Thanks for visiting my site! I am a woodworker, homesteader, and amateur forester, and have lived on 33 wooded acres in central New York since 2003. My work with wood has evolved from my efforts to practice low-tech, low-impact, sustainable woodland management. Accordingly, the vast majority of the furniture, cabinetry, and other woodwork I produce utilizes lumber from the forests that surround me, most often from trees felled in improvement thinnings of my own woodlot. As a self-taught woodworker, I have been influenced by a great number of craftspeople and woodworking styles, but ultimately my most profound influences are the trees themselves, as the unique characteristics of each—colors, grain patterning, knots, wounds, decay, or other ‘defects’— ultimately dictate my approach to each piece. Philosophically, my approach is to create with wood in as holistic a manner as possible, from standing tree to finished product, and to combine the refinement of hand-craft with the organic patterning of wood, resulting in work with an unadorned, natural presence and character. Whenever possible, I utilize natural, non-toxic oils and beeswax in wood finishing. I am happy to discuss possibilities for custom work, or to answer questions or engage in dialogue with regard to all of the above. Please feel free to contact me. Additionally, if you might find my occasional musings on forestry, woodworking, homesteading, Buddhism, bioregionalism, and assorted other topics to be of interest, be sure to check out my blog.
I see you have found your niche. What a change from 46th Avenue! Beautiful property and what a lucky forest to be cared for by you. I wish you all the luck with your business. Your former SF neighbor Tricia.
This site looks great. I love all the new photos in the gallery.
Hi Jeff,
My brother-in-law Bob Barton told me about you. I wonder if you could help me out. I purchased some pewter measuring cups and spoons and some hand-made iron hooks for hanging them. I’m looking for an interesting piece of wood — perhaps an interesting cross-section of a branch — on which to mount the hooks. Do you have anything that might work, or do you have any ideas?
Thanks,
Sharon
Hi Sharon-
I’m sure I could help you out, but will need a few more details, such as: what size piece of wood do envision (length, width, etc.)?; when you said “cross section of a branch”, do you mean half-round, with the bark, etc.?; do you have preference with regard to wood species/color? I commonly work with wood that I have milled, so have access to the natural-edged offcuts, which often show beautiful color contrast where the outer sapwood meets the heartwood–this is very pronounced in Black cherry. I also collect smallish branches of certain species (Beech, Serviceberry,etc.) for rustic table legs. Let me know your thoughts, and I could begin to narrow down the options. —jeff joseph