I have been a Woodworking Hobbyist since the mid 1970’s. In my college days, my brother bought a set of “homemade” speakers for $100. I looked at them and thought I could make a better and “louder” pair for less money. I still listen to these original speakers when I’m in my shop. With this first success, I starting making speaker cabinets, in materials ranging from plywood and pine to mahogany. I sold a lot of speaker cabinets, and many given as gifts.

One holiday season, all my siblings received gifts of items made from wood. I never used plans, designing the items, looking for practical uses with the skills and material that was readily available. This is when I conceived the concept of functional woodworking.

Then I made 4 & 5 drawer dressers in white cedar, and then on to Hope chests in the same material. In the early 80’s successfully completed a home/garage remodel that featured a circular staircase made out of wood, connecting the living room to the cellar. Previously, the access to the cellar meant leaving the house, going into the garage and down a set of stairs through the garage and back into the house at the cellar level.

The next major project was to re-side a 2400 sq. ft. split-level house in Hemlock.

When my son was born, I made him a 4-drawer dresser out of discarded pallets. The dresser top was used as his changing table, which was designed with removable sides for when he no longer of diaper age. Twenty years later, he still uses this dresser. One of his favorite items was the wooden wagon, with custom turned wheels and pull handle. Oak worked out better for the wheels and handle. This toy was followed by a couple of antique type wood cars along with a school bus. He was most fascinated with the hinged roof on these vehicles to get his passengers in & out of the vehicle. (He never knew the reason the roof was hinged was because I couldn’t figure our how to hinge a curved vehicle door.) The hinges ended up failing, so now the roof is glued on.

Numerous requests for the items I designed and manufactured encouraged me to expand my shop. I recently moved in to a large facility that has a sawing, planning and finishing area with local on site material storage. The larger shop has allowed three times the manufacturing capacity. The separate wood finishing area has really improved production capability.