Back in 1969, the Watt family bought a ranch just north of Kamloops, BC along the North Thompson River in Barriere. The story goes, that the ranch was 91 miles south of Blue River by rail. The brand itself is actually described as an inverted J and a 1, for 91.
Brands are part of the rich history and tradition of ranching. Ranchers use a brand to mark their livestock to easily identify them out on range, or if they are lost, or even stolen.
Hot brands and electric brands, are typically made from steel, while freeze brands are usually made from brass or copper. When a freeze brand is applied, it will actually change the color of the animal’s hair to white. If it’s a white or grey horse, it may be more of a dark grey. You will more often see freeze brands on horses.
Figuring out how to decipher and understand a brand is an artform in itself. Brand offices and inspectors understand the language of ‘lazy’, ‘hanging’, ‘flying’, ‘running’ and are the officials when it comes to deciphering a brand.
When we branded our calves in early spring we would test the heat of the brand on a nearby fence board. This board is now the center board on our dining table.
91 Brand – Watt Ranch
Brian and I no longer have the home ranch. We have moved a couple of times and since Brian’s retirement, we hit the road and travelled east, back to my old stompin’ grounds, on the prairies with big skies and sunsets.
The 91 is in our hearts and lives with us wherever we are. We continue to hold the registration on the 91 brand. The 91 brand lives on in all of our work. It’s in our hearts forever.
Brian is always busy with the saws and sanders, working on barnwood projects. Here, he has hand-crafted these barnwood benches.
In the wood shop.
Gathering up the wood and prepping for the project is how it all begins. Everything starts with a vision of what the finished piece will look like. Brian crafts his plan to make the best use of the wood. Every cut counts when you are working with old barn and fence boards. No two are alike, with their unique weathered patina, sometimes with old nail holes and even bits of hair from a cow having a good scratch along the fence.
The bench legs are made from 2×6 old fir with a special circle or keyhole cut to prevent the wood from cracking. The seat is made from two pieces that are biscuit-joined together. This barnwood has endured years of all weather conditions and is ready for more. Leave it outside as a handy seat to pull your boots on, or bring it into your home to add some country charm.
Make it yours and have a seat on a handmade barnwood bench.
Are you looking for that special gift for someone who has ‘everything’? Or maybe your Club wants to put together an awesome prize package for your year-end Finals? Check out this custom-branded barnwood tray. Make it special with your own personal message, or brand it with a logo or special graphic.
We collect and gather up rustic boards from old barns and fences. The weathered boards are perfectly imperfect for our barnwood pieces. For this project, we will transform a few plain old barnwood boards into a beautiful custom-branded serving tray.
Brian has the finished product in mind when he selects the boards. He inspects for rot, knots and imperfections. The wood rot is cut away, leaving a ‘clean’ board, ready to go. The wood knots and weathered grain are what make each hand-crafted piece so unique.
Making the cuts in the wood shop
Sometimes we run them through the planer to clean them up. But for this one, we went straight to the table saw. Selecting the ‘best side’, which will be the top or face of the finished tray, he cuts the boards on the table saw.
Even though he measures and re-measures every piece along the way, sometimes these old barnwood boards have a mind of their own and just don’t lay level or cut straight.
Next, Brian moves on to the chop saw and cuts the pieces to the exact measurements. He’ll measure twice, to be sure that the side and end boards are exact so that they all fit together perfectly.
The sanders are the next step. Depending on the wood, he may use belt and sheet sanders to smooth off some of the rough wood. Then finish up with the orbital or palm sander.
Putting the pieces together
Brian uses a biscuit cutter when he needs to join boards together, he’s careful to mark each one so he’ll know how to fit them all together later, it’s just like a puzzle.
That about does it for the cuts in the workshop. He’ll gather up the pieces and head to the finishing room where he’ll layout the boards and check them all again for fit and alignment.
For this tray, we’ll be doing a custom brand (literally) for Seven O Ranches onto the center board of this serving tray. Working from the photo sent, I’ll Photoshop and manipulate the image to turn it into a vector graphic that we can use on the machines.
Laser engraving the brand
Then, we’re ready to place it on the laser machine. We’ve already run a couple of tests on an old piece of barnwood so we know the exact settings to get the look we’re after.
This is the fun part! We put the board in place, turn on the fan, put on the safety glasses and let ‘er burn!
For this tray, we are placing rope handles on each side. We measure and burn the ropes to the right length. They slip into the drilled holes and are secured through the wood with screws so that they can hold the weight of a heavy tray with a full load of drinks and food.
Finished custom-branded barnwood tray
Now to finish up. Brian puts all the pieces together, using wood glue, biscuits, and clamps. He taps and squeezes them all together very carefully to ensure the joins and corners line up. Once it’s just right, he leaves it to let it all settle and for the glue to dry.
To finish up, he removes the clamps, a bit of sanding to smooth the edges, and applies a varathane to seal the wood. Your custom barnwood tray is ready to go!
Have a look through theWattRanch Shopto add some rustic charm to your farmhouse or ranch home decor.
