HAY RIVER - Michael Roy's life is centred on working with wood.

In fact, the Hay River man has turned the living room of his trailer home into a studio/workshop dedicated to creating things made of wood, particularly canes and walking sticks.

Michael Roy, a wood artisan in Hay River, displays some of his walking sticks. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"I've always wanted to live and work in the same environment, and that's what I've done," he said.

Roy calls his home-based small business Azygous Woodery.

'Azygous' is a word meaning not of a pair, he explained. "I don't mass produce things here. Everything is one of a kind."

His studio/workshop has various kinds of saws and woodworking tables, along with wood leaning against the walls.

"I describe it more as a passion," he said of his small business. "I'll make a few bucks here and there. I'll never get rich at it."

But, he added he never expected it to be a lucrative business. "That's not what it's all about."

Roy describes himself as an artisan of wood - someone who creates what he calls 'art'icles of wood.

Along with canes and walking sticks, he has made such things as kitchen cutting boards, signs and picture frames.

"I think what I enjoy the most is the tactile aspect of it," he said. "I can sand a piece of wood for hours on end."

The 51-year-old said he can work with wood in just about any way a person can imagine.

"As long as it's not ordinary," he said.

That means no cupboards or general carpentry.

"I've done that in the past," he said, adding he worked in construction when he first arrived in Hay River.

When he was about 10 years old, Roy started collecting sticks and trees with interesting natural shapes, and began making canes and walking sticks.

His skills have been all self-taught, he said. "I've learned by trial and error."

Roy said he would like to sell more of his canes and walking sticks, but it is hard to build an inventory of the hand-made items.

Most of his sales have been person-to-person or by special order.

One of his personal projects is to create a pedestal out of diamond willows and walnut to display his walking sticks at trade shows in the future.

Roy said he would love to work with wood on a full-time basis.

"That's the ultimate dream, and I know it's doable," he said.

To accomplish that dream, he said he would have to sell his walking sticks to a niche market on the Internet, like a few other people in the world are already doing.

"I'm working towards it," he said, adding he is currently looking for a person to help him create a website.

When not working with wood at home, he has a seasonal job in material and procurement services with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Roy was born into a military family and lived in many places across Canada, but considers his hometown to be Hay River after living in the community for 20 years.

"This is where I put my roots down," he said. "And this is where I'm staying."