Brewer Woodworker’s Shop Destroyed by Fire

Fire destroyed Sider's Woodcrafting on the Lambert Road in Brewer on Saturday evening.

Bruce Graybill started the business almost five years ago, after watching a YouTube video of a Russian man making cutting boards. He started collecting wood from all over the world, and used it to make about 18,000 cutting boards each year. It's a side job for Graybill, who also works as a Holden Police Officer and as a manager at Walmart.

On Saturday, Graybill told WVII-TV that he got home from one of his other jobs, started up the furnace in his shop, and went inside to eat supper. A short time later he noticed that the camper, which housed the shop, was on fire. Brewer and Eddington Fire Departments responded, but Graybill says he lost his tools and about $20,000 worth of merchandise, although some of the wood was saved because it was located in a different shed.

In a post on Graybill's Facebook page, his sister says their father's business burned 25 years ago. Graybill says he's seen amazing support from community members, and even from the Russian who inspired his business years ago.