Hammer Man

“The ring of his hammer fades into blue,
hammer man’s finished,
saw blade is true.”

• Engraved steel saw blade colored with heat colors.

When I lived in the North Carolina mountains, there was a sawmill over just about every hill. Someone had to true up the saw blades, an art in itself. This old man was one of the few who knew how to do this. He had a very interesting work station to support the saw blade, allowing him to turn it and position any spot over the anvil for peening.

I’ve been making this type of metal wall art since the early ’90s.