Carving a perfect fit for Moore
Published 12:11 pm Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Since Moore began woodwork in retirement, he has crafted birdhouses, shelves, wells and toys (photo by Emily Hollingsworth).
Roy Moore, who lives at the Cumberland and Buckingham line, makes elaborate birdhouses, which he has sold at shows in Lynchburg and at the Raman’s Citgo station in Cumberland (photo by Emily Hollingsworth).
Roy Moore says his wanting to find a way to pass the time after retirement led him to a carving knife, some blocks of wood and a few ideas, which has resulted in a plethora of birdhouses and other works of art now on display at many homes across the Heart of Virginia.
Roy Moore
Moore makes birdhouses, indoor shelves, well covers and toys. Over the years, he has sold his work and appeared in shows in Lynchburg.
Over the past few weeks, Moore has set up a table at the Raman Citgo gas station in Cumberland on Anderson Highway.
He said on one Sunday in April he sold $170 worth of his handicraft.
“It keeps me working,” Moore, 71, said. “Working with my hands, mostly.”
He said his birdhouses are in demand in both Cumberland and across the Heart of Virginia.
Moore said an antique shop owner had bought a birdhouse to display at her store recently. Meanwhile, he recently sold a decorated and detailed carved birdhouse to a buyer in Pennsylvania.
Moore says he’s always worked with his hands. The owner of a drywall business in the Farmville area until his retirement in 2010, Moore said he has always wanted to do woodwork. His job kept him busy and he did not have the time until now, he said.
Woodwork seemed to be the perfect fit for Moore for other reasons, including helping his hands. Carving and assembling smaller projects like birdhouses still allows him to do what he loves while protecting his hands from additional harm he endured when hanging sheetrock.
“You’ve got to keep going, you know,” Moore said. “(I’ve) always liked working with wood, but never had the time.”
The birdhouses come in a diverse assortment of sizes and types. Some are painted, while others are unpainted. Some even look like churches or old cabins.
“I watch a lot of old movies,” Moore said. “(It’s) where the designs come from.”
While he keeps what he sells relatively inexpensive — between $5 for some birdhouses and $45 for a toy racetrack he carved — additional finesse in the carving and painting can bring the charge up a little bit more, closer to $60.
He said the wood projects are more of a hobby for him than a way to make a living. However, he said he enjoys being able to craft products that get as much enjoyment from the people who purchase them as he does in making them.
“I don’t do this as a business,” Moore said. “I build when I want to,” Moore said. “I get bored real easy.”
