Filling time with a hobby you love is worth more than a million dollars.
Jimmy Williams discovered his love for woodworking when he wanted to make a turkey call of his own. Now, he has been creating custom wooden art pieces for five years.
He got his start in August 2019 after doing some research into woodworking. He purchased a lathe and began teaching himself how to create wood art by watching YouTube videos. He said he had utilized YouTube videos for maintenance in other areas of his life, so he used it for woodworking.
“First thing is you have to have equipment,” Williams said. “You also need to have basic knowledge of what to do with tools, how to use a lathe. Basically, after that point if you get all that covered, you just have to decide on what wood you want to use.”
After creating his first turkey call, he realized he enjoyed the process of making calls out of wood. After word got out he could create custom calls, many approached him to make custom calls for them. Following his new talent, he created JDW WoodWorks.
“I like to do custom game calls more than anything else,” Williams said.
For custom calls, customers can request the type of wood they want, the type of surface they want or any personalizations added to the call. Williams has even placed pictures on pieces.
Along with turkey calls, Williams specializes in creating owl, deer, doe and duck calls as well. Depending on the desired sound, he will input a different type of technology within the call itself.
“You have to make what we call a peg or a striker,” he said. “It’s a wooden tool you use on the surface to drag the peg across and create the friction that will make a sound similar to a turkey.”
Hunting calls may be his specialty, but he is becoming skilled in other areas of woodworking as well. He’s began creating dining pieces like charcuterie boards, bowls and more. His wide-ranged skills developed over a period of time of trial and error.
“My wife wanted me to make a bowl, and I found out I could do it,” Williams said. “It wasn’t that hard. If I ever made a mistake, she just threw it back on the wood pile and burned it in the fireplace. Nothing goes to waste.”
Much of the wood he uses is sourced from friends he has in surrounding states; however, he has used his own wood in the past despite its more tedious process. He said some wood takes two to three years to completely air dry. For wood to successfully turn into artwork, it must have less than 12 percent moisture.
“Even a dead tree is a living thing,” Williams said. “It changes with the atmosphere. You can make a nice bowl, and as it dries, it’s either going to crack or it’s going to warp.”
In his work, Williams uses wood species such as Maple, Black Cherry and other woods native to Tallapoosa County. Depending on the type of wood customers request, he will find a way to source their requested wood through either the internet or connections he’s made in the wood industry.
Although he creates customized pieces and has brought some work to local art shows, woodworking is primarily a hobby for him. Ultimately, he appreciates the connection he makes with his clients.
“It’s a hobby for me,” he said. “I do have a fee I charge for this, but it just covers the cost of materials. I’m retired, so it takes up a lot of my time. I just go out in my shop and get lost in my own mind.”
