To me, each tree writes its own story. Its grains and knots speak a history that is measured in decades and generations, telling of times and events that are only now dim memories and half-remembered fables. With each item I create, care is taken to reveal the grains of the wood, allowing their stories to show through. I feel that when I make something, my goal is always to bring out that beauty. I take great pleasure and enjoyment in revealing the many and varied stories told in the different woods.
Jewelry Boxes, Coffee Grinders, Salt and Pepper Sets, Trinket Boxes, Pepper Grinders, Cutting Boards, and Mail-box Door Banks are just some of the creations that find their way out of my workshop. I am continuously looking for new projects and challenging myself to create new works of art.
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Picture credits: Nina Duncan
www.ninaduncan.com and/ or paparellaphoto.com
About me
I have always had a passion for woodcraft, be it in nurturing and maintaining grown trees or in creating works of art from their wood. I was an arborist for close to twenty years, after which I worked in computers and networking for almost ten. During that time, I began woodworking. I started off small by making items for friends and family (bookcases for my daughters, picnic tables for my neighbors, bird houses for my wife, more bookcases for my daughters). I eventually decided to retire from the technical realm of computers and focus my energy solely on woodworking, creating the business I have today.
When I’m not in my woodshop I am spending time with my family, hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, and occasionally fishing. My wife and I try to keep a simple and low impact life by having a garden, raising chickens and supplementing our heating with a woodstove. We use a solar hot water tube system and a photovoltaic system for our electrical needs. My website is on a green host.
My shop is a one man show. Everything crafted here, I make. I go to the mill, I hand select the wood, I choose what to make from what pieces, and I carefully craft each item so that the beauty of the wood is allowed to shine through. Going to the mill is one of my favorite parts of this; I am the proverbial kid in a candy shop. Thankfully, my truck and shop can only hold so much lumber at one time. I enjoy sorting through the wood and being surprised at the hidden beauty in each piece once I start working with it. Once its on the lathe, it is almost as though the wood knows what its going to be, regardless of how I prepped it before or what idea I had before I started working on it. I enjoy what I am doing and I have a really good time doing it. I employ the use of small shop tools such as routers, power saws, planers, and a variety of hand tools to create my products. I don’t use computer numerical control machining as is used in most larger shops. I feel that each product is a unique creation, visually and tactilely. Please keep this in mind when ordering items – no two items will be exactly the same.
My shop is located outside of the village of Tivoli, New York in the scenic Hudson Valley. We are two hours north of New York City, one hour below Albany and barely ten minutes from the Hudson River.
My shop is nothing fancy, but it is a place where I can let a little beauty
