Murrayville resident Wally Martin is a woodworking enthusiast.

鈥淚鈥檝e been a furniture maker all my life,鈥� he said, noting that he鈥檚 tackled just able every nameable peice of furniture as a project.

When the Alder Inn came tumbling down the owner of the Princess and the Pea Bed and Breakfast made it his mission to get his hands on some of the lumber that would otherwise be scrapped.

鈥淲hen wood ages it gets stiffer, harder, denser, and darker,鈥� Martin explained. 鈥淭hese qualities are all important when building furniture.鈥�

Built in the late 1940s, Martin said the seven decades that the Alder Inn had been standing, the wood was twisted and formed into the perfect conditions.

鈥淓very woodworker in Canada is jealous of this wood,鈥� he assured.

Martin made a couple calls to the Township of 91原创 to try and secure a few pieces, learning the lumber would be sent to Western Reclaimed Timber in Maple Ridge.

He managed to nab some of the the old growth Douglas Fir this month.

鈥淢y daughter went over with the truck and picked it up. It鈥檚 very little 鈥� maybe one per cent of what had been in the hotel,鈥� Martin explained. 鈥淚t is beautiful beyond my wildest imagination.鈥�

His goal? To make a 1940s style table.

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鈥淵ou know that iconic photo of the old cars parked in front of the Alder Inn?鈥� Martin asked. 鈥淲ell, I want to transfer that image to the table top; we can do it by laser image or I have a friend who鈥檚 a talented artist that can paint it on and then we鈥檒l put a clear varnish.鈥�

Martin said that he already has plenty of tables and doesn鈥檛 necessarily need another one 鈥� it鈥檚 just all part of the fun when it comes to woodworking.

鈥淢aybe I鈥檒l put on the deck or something or maybe make it into a collectors thing,鈥� he pondered.

Martin noted that he will have a significant amount of wood left over and might make a series of tables or items dedicated to the Alder Inn.

鈥淢y wood project will take a few months,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 will keep you up-to-date as my project unfolds. I鈥檓 very excited about this.鈥�

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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@aldergrovestar.com

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