David Laughlin
DUNCAN — What’s in a name? For Billy Woods of Duncan, his profession and passion. Woods works with wood, and some may call him a carpenter, but he is just doing what he loves.
“Carpentry doesn’t consume all of his time — he also remodels, roofs and paints. Just call him a handyman.
He is a jack-of-all trades but a self-professed master of none.
Contrary to what Woods says about himself, he has been working with wood his entire life and making furniture out of it for more than 29 years.
“I don’t consider it a job, it is more like therapy.”
Woods grew up around Lake Fuqua. He recalls his grandmother cooking with wood and how he used to have to collect it for her.
Woods is drawing closer and closer to his 60th birthday but has no ambitions of stopping what he is doing.
“I have been doing this work for way too long to change now,” Woods said.
“Truthfully, it gets easier and easier every year. You really get into a routine and after every year the routine gets easier.”
One may think with his chosen profession as wood worker that injuries are almost a guarantee, but through all of his experiences, Woods said he has never sustained any major injuries.
“I’ve had some close calls but I have never been hurt real bad. The good Lord is really looking out for me,” he said.
Woods clears limbs and sells firewood. “A lot of guys will try to sell people a four-by-six rick of wood, but I always stick with four-by-eight,” Woods said.
“People always wait until bad weather hits, then everyone wants firewood.”
Spring is a busy time for Woods. Spring is when Woods makes his furniture. Woods says most of his furniture sells for about $125 but has had some go for as much as $350.
“I have sold furniture to Kansas, Missouri and even Mexico,” Woods said.
“I had a few guys from Mexico that I showed how I built my furniture. I had a friend who went to Mexico and saw some furniture for sale like what I make. I guess they learned a trade from me.”
Every piece of furniture Woods makes is from fresh cut wood. “Everyone asks me if I soak the wood so I can shape it, but I only had to do that one year in 1998, when we had a huge drought,” Woods said. “I bend it while it is fresh.”
Another distinctive characteristic of Woods’ furniture is he gets his wood from the same location every year.
“One of many blessings of mine is I am able to get my wood from the same spot every year. I go behind the dam at Duncan Lake. I have been going there for 10 years now.”
Woods area of expertise is in lumber, not sales.
“My furniture is so unique it sells itself. I can’t even keep it, everything I have sells. It’s kind of like the story of the shoemaker,” Woods said.
It has been said that if someone loves what they do, they never work a day in their life. With that being said, it’s safe to say Woods hasn’t worked a day in his life. With his birthday less than four weeks away, Feb. 28, to be exact, Woods has no plans on slowing down.
“God blesses us all in different ways, I am truly bless.”
— David Laughlin is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 144, or via e-mail at david.laughlin@duncanbanner.com.
