Handmade furniture and woodturning, made the slow way, in a small shop in Conifer, Colorado.
I started turning wood the way a lot of woodworkers do, as a way to slow down and make something real with my hands. That grew into a small, one-person shop where every rocking chair and every turned piece is still built the same way: one at a time, by hand, with attention to the wood in front of me rather than a fixed template.
Resourcefulness is part of the philosophy, not just the history lesson. The shop itself (benches, jigs, storage racks, fixtures) is built almost entirely from reclaimed lumber, offcuts, and estate-sale finds rather than anything bought new. Keeping overhead low that way is a big part of how I can spend more on the wood that actually becomes your chair, and still keep pricing honest. Build more, spend less: it's not just a slogan.
Times have changed. Like the bodgers of old, I make fine rocking chairs and woodturnings by hand. These days, though, it's much easier to bring the timber to the workshop than the other way around. Oh, and my lathe is electric.
Good craft doesn't require an expensive shop, brand-new material, or steering clear of a tool with a bad reputation. It requires resourcefulness, patience, and a willingness to share what you learn along the way. That's the thinking behind everything built here, and behind the book, too.
Rocking chairs, woodturnings, shop fixtures, one-off commissions, small repairs, whatever a project calls for: if it can be built in wood, it gets built here instead of farmed out or bought off the shelf.
The difference between a rubbish heap and a material supply is about fifteen minutes of imagination. Reclaimed lumber, offcuts, and estate-sale finds go into shop fixtures and one-off pieces every bit as readily as anything bought new.
From shop-tested finishing advice to a full book on radial arm saw restoration, I write down what I learn so other woodworkers don't have to relearn it the hard way.
Smaller turned pieces and finished work will also be available soon through my Etsy shop, Thewoodbodger.
Coming SoonNew chairs, turned pieces, and news about The Forgotten Powerhouse. No spam, just an occasional note when there's something worth sharing.
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