About the Artist
About me
I am a multiple discipline woodworker, who enjoys any project that incorporates the wonder of wood and the creative methods to highlight the beauty mother nature provides.
My Journey
My woodworking journey really started for me the moment I was a child and pushed a massive wooden truck across the floor, stacked wooden blocks into a fortress and flew wooden bi-planes around the bedroom. Making pinewood derby cars and pine sailboats for the Cub Scouts was always a favorite activity, except for the sanding part. My great uncle John made a wooden toy box and furniture for our childhood bedrooms. Wood and woodworking was everywhere for me as a child. I received a set of woodworking “tools” when I was ten. The kit came with some plywood pieces, a hammer, a coping saw and a box of nails. Stacks of plywood soon turned into bi-planes, wooden boats and wooden chests. These were the first steps along my woodworking journey.
Many years passed, but I always was fascinated by furniture and wonderful creation in wood. In 1997, I decided to once again step back onto the woodworking path. I purchased several books to research which wood discipline I could do in my garage, was fairly safe and did not require a huge capital expense for equipment. Spielman’s Scroll Saw Book was the main factor in my decision to renew my woodworking journey through the scrollsaw. For more on my scrollsaw journey, visit the scrollsaw link.
The goal of a journey is to meet people and experience the places visited through their eyes. I have been extremely fortunate in meeting master craftsmen during my woodworking journey. They have imparted their knowledge, tips and sense of design and style upon me. Without these individuals, I would still be in my garage scollsawing out my 10,000th wooden toy airplane! Visit my mentor link for more on these individuals who have impacted my woodworking journey.
For now the journey continues to present me with fantastic opportunities to learn from master craftsmen and instill skills I will use to create future projects. The ultimate goal is to take all of the techniques and experiences and use them to create multi discipline projects. A project that has carving, marquetry, turning and scrollsaw work combined fill my design book, waiting for the chance to be crafted into a wood reality.
Follow me on my current projects as I am always trying new wood disciplines and techniques. I never know what the next project could be!
If you are on your own woodworking journey, congratulations and I hope you find something on the site to help you on your path. If you have not started your woodworking journey, I hope some of the site material can inspire and inform you on how to take the first steps on your own woodworking journey!
Current Projects
These are some of the projects that are currently on or near my bench in the workshop:
Walking Stick
I am currently working to finish a walking stick. The piece was found by a friend of mine while walking along a river bank with his father. Sadly, I have had this piece for over 8 years and have still not finished it. I am now executing some of the final details on the staff head which is a dragon inspired by a piece I found at an auction.
Marquetry table top
One of the things I like to do, is to collect pieces of woodworking from different artists. I especially like to collect pieces that are defined by the style of the artist who created it. One look, and you know who completed the piece. I have an eagle marquetry table top that needs to be sanded, edge banded and a finish put on the table top. Don Russell completed the table top during one of his classes, and I was fortunate to get the table top. Look for a future project for the pedestal, hinge and feet to make this a complete table project
Windsor Chair Finish
The Windsor Chair project needs a final sanding and a traditional finish applied. The heat this year has kept me out of the shop but the cooler weather should be here soon.
Grandfather Clock
I was privileged enough to assist in making a series of grandfather clock bodies with some of the regular group of woodworkers at Don Russell’s workshop. I now own one of the grandfather clock bodies and it needs to be assembled, chimes installed and a finish applied. The marquetry, turning and case work on this grandfather clock is stunning!