About Me
I design and build high quality solid wood furniture and home goods built to last - in an environmentally sustainable manner.
I draw inspiration from the styles and techniques of many traditions including Shaker, Arts and Crafts, and Japanese Sashimono woodworking, to create a modern yet age old style.
From start to finish I love the process of creating a beautiful AND functional item. Starting with an idea, that becomes a design, and the selection of wood. Then the interlocking joinery that holds the piece together and the final polishing of the now, smooth surfaces.
In the end, the shape and appearance of the wood has changed considerably, but the character of that raw wood remains the heart of the piece, with my design serving the purpose of displaying and highlighting that natural beauty, while meeting the practical needs it is intended for.
My story:
I have been a builder for as long as I can remember. I was born in rural Maine, and when I was 10 years old I helped my friends' family build a small pine cabin to live in while they built a house on the property. It was then I decided I wanted to be a woodworker.
In my teenage years I attended a building construction program at a community college in Portland, Oregon and then began my work career in residential carpentry and remodeling.
For 15 years I enjoyed the trade, and strove to attain the next level of skill, detail, and design which eventually led me to furniture making. For several years, I practiced fine woodworking on the side, while working for a general contractor. In the summer of 2019 I struck out on my own with a garage full of tools and a few boards and founded Taylor-Made Woodworking LLC.