about the man himself. Being stationed in Queens, NY and on light duty due to an injury he should not have even been in harms way. His light duty that day had him at Rockefeller Center doing a fire safety exhibition. For those unfamiliar with Manhattan that is in midtown about 4-5 miles north of the World Trade Center. Once he learned what happened he hitched a ride on a news van then an emergency service vehicle to what would be known as ground zero. The next morning his body was recovered. He was buried on September 15, 2001 as one of the 343.Sometimes I feel like through my woodworking I have been a part of some wonderful things. Whenever someone asks me to make a birthday or wedding gift or a prize for a raffle I get to be a small part of someones life, and in some cases it is a very honored position. I don't think I have ever been more honored to make something than I was when I was making this.If anyone is curious this is Raymond York.