One aspect of my work with wood that I enjoy is the search. Driving countless miles through countrysides, spending hours in dilapidated buildings and barns, looking for just the right sort of boards and beams that will best suit a particular project. I have developed a knack and take great pride in finding wood with a history in the middle Tennessee area. I've found that most people appreciate knowing there is some heritage to the wood in their furniture. For instance, I crafted a large kitchen hutch made from several hundred year old pine from the demolished Union Railroad Station in downtown Nashville. I've built farm tables from early 19th century barns and cupboards out of torn down factories in downtown Nashville.
When I have to visit lumber yards, most mill owners share an opinion about me when I come around to select wood. That is, I'm very particular. Then again I have found some out of the way people that can sense my sincerity and interest and they genuinely want to help. Sometimes they show me prize pieces or stacks of wood they've been saving for just the right craftsman.
Once I have chosen the right wood to build a piece of furniture and it is properly dry in my shop, it's time to simply express myself. It's not easy to define, but having an intimate contact with the wood is what satisfies me the most. Enjoying myself in my work is of greatest importance. I want others to enjoy it too. I want them to feel a sense of quality from pulling open a drawer and then closing it. The longer someone's looks at the curve of a cabriole leg, the more subtle detail I hope is discovered. Knowing that the tables are made with mortise and tenon joints tightly fitted by a shoulder plane, drawers that are dovetailed using only chisels and hand saws, table tops finished by a scrub plane and its edges planed by a spoke shave just sharpened. They all leave a faceted surface that looks and feels completely different to those left by loud machines.
I take great pride and have an honest enjoyment for handcrafting furniture, with each piece of furniture being carefully built to be enjoyed for many generations to come. I make each piece of furniture with a wish for it to have a good life, one without excuses or repairs needed later. I like doing what I care about and with that comes a certain feeling of warmth that I enjoy sharing with others.
Thanks for visiting. Please take a moment to browse through my portfolio and feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions.
