ue Nil C4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 6, 1998 HIS FIRST log bench took 80 hours but since then Roland Messervier has honed his skills and timing into what he hopes will be a full time job making !og furniture out of avail- able trees in the area. Memories of youth lead to work today WHAT BEGAN as a project to build furniture for his own home is turning into a business for Roland Messervier. He’s taking thin trees nobody else wants and fashioning them into bed frames or benches. Messervier’s also making tables and he’s doing it all without any formal carpentry training. ‘As a kid I spent summers with my grandfather and he was a carpenter. I watched him. I was 10 years old and he gave me a bainmer and nails,”’ remembers Messervier. His first bench, built without proper tools, took about 80 hours and while he’s getting faster, he’s looking for financing to buy the right equipment. Messervier has been helped by friends who let him select three, or four or five inch diameter trees from their land. He works with pine or birch aad is branching out to work with oak and cedar. Messervier doesn’t use Hails, only joints and glue, - Although Messervier is building for the local market, he’s worried about saturating it and has .- his cye on selling his product to other places, To that end, a friend of his is helping design a Web page on the World Wide Web to better ad- vertise his business which he calls Rolog Furni- ture. He’s also helping two people build log homes and believes there's an additional markel in people who want log furniture to complement their homes. “Tf things are going well in the next two or three months I'd like to hire some guys to help out That would be a way of creating jobs,”’ said Messervier. His one challenge is finding a way to efficiently dry what he’s cut before turning it into furniture. Messervier lives on Krumm Road and will soon have a sign carrying the face of a Viking to ad- vertise his product. He and his wife spent time blasting and drilling in the Northwest Territories before coming to the northwest on a vacation. “‘We were supposed to stop in Smithers but found it too small. We kept going and found Ter- race. It’s not too big or too smalf. It’s the right place.” As for his own furniture, Messervier says his wife is getting anxious about having him meet that original commitment. ‘Everything I build, people want to buy.”’ YOUR CHOIC 4434 LAKELSE AVE TERRACE = See In Store For Details ferrace Furniture Mart Phone: 638-0555 Toll Free: 1-800-638-0530 = ae es eee si ~™ Comte oad MW ok nie TERRACE CO-OP GAS BAR & BULK PETROLEUM We are proud to be able to supply fuels and fuel products for the people working in the forest industry. We appreciate your support and we salute you during this special week dedicated to your business. NATIONAL FORESTRY WEEK MAY 470 10 4617 Greiy Avenue, Terrace ¢-635-6347 WE SALUTE NATIONAL FORESTRY WEEK May 4 to 10 .° Government Safety Inspections Providing Quality Auto Body Repair & Painting Heavy Duty Truck Repair Welding Sandblasting | PEG-RIN Enterprises Ltd. 3184 Kofoed Rd. » 635-5329 SEE US-FOR ALL YOUR TRUCK LOGGING NEEDS 3467 Hwy. 16 East, Terrace, B.C. V8G 4P3 Paris & Service 635-9198 * Fax 636-9115 For 24 hr. Roadside Service call 615-6327 av araiea a isrsoacneen sar) sine ae tac y ee SCR Na NC cc eh Ae The Kitimat-Terrace & District Labour Council Salutes The Northwest’s Forest Workers! From bush to camp to truck to mill they make it all possible and work hard for their families and communities eee a BREE Kitimat-Terrace and District Labour Council CLC BCFED nie sco SURG Riie heat Sear ne SENG a: