Philosophy

When looking at the growth rings of a tree it shows you it’s story, it’s life. Solid wood furniture has history and last well into the future. The tree can hold over a hundred years of life in a snapshot sitting underneath your fingertips.

Years ago, if a piece of furniture was needed, they would go to the local cabinet maker in town and commission it to be made. I’d like to bring back that tradition.

Wood continues to live even after it is has died; it collects moisture from the air in the summer, loses moisture in the winter…it breathes. I like to respect the life of the tree when I work.

The work

The texture and grain of wood is what I’m drawn to. The majority of my work I won’t finish on all sides with sanding or a planed surface. I finish the sides that are seen. This practice existed during the pre-industrial revolution. I use very little machinery to produce what I build. The cabinetmaker James Krenov likened machines to apprentices. They roughed what needed to be roughed and the detail work was left to hand tools. Seeing the process of the maker in the work so I try to work the wood as much as possible with hand tools. Mechanization has its place but knowing the grain direction and the direction of tree growth, are what is important to me.

More about me

I grew up in New Jersey around the smell of sawdust and stain coming from my father’s shop. In the summer I would go to New York and spend time watching my grandfather build in his shop in Sullivan County, NY. Having spent most of my life around carpentry and woodworking I’ve gone from remodeling 100 yr old houses to new construction, to custom cabinetry. I attended Pratt Institute and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, studying painting and drawing and over the years I have gained an appreciation of what can be created with my own two hands. I don’’t have a large fancy shop with thousands of dollars in machinery. What I have is the tried and true craftsmanship that has been passed down from Great Grandfather to my Grandfather and then to my Father. Like the growth rings of a tree, that knowledge grows with every year, every experience, and improves with each piece I make.

I hope to have the opportunity to create something for you.

Good work cannot be produced unless the work is enjoyable; making a thing should bring pleasure not pain.

The work must not be rushed to completion, but done with care and patience. Above all, one should truly enjoy one’s work.

It is also important to remember that wood is a living thing - one must understand its properties and not oppose them. Whenever work is forced,

it either ruins the piece, damages the tools, or injures the worker, so work must always be done with the utmost care.

- The Complete Japanese Joinery