A Rolling Stones’ song blasts from the outdated radio in the back corner stall of a large barn.

Woodchips are scattered around the floor as sawdust floats down from a small sander being expertly guided around a worn piece of barn siding.

Bob Schlicht stands in the middle of his workshop steadily coaxing what many would have considered throw-away wood into a beautifully grained tabletop.

“Desperate” is what he calls these pieces; “extraordinary” is what many call his transformations.

Although his love affair with wood has been going on for upward of 40 years, it has only been since February that Schlicht gave his longtime hobby a real name: Southern Pines Furniture Co.

Schlicht, who was born in Alabama and raised in Roxbury, Conn., isn’t new to the Sandhills scene, however. After years of visiting his wife’s family, Schlicht moved to Southern Pines permanently in 2006. Quick to take up his hobby again, Schlicht was stunned by the demand for his craftsmanship.

“It seemed like in this area, everyone had something they wanted done,” Schlicht says. Acknowledging his is not a one-size-fits-all business, Schlicht worked hard to build rapport with his customers, anticipating what they wanted and following through.

Woodworking has not always been Schlicht’s focus. Throughout the years, he worked as a licensed plumber, a lapidary in New York City, and even a horse trainer.

“I’ve always loved working with my hands,” says Schlicht, who used to build ships in bottles. “I was always very detail-oriented; my ADD kicked in that way.”

As a 17-year-old, Schlicht worked restoring colonial houses in Connecticut. Forced to achieve near perfection for his employer, Schlicht honed his skills and his patience, attributing his tendency toward perfectionism to these formational years.

After working in construction, Schlicht continued to dabble in woodwork, finding it was something he both enjoyed and had a knack for.

“It [woodworking] started out when I was looking for someone to cane some of my own chairs,” Schlicht says, referring to the practice of weaving the seat or back usually with some type of wood, leather or paper rush. “I couldn’t find anybody, and I thought, well, it can’t be that difficult. It was, but after a while I finally got it right, and I kept on doing it.”

From that first experience caning chairs, Schlicht’s talents have evolved into virtually every kind of furniture restoration and original wood creation.

“It is always fun when someone brings in what they think is just junk,” Schlicht says. “And then watching them come in afterward to say, ‘I can’t believe how amazing it looks.’”

For Schlicht, it is the problem-solving he enjoys the most.

“I love the pressure; I love being able to crack the case,” Schlicht says.

Those pieces that have proven especially challenging he chooses as his proudest accomplishments. Among them are an art nouveau lamp, which even after the restoration work is valued at nearly $5,000; a large, exceptionally detailed garden birdhouse, whose every shingle is hand-cut; and a 300-year-old chair that had shattered where the base met the back. Now, among the set of eight, it is impossible to tell which chair it is.

“You don’t necessarily make money on those things, but they are a hell of a challenge,” Schlicht says, shaking his head with a satisfied smile. “It is those pieces that give you the buzz to keep doing more.”

In light of his continued success, Schlicht will soon be moving his business to a warehouse located at 510 Clark Road to be opened soon. This location will incorporate all the workshop space and tools Schlicht needs, in addition to a viewing area for the finished pieces for sale or pickup.

Married for 36 years and with one daughter, Schlicht shares his space in the barn with the family’s other prized hobbies, thoroughbred-cross show horses. With both his wife and daughter involved at the Carolina Horse Park, Schlicht has been a part of the horse world for nearly 25 years, including helping his wife raise and train horses in both Tennessee and Connecticut.

It isn’t horses, however, that really makes Schlicht light up. It is fly-fishing. An avid fly fisherman, Schlicht has floated the waters of the Patagonia in South America to the vast lakes and rivers of Alaska and Montana. It is good to have more than one passion, he believes, referring to the time he spends with either a sander or a fly reel in his hands.

“But fly-fishing is my mantra,” Schlicht says.

From casting his fly rod to carving out table legs, Schlicht’s strong gnarled hands keep seeking the thrill of finding beauty in the rough. Indeed, it is that buzz that often keeps Schlicht out in the barn far into the night, problem solving, fixing, creating, taking one desperate piece after another and turning it into a treasure.

Nicole White is a local freelance writer.