ABOVE: Joshua Bowles, owner of Lyric Woodwork and Snake Road Sawmill, among slabs of tropical hardwoods. The contractor turned fine woodworker uses only salvaged and fallen woods, milled in-house. With its variety of beautiful woods, says Bowles, "Hawaii is the best place in the world to be a woodworker."
"It never gets old when you mill into the log, turn it over and you see the grain for the first time," he says. "It's always remarkable."
On a tour around the mill, Bowles points enthusiastically from one slab to another. Monkeypod, he says, has no grain lines due to its uniform density. Cuban mahogany, he notes, is ideal for carving. "Each species has an ideal use, and it's our job to describe what that is," he says.
Bowles also knows the origin of almost every piece of wood in his shop, all of which were salvaged from construction projects or fell during storms. A ruddy piece of koa came from a mudslide on Telephone Road. A brown chunk of camphor, smelling of mint and citrus, came from a tree in Waimanalo. Woods like these, Bowles says, make Hawaii the best place in the world to be a woodworker. "The woods here are just very special and integral to the culture and history," he says.
Bowles moved to Oahu about ten years ago, bought the Snake Road Sawmill, one of only three sawmills on the island, and launched Lyric Woodworking. Before that he owned a design/build firm in Austin, Texas. While that was satisfying, he says, it was also stressful. Subcontractors, neighbors and permitting requirements meant conflict was always possible if not inevitable. But Bowles did enjoy crafting custom cabinets and other wood projects. While still running his business, he honed his furniture-building skills. He had a woodworking legacy to draw from: His father, a luthier, makes string instruments, and his grandfather and great-grandfather built bridges. Bowles' father introduced him to Japanese woodworking tools and techniques. He followed that by apprenticing with a shoji (paper screen) maker.
Bowles regularly pores over design books and magazines for inspiration. Japanese furniture maker George Nakashima is a major influence. Others include Italian design and classical Greek art. Bowles combines different materials and textures, such as smooth leather and shiny, locally farmed abalone, with the wood. He's currently developing a line of portable, multifunction pieces similar to furniture once built for military campaigns.
Because Bowles works with the tree fallers, mills the wood in-house and builds the furniture, he has creative control from the beginning—much more fulfilling than building houses ever was, he says. He provides clients with myriad options, whether they're looking for a credenza, a headboard, a coffee or dining table or a Japanese floor chair.
"We have a huge selection of wood," Bowles says. "I know every single piece." When he takes clients through his shop, he scans through the inventory until something clicks, and he will say, "I know the perfect piece for you!"
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