Timberwerks Studio

Since I find the WordPress blog format a bit easier to use it will be my primary blog location from now on. I will still post here as well but rather than full text and photos I will provide you with a link to my WordPress blog to view the new posts in their entirety: http://djofurnituremaker.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/a-year-in-the-life-of-chapter-8/

A Quick Update

2011-03-07T14:23:00.003-06:00

Hi Everyone

Not much to report today, perhaps even for the next few weeks. Just over a week ago I tore a ligament between my bicep and forearm. I did this while at the sawmill looking over flitches:

Looking back, it was worth the injury because I did find a few ideal flitches for pieces I will be working on. I'm still working in the studio with the injury but at a slow pace. Once I'm moving along at a regular pace I'll make a progress report with photos.

Take Care

A Year In The Life Of: Chapter 7

2011-02-23T09:52:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone

I'm back in the studio after taking two weeks off so I could finish the kitchen makeover I started a year ago. Why so long for the kitchen makeover? Well, I started the makeover last February. The week I started work Timber began to have problems walking and later that week we needed to have him put to sleep. With the loss of Timber I didn't have the ambition to continue the work in the kitchen so I kept putting it off. Now with Spring nearing and a lot of work to do in the studio I figured it's time to get the job completed so I can focus on the furniture work ahead of me.

There are many projects to complete in the weeks and months ahead so I will be putting the small items that I wanted to make for selling on Etsy on hold for a while. The pieces I'll be working on will be for clients, galleries and shows. I'll take photos along the way and give more detailed information as well. There are four pieces that are the main focus over the next several weeks. A maple display/ shelving unit, shoji inspired room divider that will be used for jewelry display, spalted maple and wenge serving trays and a walnut sitting bench for the 2011 Breast Cancer Showhouse. I'll also take you on a couple of field trips, one to my favorite sawmill and the other to a stash of thousands of board feet of air dried black walnut.

Take Care

A Year In The Life Of: Chapter 6

2011-02-14T11:06:00.001-06:00

Hello Again

I hope everyone is doing well and is looking forward to Spring as I am. In this post I'd like to answer a couple of questions i have had sent to me. First one being: How did I form a connection with galleries in Japan so that I can sell work there?

Simple answer: A number of years ago when I started to become more involved with Japanese hand tools I purchased many from the old Misugi Designs in California. I became friends with Kayoko the owner. We have kept in touch via email even after she closed Misugi to care for family. Late last Summer she had asked if I would be interested in making a couple of boxes for her friend in Kobe that owns a couple of galleries. Sure I said and since the first order there have been many others and now orders for other items are coming in as well. It's a bit exciting having my work in another country.

Next question: Why do I not have a website and not sell via a web site? This answer is a bit more involved. I actually do have a couple of web sites in the works. One will be for DJO Furniture Maker and the other for Timberwerks Studio. Neither will be used as a site for selling work. When I say selling work I mean listing items for sale. Both will be more or less used for information about myself and the studio with a few photos of pieces. I'm not in a hurry to get the sites up because I manage to stay busy just by word of mouth and by doing shows. I'm very comfortable with the pace at which I work and with the pace that new work comes in or is sold. I do make a comfortable living so no need to rush the web sites since their purpose is not to pursue work. Why do I not want to list furniture pieces for sale? When I build a piece of furniture I put a lot of time and effort into its design, selection of materials, construction etc. It's a process that is not rushed, I form a connection with that piece. My thought is, the piece deserves to have a connection to its new owners before they purchase. I don't feel you can have that via point, click and buy. Sure, I'll list small craft type items on Etsy and the like but those are items that are made for that purpose. When it comes to high-end, one-off pieces I want to sell face to face, it's part of the whole enjoyable experience of being a furniture maker. I'll go into more detail about this in the months ahead when I show you new pieces and the show season gets started.

Take Care

It's All in Your Hands

2011-02-09T11:26:00.001-06:00

As some of you may already now I'm taking a break from the studio for a week or two so I can give our kitchen a bit of a makeover. While washing down the walls and woodwork I feel a slight sting to the cuts on my hands from the cleaning solution. I look at my hands and see cuts, calluses, scars etc from my many years of wood working and it got me thinking. Years ago when I worked as a carpenter I interviewed for a position on a crew. My application had my experience listed but that didn't mean much to the lead man. He said your hands reflect your experience. Many applying would list years of experience yet their hands were soft and their hand shake weak. There is a scene in the movie Jaws that has a similar scenario.

Thinking about this a bit deeper I recall my meeting of many furniture makers over the years. The busy makers had rough calloused hands while the ones who were not so busy or less experienced had soft hands. Again, thinking even deeper about this while removing wallpaper paste, I wonder if prospective clients notice things like this as well? We can all talk and write how much experience we have, but do our hands reflect this experience? A great portfolio of past work and referrals is impressive, but do your hands show you are still as busy and in demand?

Your thoughts are welcome!

Saturday Morning Box Report

2011-02-05T08:25:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone

This morning the latest order of boxes get shipped out to Japan, first a stop in California. My contact person to the galleries I'm filling the orders for lives in California and visits Japan on a regular basis. She takes the boxes to the galleries owner personally. As you recall, I told you all I would disclose income for my projects. Here is the break down for the boxes. Depending on the size of the box I receive $50 - $150, sometimes more per box. This also depends on wood

type and carving. The boxes in the photo bring in $50 per box, each have a total of about 30 - 45 minutes to make including carving and finish. The woods used for these boxes are either left

overs or cut offs from previous projects so there is no out-of-pocket costs for the wood, it was billed into the projects prior. $2.00 of brass rod is used per three boxes, shipping to California roughly $16.00. Factor everything in and I'm earning $280, not great, but not bad either.

Take Care

A Year In The Life Of: Chapter 5

2011-02-02T11:11:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone

I'm sorry for the delay in making this update, I've been very busy with work in the studio. I just complete six more boxes that ship out to Japan Saturday. Along with the boxes I have been doing a bit of work on the whiskey cabinet and jewelry cabinet. Since my last post I have signed on to three new commissions, china / silver cabinet, display cabinet and a shoji inspired screen. I really had little interest in taking on commissions this year but these projects do hold a lot of interest for me and there is no time or design restraints so they are welcomed commissions. The interior designer I am working with on the Breast Cancer Show House piece just received conformation that her design for the room she has chosen has been accepted so we can move forward on designing the piece. More details on this to come.

That's all I have time for today. Again my apology for being late with this brief post. The new year has just started and already very busy leaving little time to blog or even tweet. This truly is what the life of a furniture maker is like, time you think you have for such things get's put on hold so you can build furniture ;-)

Take Care & Be Inspired!

A Year In The Life Of: Chapter 4

2011-01-18T11:12:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone

I thought I would give you a brief update on what is going on in the studio and with myself. First off I’m happy to say that my Autumn table has been chosen as one of the pieces for exhibit at the Design Within Reach studio during Gallery Night in April: http://www.historicthirdward.org/events/gallerynight.php This is a fantastic opportunity for me to have my work seen by more people. I’ll of course take photos so you can all share in the experience.

Work in the studio has been keeping me very busy and it is looking like it will be this way for many months ahead. Currently I am working on the whiskey cabinet, lingerie chest, jewelry chest as often as I can. My main focus for the next week or so is on a number of boxes that need to be ready to ship for their journey to Japan by the first week of February. Also I’d like to get further along on Etsy items. So much to do, so little time in the day. I’ll keep you all updated with photos etc.

A friend of mine started using Monday as her blogging day, Media Monday she calls it. I think I’ll do the same for this blog, future updates will be bi-monthly on Monday’s . That’s all for now, back to the bench.

Take Care

A Favorite Piece Of Folklore I was Reminded Of Today

2011-01-13T10:18:00.001-06:00

The Stonecutter

Once upon a time there lived a stonecutter, who went every day to a great rock in the side of a big mountain and cut out slabs for gravestones or for houses. He understood very well the kinds of stones wanted for the different purposes, and as he was a careful workman he had plenty of customers. For a long time he was quite happy and contented, and asked for nothing better than what he had.

Now in the mountain dwelt a spirit which now and then appeared to men, and helped them in many ways to become rich and prosperous. The stonecutter, however, had never seen this spirit, and only shook his head, with an unbelieving air, when anyone spoke of it. But a time was coming when he learned to change his opinion.

One day the stonecutter carried a gravestone to the house of a rich man, and saw there all sorts of beautiful things, of which he had never even dreamed. Suddenly his daily work seemed to grow harder and heavier, and he said to himself: "Oh, if only I were a rich man, and could sleep in a bed with silken curtains and golden tassels, how happy I should be!"

And a voice answered him: "Your wish is heard; a rich man you shall be!"

At the sound of the voice the stonecutter looked around, but could see nobody. He thought it was all his fancy, and picked up his tools and went home, for he did not feel inclined to do any more work that day. But when he reached the little house where he lived, he stood still with amazement, for instead of his wooden hut was a stately palace filled with splendid furniture, and most splendid of all was the bed, in every respect like the one he had envied. He was nearly beside himself with joy, and in his new life the old one was soon forgotten.

It was now the beginning of summer, and each day the sun blazed more fiercely. One morning the heat was so great that the stonecutter could scarcely breathe, and he determined he would stop at home till the evening. He was rather dull, for he had never learned how to amuse himself, and was peeping through the closed blinds to see what was going on in the street, when a little carriage passed by, drawn by servants dressed in blue and silver. In the carriage sat a prince, and over his head a golden umbrella was held, to protect him from the sun's rays.

"Oh, if I were only a prince!" said the stonecutter to himself, as the carriage vanished around the corner. "Oh, if I were only a prince, and could go in such a carriage and have a golden umbrella held over me, how happy I should be!"

And a prince he was. Before his carriage rode one company of men and another behind it; servants dressed in scarlet and gold bore him along, the coveted umbrella was held over his head, everything his heart could desire was his. But yet it was not enough. He looked around still for something to wish for, and when he saw that in spite of the water he poured on the grass the rays of the sun scorched it, and that in spite of the umbrella held over his head each day his face grew browner and browner, he cried in his anger: "The sun is mightier than I; oh, if I were only the sun!"

And the mountain spirit answered: "Your wish is heard; the sun you shall be."

And the sun he was, and felt himself proud in his power. He shot his beams above and below, on earth and in heaven; he burnt up the grass in the fields and scorched the faces of princes as well as of poorer folk. but in a short time he began to grow tired of his might, for there seemed nothing left for him to do. Discontent once more filled his soul, and when a cloud covered his face, and hid the earth from him, he cried in his anger: "Does the cloud hold captive my rays, and is it mightier than I? Oh, that I were a cloud, and mightier than any!"

And the mountain spirit answered: "Your wish is heard; a cloud you shall be!"

And a cloud he was, and lay between the sun and the earth. He caught the sun's beams and held them, and to his joy the earth grew green again and flowers blossomed. But that was not enough for him, and for days and week he poured forth rain till the rivers overflowed their banks, and the crops of rice stood in water. Towns and villages were destroyed by the power of the rain, only the great rock on the mountainside remained unmoved. The cloud was amazed at the sight, and cried in wonder: "Is the rock, then, mightier than I? Oh, if I were only the rock!"

And the mountain spirit answered; "Your wish is heard; the rock you shall be!"

And the rock he was, and gloried in his power. Proudly he stood, and neither the heat of the sun nor the force of the rain could move him. "This is better than all!" he said to himself. But one day he heard a strange noise at his feet, and when he looked down to see what it could be, he saw a stonecutter driving tools into his surface. Even while he looked a trembling feeling ran all through him, and a great block broke off and fell upon the ground. Then he cried in his wrath: "Is a mere child of earth mightier than a rock? Oh, if I were only a man!"

And the mountain spirit answered: "Your wish is heard. A man once more you shall be!"

And a man he was, and in the sweat of his brow he toiled again at his trade of stone cutting. His bed was hard and his food scanty, but he had learned to be satisfied with it, and did not long to be something or somebody else. And as he never asked for things he did not have, or desired to be greater and mightier than other people, he was happy at last, and never again heard the voice of the mountain spirit.

A Year In The Life Of: Chapter 3

2011-01-11T09:49:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone! I hope the new year is treating you well. My main focus over the last two weeks was to get show contracts, applications and other paper work in the mail. My focus over the next weeks and months will be woodworking, both small items for Etsy and furniture for shows, shops and galleries. I have started work on some items for Etsy that I will be sharing with you in the next week or two. Even tough I prefer showing and selling my work in person I think Etsy may be a good way to add to my income by selling small items under $200 or so. It's a bit of an experiment for me really. I'll share my listings and results with you.

The final design for the 2011: http://www.breastcancershowhouse.org/wbcs/index.html project should be worked out by early next week. Once final decision is made work on the piece would follow shortly after.

Last week I received word of a new gallery opening in my area: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tosa-Galleria/178896895471688 I was excited to hear the news until I saw the location and read over the terms. It's not really a fit for high dollar furniture. I'll still take a closer look into this once the gallery is up and running for a while. As I mentioned on Twitter earlier today: http://twitter.com/djofurnituremkr my plans for a gallery are still in motion, just delayed. One of the reasons for the delay is what I thought would be an ideal location, my old shop, now has zoning and occupancy permit issues. The other reason for putting the gallery on hold is because there is not enough interest from other artists right now due to financial reasons. I'll see what happens over the next six months or so. I may just find a smaller space in my target area for myself and use it as my own gallery.

Well, that's all for this post. Posts over the next couple of months will mainly focus on Etsy and building furniture, photos included. I hope you stop back.

Take Care

A Year In The Life Of: Chapter 2

2011-01-05T10:57:00.004-06:00

Today I thought I would make a quick post and write about how I find work and how work finds me. This seems to be a topic of interest to many. Most of my commissions come by way of referrals from previous clients or from people who have seen my work at a show. Again this all comes down to the connection I make with people in person and developing relationships. Sometimes you need to make the effort of getting away from the shop and visit with store and gallery owners etc.. I'll give you a couple of very recent examples.

A couple of items I am currently working on are a lingerie chest and a jewelry chest. The lingerie chest is intended to be a piece to exhibit at shows. Being that I have a small studio once completed I really don't have a place to store these chests. Also I can't sell them if nobody can view them. Since I'm trying to make a go of it this year without taking on new commissions I thought I would contact an upscale intimate apparel shop to see if they would be interested in putting the piece on display. As it turned out the owner was interested and agreed to two chests, one for each location. If a sale is made we have agreed on a commission. This is a family run store with two locations not a large franchise.

The story behind the jewelry chest is nearly identical. I contacted a gold smith that I know of in the area and asked if he would put the chest on display in his store once completed. He agreed to this and wants to purchase a chest for his personal use as well.

By taking the above actions I now have three more locations to show my work.

Now, let me explain to you how I made the connection with a local interior designer who has brought to me a great opportunity. Two years ago the Milwaukee Fine Furnishings Show decided to take part in gallery night. Gallery night happens a few times a year in Milwaukee and really draws in a great crowd. The Fine Furnishings Show owner had secured a retail space in a great location. The space was empty because it was between the time period of previous tenant moving out and a new tenant moving in. Having an empty space to make ready with little time and many styles of furniture is a challenge so the shows owner called for the help of a very talented local interior designer. In only a few hours both were able to create a very well decorated and inviting space for the exhibitors and gallery night visitors. Gallery night proved to be a success. I even received a commission. A year and a half later the interior designer from gallery night set up remembers the piece I had on display that night and contacted me last week to ask if I would be interested in collaborating with her on a piece for the 2011 http://www.breastcancershowhouse.org/wbcs/index.html The show house

receives many visitors and media coverage so I'm very excited about this. The build of this piece will be included in this blog as well as photos I'll take from inside the show house.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and following my ramblings, remember I'm a furniture maker not a writer ;-)

A Year In The Life Of: Chapter 1

2011-01-02T16:06:00.010-06:00

Welcome to the first post of The Year In The Life Of. Over the next twelve months I will share with you on a bi-weekly basis, more or less if warranted, of what life is like being a full-time studio furniture maker. Included will be some woodworking as well to keep things interesting. Let me start by saying I am not a writer so grammar, punctuation, etc will most likely be rough. Why am I doing this? Because early on when I first began this journey I wondered myself what this life style is like but really had no one to share their experiences with me and I feel some, like I felt, feel the same way today. Well, let's get started.

My goal for this year is to take a break from commission work so I can work on my own designs and have more pieces to exhibit at shows. How will I make money while I build new pieces? I'm going to try a few items on Etsy and also show some work in local galleries and specialty shops in the area. We will get more involved with that in a few more weeks. My focus for this first half of the month is to send in my contract for the 2011 Milwaukee Fine Furnishings Show: http://www.finefurnishingsshow.com/ I will have one corner booth and one aisle booth. Also on the list is to join: http://www.cedarburgartistsguild.com/ and: http://www.wdcc.org/index.cfm both will help me gain more exposure to my target clients as well as allow more places for me to exhibit. Check your area for similar organizations. People can't purchase your work if they don't know that you are out there. It's very common for artists of other media to share your name with their clients who may be looking for a custom piece of furniture. Example: A glass artist had a client who purchased many items from him and wanted a showcase cabinet for the pieces. The glass artist gave his client my name and not only did I build the showcase cabinet but a few others pieces over the years as well. You all know the saying "it's not always what you know it's who you know" I find it to be true. Twitter, Facebook, web sites etc are all great but you really need to target your local market and develop a person to person relationship to start on your path to success. It's so important to do so. Each year I talk to many very successful makers at the shows, all have web sites, Twitter and Facebook accounts etc but their sales are primarily made via the face to face interaction with their clients. These are small studio and shop makers just like you and I. The ability to have your work seen in person plays a major part in selling your work. That's all for now. In my next post I will share with you what lead up to me being asked to collaborate with a local interior designer to design and build a custom piece for the 2011: http://www.breastcancershowhouse.org/wbcs/index.html and discuss more steps I am taking to ensure another successful year of being a furniture maker. I hope you continue to follow along. I'll try to keep my posts interesting and informative.

Heading Into 2011

2010-12-29T21:03:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone

In another week or two the first post for A Year In The Life Of will be made. I hope you are all looking forward to this new year as I am. In order to keep things informative and interesting feel free to reply here with your topic suggestions. Would you like to see what I'm working on in the studio, and the studio itself? Would you like to learn what has worked for me to develop a list of clients and sell work? Nothing is of topic so feel free to be open with me and I'll be open with you.

Happy New Year!

A Year In The Life Of:

2010-12-14T13:10:00.004-06:00

For 2011 I'd like to invite you all in for a glimpse of what a year in the life of a furniture maker is really like. You will follow my applying to shows and submitting work to galleries. You will be invited to come with me and visit friends at their studios to see their work and talk with them about being self employed as an artist and maker. I'll also bring you with me to meetings with clients and gallery owners, show advisory board meetings. You will also be invited along as I set up for shows as well as exhibiting. I'd also like to dabble a bit with selling work on Etsy, I'll share my results with you. This will basically be a behind the scenes look at what life is like for a full time furniture maker. It's not always greener on this side of the fence, trust me. I'm open to questions and topic suggestions for this upcoming year so don't be shy, let's see where this will go.

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!

Something To Blog About.

2010-10-11T16:12:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone

I haven't been very active here lately but I do hope to change that. Below is some information on a design contest I will be entering, I think it may make for some interesting future blog entries.

URBAN(wood)ENCOUNTER
Furniture Design Exhibition

Urban(wood)Encounter is an exhibition designed to challenge furniture makers and designers to create inspiring and thoughtful furniture from a regionally abundant and underutilized natural resource - Urban Wood.

Urban Wood:
Currently there are 4 billion urban trees in the United Sates and another 70 billion growing in metropolitan areas. The number of these trees removed annually due to pests, windstorms, natural mortality, construction and other hazards is significant. Typically these trees are destined for a chipper. Recognizing this source and finding ways to rescue these trees provides communities and industries with a viable resource – Urban Wood.

Urban(wood) Encounter provides a platform to educate furniture makers, designers and the public about this valuable resource. Together we can think differently about sustainability and see the beauty of a resource that may literally be right outside our doors.

Presented by: Town & Country RC&D

Hosted by: Design Within Reach Milwaukee Studio

Sponsored by: Horigan Urban Forest Products

Event Coordinator/
Main Contact: Dwayne Sperber

The Challenge

To design a functional piece of furniture using urban wood as the predominant media in an effort to educate, promote and inspire others to use this abundant resource. From modern to traditional, the competition is open to the full range of styles but must showcase urban wood as the main resource. The wood must be obtained from a source within a 150-mile radius of Milwaukee. Other media can be incorporated into the design as long as the focus remains on the wood.

Submission Requirements & Rules

Only one design per designer per entry application, please. If you wish to submit more than one design, you must fill out separate applications for each design. Please do not submit more than 3 designs. Send us your best or most appropriate work.

Submissions containing a work-in-progress will be accepted on the condition that the actual piece will be completed at the time of the exhibition on April 15 & 16, 2011.

In addition to completing an entry application form for each piece, please send a visual image, rendering and/or drawing of each piece. Hard copies are required for consideration—NO digital files will be accepted. If submitting a drawing/rendering, please include photos of past work. This will be required in order for the jury to make final selections.

Please clearly label every image, rendering and/or drawing with your name and contact information.

Please keep submission size to 8.5” x 11”. NO poster boards, models, etc.

Provide a verifiable receipt, certificate of origin or other appropriate paperwork to verify the wood was obtained within a 150-mile radius of Milwaukee. Take note of the journey of this resource to include on the entry form. Reference the attached list of urban wood suppliers.

Judging Criteria

A panel of respected creative professionals from the Milwaukee design, architecture, and art community will judge entries based on the following criteria:

· Does the design highlight the value of this resource?

· What is the story behind the wood used?

· The overall execution of the design including craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Selected entries will be exhibited at the DWR Milwaukee Studio, 167 N. Broadway, during the April 15 & 16, 2011 Historic Third Ward Gallery Night event.

The judges will award first and second place prizes to exceptional submissions that truly highlight the beauty of Urban Wood and the importance of utilizing this resource. Prizes will be provided by Horigan Urban Forest Products.

Application submission deadline:
January 10, 2011 at the DWR Milwaukee studio

Applicants will be notified if their pieces have been selected for the exhibition by
January 17, 2011.

Story Of The Old Shop

2010-02-05T09:51:00.004-06:00

Over the last couple of months since I posted photos of my old shop I have been asked several times " what happened to the old shop? " This is a great question so I figured I would make a post about it.

My old shop http://timberwerksstudio.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-old-shop.html was 3,000 sf and located on the second floor of an old 1800's woolen mill in Grafton, WI. I was there for about six years not only as a tenant but as caretaker as well. This was a great location because I also rented the house across the street so I would just step out the door in the morning, take a few steps and be at the shop. Most of my work back then was cabinets, entertainment centers the typical projects you see in any wood shop. At that time I really didn't do much furniture work.

During the time of renting the house and shop Michele and I were married and started looking for a home. We came across the property in Mequon where we now live. It's a good sized property zoned B-5. Being zoned B-5 we can not only live on the property but have a business here as well. On the property is our home, garage and storage shed and we have enough room for another building so our plan was to build a separate building for a shop. In order to balance out our budget and buy the home I needed to give up the high rent shop in the mill and put most my equipment in storage and rent a smaller place while we plan to build a shop here. During the time of renting the smaller shop I set up a small studio here so I could work on our home and also work on a few client projects as well. It didn't take long before I was working more at home and less at the rental space. Also at this time I became more involved with hand tools and furniture work. We were talking with the city and making plans for the new shop, this process took over a year. Over that year my hand tool skills and tool collection grew and I found myself spending even less time at the second rental. Since I was paying rent on a space I barely used I decided to move everything here and store the equipment in the garage.

Our garage does not have adequate power to run shop equipment so everything was covered and I continued to work with hand tools building furniture. My thought was why spend the money on permits, labor and supplies to add power to the garage now when a shop is in the near future. We did get the approval from the city to build a separate 2,000 sf building for the wood shop. The plan was to start construction the next coming spring. While waiting for spring the type of work and the way I worked continued to change. I turned down cabinet jobs since I was not set up for this work and found more furniture work. The work I was doing and how I was working become so enjoyable my thoughts of having a shop with power equipment started to fade. Also the commercial design of the approved building no longer interested me so it was put on hold.

At this point the plan is to still build a separate studio. Notice I now say studio and not shop. Rather than a 2,000 stick framed structure on a slab I'm planning a timber framed structure of approximately 650 sf or so. My work now is primarily done with hand tools so I do not need the larger space. I enjoy my work so much more now, I have no interest in going back to a power tool dominate shop. Actually the only machines I still find a use for is a band saw and drill press. My interest in a timber framed is for a few reasons. First is because of the hand work that would be involved. Second is the beauty of a timber framed structure. Third is because if we ever decide to move the studio can be moved to a new location easily.

It still surprises me that years ago my desire was to have a big shop, big tools as well many tools, biscuit joiners, dovetail jigs, hinge boring machine etc and now I am at my most content with only what is needed.

I hope you enjoyed my short story. Forgive me if I passed over something or did not use correct structure in witting this post. My witting skills are very much lacking.

My Old Shop

2009-11-14T12:57:00.011-06:00

I was able to find some photos of my old shop. Take a look, click on photos for larger view.

What's in a name?

2009-01-29T19:31:00.017-06:00

Many people compliment me on the name Timberwerks Studio and remark how fitting it is for a furniture maker. Actually I chose to name my studio Timberwerks not for the connection of wood and furniture but for my dog Timber and the timber wolf. In my mid to late twenties I volunteered much of my time working at the Timber Wolf Preservation Society here in Wisconsin. I helped maintain the grounds and built shelters for the wolves. During that time I formed a bond with a number of the wolves. It was a very rewarding experience. Since then I married and started my own business so I'm not as active as I once was with the timber wolves but I treasure the time I did get to spend with them. I'm very fortunate to have had such an experience and this is my way of keeping the memories close to me. Above is a photo of Timber.