My interest in wood working began in a high school wood shop class. Serving in the US Army, raising a family and working in Information Technology for 26 years gave me no opportunity to pursue that interest until I retired in 2018. One day, poking around at a yard sale, I saw a small lathe, and remembered how much I liked turning things on the lathe in shop class. With that little lathe installed in my garage workshop beside an old table saw, I began making wood ball point pens. That led to making other small, turned objects, like handles for pizza cutters and wine bottle stoppers.
After a while, I got tired of only doing turned products and started to make small boxes, cutting boards, cribbage boards and domino sets. Some local artists asked me to make frames for their paintings, including some from old barn wood that highlighted the rustic character of the work. Since then, I have developed a variety of products, which you can see by looking through the various categories on this website.
My workshop now includes a new table saw, compound miter saw, bandsaw, joiner, router, sanders and a lot of hand tools. I have more clamps than my wife, Lisa, thinks I need, but fewer than I know I need. Since acquiring these tools, I have been doing more custom work. I enjoy making new things and am happy to accept commissions.
I’m fortunate to have a good wood supply store nearby where I can buy almost any kind of wood. I almost always use hardwoods in my products. I enjoy working with many different types of wood, but I mostly use walnut, cherry and mesquite. When a customer requests it, I may use some less common woods like padouk, sapele and granadillo. I like to combine different woods for accent and contrast in a piece. Usually, I use a clear finish because I want the natural beauty of the wood to show through.
When I was writing code, many times I knew that what I produced would end up as “shelfware” –something people might use for a very short time, or even worse, never used at all. After my years as a software engineer, I find a lot of satisfaction working with my hands to make something people will use and enjoy. I take pride in knowing that my products are practical, durable and beautiful.