Maker

I am a sojourner, a Christian, a father of two fledged daughters, a husband, and a carpenter… of sorts. 

With no official credentials nor extensive formalized certificated instruction,  I have learned from the experiences of nearly three decades of practice, mistakes (lots of them, mind you), observation, study, inquiry, and above all from the help, support, and encouragement of family, friends, past employers, patrons, and strangers alike.

I aim to be quiet and simply let my work speak for itself, allowing it to reveal an ethos – unpretentiously, holistically, and without self-ordination. 

I was born and raised near the Elkhorn Mountains in Montana.  My late dad was a life-long woodworker (and an incredible fly-fisherman, graceful and effective).  With a gentle patience and keen foresight, he shared both his love and knowledge of wood and craft with me – empirically & experientially. 

That nurtured fondness for wood grew into a deep love and respect for the forests of the northern Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast Alaska.  I went on to earn a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Montana, working seasonally for the USDA Forest Service in Montana, Idaho, and Alaska, counting trees and fighting wildfires.  Since then, I’ve worked on vegetable farms in Ohio and Vermont and tried my hand at milking cows in northern New Hampshire. I’ve had the good fortune of working for both a log builder and a timber-framer, long before the thought of striking out on my own was even a nudge.  John & Nathan generously shared their knowledge of both craft and business with me.  I rightly hold myself forever in their debt.

I work alone most of the time, but depend upon all those that surround me all of the time.  I answer the phone (rarely) and e-mail (sometimes), draw designs by hand on paper with a pencil, move timber from here to there and back again, cut joinery, and sweep the shop floor at day’s end for fear of leaving the mess to someone else lest I expire in the wee hours.  Some days, drudgery; yet most days, illuminating.

I am neither inventor nor artist – just a simple practitioner of craft; ordinary, obscure, laborious.  I hold no claim whatsoever to a mastery of that which is so broad and so deep. 

Integrity, my full attention, & to listen, these are my simple offerings.  I embrace tradition for guidance and precedence- it serves as map and anchor.  As I once read, “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire” (Gustav Mahler).    I too am compelled to preserve the fire… and share its light.

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