JORGENSEN WOODWORKING Friendship Oven Squirrel Helper

9.5” x 2.5”

These Squirrels have found countless homes - they have been a Gallery Favorite.

The Artist told gave us the news that he has retired in 2024 and these are the last of these enchanting gifts left - now to be a beloved collector's item❤️  

Assortment of woods – the grouping our Gallery gets with each Order is always A Surprise! 

The Go-To unique and thoughtful handcrafted gift

** Each is one of a kind

Handmade in the USA

To Push your oven rack in: Use the "groove" between the Squirrel's Bottom Jaw & Front Feet

To Pull your oven rack out: Turn the Squirrel upside down and pull the rack out using the "groove" created under the Ears

These oven squirrels always start conversations in our Gallery ...there are bakers among us! Because the workmanship is meticulously wonderful, these happy squirrels are a wonderful decorative and useful addition to your kitchen as well as useful. 

As we often point out – each Friendship Oven Squirrel comes with its own “Owners Manual” (LOL) that explains: “North Carolina folklore has it that the residents of the Pisgah Mountain range gave this squirrel to any newcomer to the neighborhood as a sign of friendship. It was to be displayed in their front window to signify that they had been welcomed to the neighborhood. It also works great when you need to pull the oven rack out with his carved ears and push it back in with his front paws”  

It started out as a relaxing hobby and then it became a full time woodworking craft business. “Woodworking at home is a way of life I very much enjoy and I now spend more precious time with my wife and my two sons than I have ever been able to before. I now get to see all the soccer games, tennis matches, football games, and other after school activities that most parents miss because they are hard at work and not at home”.

Most of the wood that Eric uses for his handcrafted woodwork purchased is from local vendors in the coastal town of Chesapeake, Virginia. The Artist seeks to use wood recycled from tree surgeons who have removed it for natural or safety reasons. Some of the wood is one of a kind and will not be found anywhere else in the USA.  

Eric explains, “Selecting woods that are not only unusual but are spectacular in grain figure is one aspect of creating one of a kind pieces.