Rustic creations make the cut

Preston Merical of Panora makes gun racks, bow racks, planter boxes, knickknack shelves, holiday decorations and deer mounts, to name a few.

By Rich Wicks | Panora Times

Preston Merical of Panora has discovered a hobby that also brings in a bit of income while giving him a chance to unwind and be creative. For the past several years, he has been crafting unique woodwork items of many varieties. 

Merical wasn’t new to woodworking but found it to be something he enjoyed spending more time on. His wife, Amber, shared a story of the instance that started it all.

“We saw a welcome sign that was priced at $70, and he said he could make something like that,” she said. From then on, Merical has been spending time creating various wooden items. 

“I’ve always liked it, but I never really got into it until about three or four years ago. I just started cutting some wood up, and now here’s all this. It’s a couple hours here and there, then on the weekend I’ll put in a few more hours,” he said. “I enjoy it. It’s relaxing and quiet, and then at the end I get to see that I actually put something together.”

Some of his creations are for the home he shares with his wife. Other items are created at the request of friends and acquaintances. Recently, Merical started getting the word out about his products via Facebook.

“I do have a Facebook page for it, Roughcut Rustics,” he said. 

The items Merical creates are greatly varied. He makes gun racks, bow racks, planter boxes, knickknack shelves, holiday decorations and deer mounts, to name a few. The one similarity in all of his work is the rustic appearance. Many of the finished products have a slightly burned appearance. 

“I just use a small bottle torch for it,” Merical said. “I like to keep everything rustic looking.”

Merical pointed out that he does not need a garage full of tools or equipment to ply his craft.

“Really, I’ve just got a table saw, a couple hand saws, a miter saw and a sander. It’s pretty simple,” he said. 

Pointing to a deer head mount he created, Merical explained its significance.

“That Euro mount I made is for the first buck I shot,” he said.

When asked about a memorable creation, Merical detailed one of his largest projects.

“I made a couple planter boxes for a lady my dad knows. She said they were beautiful and worked great,” he said. “It took a skid loader to put them on the trailer.”

Amber talked about a memorable project that her husband took on when a customer had the seat from an old buggy and wanted it repurposed. 

“It wasn’t functional when he got it, but he refinished it and redid all the wood on it,” she said. 

Not all of Merical’s creations are kept or sold. Amber and Preston also believe in supporting their community by donating some items for local fundraisers. 

For the foreseeable future, Merical plans to keep making items that catch his imagination and/or are requested by customers. He also noted that he is not necessarily done when a customer takes an item home. 

“I do tend to check in on people that have bought from me, to ask how they like it and if there’s anything they want changed. I will change it if they want,” Merical said.