Sumter County
Woodwork
Burt said that he had been “whittlin since I was a kid”. His
granddaddy made canes before he was born, so he came by his craft
naturally. From his description of the wood types he uses, it sounds like
nearly every tree species around him is fair game. He uses mahogany,
walnut, Osage orange, cedar, pine, poplar and sycamore. Depending on the
piece he is making, his time from start to finish is thirty minutes to a couple
of hours. “A guitar can take up to six months” he said.
Besides his love of woodworking, Burt has a passion for
music. He had a dance band at age fourteen, and has been with a gospel
group for more than thirty years. He is now a regular with the
Sucarnochee Review in Sumter County.
Burt took shop in high school and learned the tools of the trade,
but that was his only formal training. He said that he had been doing
woodwork for more than sixty years.
Burt said that one of the most rewarding aspects of his work is
sharing with others. He carries wooden Christian fish that he gives to
anyone who needs one.