My interest in woodworking started at an early age.  I came from a family of carpenters and woodworkers.  All during high school I worked in the family lumber and cabinetmaking business.  I learned from my uncles and grandfather the craft of wood construction and the use of tools.  I followed a different path as I went to school to study engineering.  Sawdust is still in my blood, and I have kept my love of wood as a second career. 

 I love to build boxes and bowls and other items that are useful.  There are so many different techniques to woodworking.  I like doing flat work, turning, embellishing, resin, carving, texturing, painting and staining.   There are many forms of woodworking that one can explore. 

 What piqued my interest several years ago was making a bowl that was not round and from a flat piece of wood.  The math and geometry required to make the cuts and fit the bowl complimented my engineering background.  A book from Carol Rothman on making bowls on the scroll saw was a gift from my daughter.  Cutting concentric rings, gluing them together and then sanding them seems easy.  However, it is not as easy as it first seemed.  After I got experience on basic bowls in different shapes, I started combining different woods using different joints and splices to see what effect they would have.  Two designs – my sliding dovetail and my wedge design gives the bowls a unique look.  The combination of different woods also makes the bowl take on a look and feel of richness and distinction.

 I then took up woodturning and made bowls and boxes as well.  I have made assorted items from natural edge bowls, footed bowls, platters, pepper mills, saltshakers, salt boxes and bottle stoppers to name a few.

 Where possible, I now cut planks from fallen trees locally.  It takes from two to three years for the wood to air dry.  To get the wood to the desired thickness I plane it down.  When I have the board to the correct thickness and width, I am ready to make my bowls and boxes.

 I find that wood that Mother Nature has made imperfections – either by insects eating into the fiber of the tree or the tree spalting (rotting) or picking up minerals from the soil give the board colors which result in a beautiful work of art.  The beauty of imperfections is something we should love. When I look at a piece of wood, I use my imagination to see what can I make.

 I love to try innovative designs and find that I learn from my mistakes which makes the next project better.

I do all my own design work on CAD or by freehand.  Each piece is unique – even though I may try to make an identical piece – the grain and texture of the wood will make it different.

 I enjoy working with wood to see what innovative design I can produce.