Chester County tree trimmer turning wood into unique pieces for the home

PHOENIXVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Josh Lord has no formal training in woodworking or art, but a few years ago he embarked on a new business, fittingly named Uprooted Woodworks.

"I just kind of shine Mother Nature's stuff up," he said. "It just comes natural."

And he has lots of experience with nature. Lord has spent the last 45 years running Lord's Tree Service based in Phoenixville, Chester County, where he does pruning, removals and regular tree maintenance.

"And I just love working on this stuff I find on jobs," he explained. He says he finds many unique pieces, including uprooted tree stumps.

Lord works with many different types of wood. He is currently working on a piece of box elder that has a lot of natural color in the wood grain.

"I took a wire brush to it and it really brings out all the red," he said.

He turns some of his finds into art. Lord transformed a rotten tree by power washing it to show off the beauty of the natural wood grain.

He also transforms other pieces into furniture. He is working on turning part of an apple tree into a chair.

Lord has a sawmill on site and uses it to cut what's known as live edge slabs, so the wood keeps its natural shape and beauty.

"We mill everything from oak and cherry," he said. "I've been working on some box elder now. That's really pretty stuff."

He sells the pieces at his shop, along with other items like candle holders and cutting boards.

"It's unlimited how creative you can get," said Lord.

His shop has become a co-op of sorts for other local artisans. Some just have their work for sale, while others utilize his property as a creative workspace.

"People come here and do what they want. It gives me a warm feeling when they all connect," he said.

Lord says he is weaning away from his tree service business and devoting more time to Uprooted Woodworks, which he calls his "retirement plan."

"This is where I want to be," he said

The hours at Uprooted Woodworks are varied, but Lord says even though it's not a 9 to 5 job, he goes there to work as much as he can.

"I love what I do, so I'm here for fun," he said.

Uprooted Woodworks is hosting their biannual artist craft show on October 9, 2021 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit: Uprooted Woodworks on Facebook