I don’t write about everything I make—honestly, I’m not sure how I decide what ends up on the website. But recently, I built a simple step stool using hand-cut mortise and tenon joinery with wedged tenons, and it felt like a good one to document. Eventually, I want to build a version of this stool with angled sides, which will […]
Looking for one-of-a-kind, handmade Christmas gift ideas? I will have a variety of pieces including cutting boards, candle holders, bird boxes, keepsake boxes, shaker-style baskets and more! The Holiday Makers’ Market is an annual event hosted by the Art Association of Jackson Hole. It’s a small show (I’m one of approx. 20 participants) and 40% of all sales are […]
Our neighbors were planning to add a dishwasher to their existing dishwasher-less kitchen and asked me if I would be willing to help. They wanted me to design & build a cabinet to house the new appliance. Simple enough, right? The kitchen exists in part of the house that is of a geodesic dome design, so that means lots of […]
If you’re a woodworker you know all too well about scrap wood. I have several pieces of leftover 2×8 cedar from another project that I’ve been saving for a number of years. Too good to burn but too small to make anything “useful.” Scrap hardwood is easy: cutting boards. Cedar cannot be used for cutting boards because it is too […]
This is my first “built-in” piece. Purely utilitarian, this shelf unit makes use of the space in the kitchen island-bar unit that we never really used as a sitting area. One design decision was to build as a stand-alone unit that simply slides into place (as opposed to a true built-in). We did this in the event we decide to […]
The Holiday Makers’ Market is an annual event hosted by the Art Association of Jackson Hole. It’s a small show (I’m one of 20 participants) and 40% of all sales will be donated to the non-profit. My work is priced to sell as I’ve reduced all prices by as much as 60% specifically for this show. The show starts today […]
I really like the design of this candle holder. I found an image of this somewhere on the internet and decided to reproduce it. This is not my design and if anyone reads this blog you will recognize my honesty in the creative process. I always acknowledge if I am reproducing someone else’s work or if it’s my original idea. […]
I recently completed this piece and love the way it came out. The project expanded my woodworking skills in that I’ve never made a curved arch on this scale before. The woodworking was straightforward and the crux of the piece was in ensuring that the arch top met the table top bottom precisely. My wife and I decided that walnut […]
For the past few years I’ve been planning to participate in the local art show here in Jackson, WY. I participated in 2017, enjoyed it very much, and actually made a profit. Making a profit is not the reason I enjoyed the show, but rather meeting a lot of nice, interesting people (both visitors and fellow artists/craftspeople) as well as […]
As with physical workouts, it is helpful to do some warm-up exercises for woodworking – especially if one has not been in the shop for awhile. I would never start a hand-cut dovetail without first doing some practice sawing to a straight line and even making at least one practice dovetail before starting the real work. Similarly, cutting boards can […]
When I saw this piece in an issue of Fine Woodworking magaizine I was immediately attracted to the design and thought this is what’s missing in our bathroom. The origianl design was in another wood species and I chose to make it out of walnut to better match our existing trim and cabinets. Fast forward and when I was close […]
Woodworking is a joy for me and I always feel more whole when I’m working on a project. But I’m the type of person who likes to work on one thing at a time, otherwise I tend to make those stupid little mistakes that most woodworkers know all too well. I’m in the process of making a piece of furniture, […]
I’m having a Holiday Sale in my Etsy shop through DEC 31. 20% off everything and FREE shipping! Enter HOLIDAY20 during checkout. https://etsy.me/2VFUXbq #etsy #alchemywoodshop #etsyfinds #etsygifts #etsysale #etsycoupon #shopsmall
We recently hung a flat screen TV in a small room and needed a place to store all of the related media components, e.g., cable box, Blu-Ray player, streaming box, etc. In order to save floor space we decided that instead of a traditional entertainment center-type cabinet perhaps a floating TV shelf media console might be a better solution. This […]
Just finished another jewelry box in quarter-sawn white oak and walnut. It is a reproduction of a design that caught my attention back in 2005 mainly because of the number curves in the design, both concave and convex. But the photos of the original piece that I saw turned me off because of the choice of woods used. It was […]
This is my first project using veneer, a jewelry/keepsake box in mahogany with a Karelian birch book-matched veneer top. I think the burl figure and colors are gorgeous and complement the dark mahogany perfectly. Karelian birch is sourced from northern Europe (Karelia), specifically between Finland and Russia. I had never heard of this species and only discovered it while searching […]
My wife Jackie has long wanted for me to make a Craftsman/Mission-Style Bookcase. Note that in reference to furniture styles, the terms Mission and Craftsman are interchangeable; Stickley is sometimes used as well, but that just refers to the private company that manufactures Mission-Craftsman furniture. It took me several years to get to this project, but I recently completed it […]
It’s been well over a year since I published an update to my website. I’ve been continuing practice of my hand-cut dovetails, learning a couple of new skills (bent lamination and veneering), and also started to volunteer in Grand Teton National Park this summer 2 days per week. I also upgraded my long-loved table saw to a new Saw Stop […]
Warning: this post will only make sense to those who have, for one reason or another, attempted to cut dovetails by hand! It might not be much to look at, but I have finally achieved something that has long alluded me. The perfect hand-cut dovetail. I have cut dovetails by hand before but they were awful; imperfect fit with gaps […]
I wanted to share some photos of my recent work, a mission-style futon and an entertainment center that I made for my wife. They are both made using quarter-sawn white oak and finished with Minwax golden oak stain and Waterlox varnish. Both projects are reproductions of designs in existing plans, though I made some design and size changes to both. […]
Had a great show, first one in my new hometown in Jackson Hole, WY. Met a lot of great people and shared the passion of handmade. My cutting boards again proved to be very popular and most will be given as gifts. Also received many compliments for my new altar table design. Love hearing the feedback and definitely looking forward […]
Building Inventory. Craft shows are a fantastic way to gain exposure for your work and feedback from people who appreciate handmade objects – if a design is successful you know immediately! I like to have a variety of products and price points to stimulate more interest and conversation with future customers. If given choice, I would prefer working on larger, […]
These business card holders are an original design that was inspired by leftover scrap wood from a candle stick holder project last year. I only made a few initially to test the design and see the response on my Etsy shop page. They were very popular and quickly sold out. The upcoming Jackson Art Show was motivation to make […]
Looking forward to participating in our local juried art show this summer scheduled on July 7-9, 2017. With our recent relocation to WY, I’ve not only been busy re-establishing my workshop and making inventory for the show, but I’ve also given my craft booth layout a make-over and designed and built 3 new displays. I’ll describe that in a […]
Following our cross-country relocation from CT to WY, one of my priorities was to re-establish my woodworking shop. This is the third time I’ve relocated and re-established my shop since I started woodworking back in the early 1990’s. The first two were in basements and I’ve always wanted an above-ground shop; I finally have one now albeit in a one-car […]
Here is a new piece recently completed for our house. My wife and I designed it based on a number of Google Images and Pinterest ideas for inspiration. The hooks are hand-forged and locally made. It’s made from cherry, the joinery is simple tongue-and-groove, and the finish is hand-wiped satin polyurethane.
This reproduction step stool is one of my favorite projects to make. It not only looks great with its classic design that fits into just about any home decor, but it’s also incredibly functional. There are two steps for extended reach in the space of a single-step stool and storage is facilitated through the integrated sliding step. There’s also a built-in […]
I was recently commissioned to design & build an altar table for a client’s yoga studio in coastal Rhode Island. This piece is an original design that was constructed with the flow of spiritual energy in mind. The curvature of the wooden legs emulates the gentle flow of energy from the earth upward to the table top which visually “floats” […]
Over the summer I started experimenting with wood “sculpting” using a bandsaw, i.e., a finished piece with curves in two or more planes. It’s probably better to term this as shaping rather than sculpting as the latter is generally understood to pertain more to wood carving. Nonetheless, sculpting/shaping wood in multiple dimensions is something I’ve always wanted to try. The […]
Looking for unique, handmade Holiday gifts? Check out the Guilford Art Center’s annual Artistry Holiday Show, running Nov 1, 2014 to Jan 5, 2015. Makers are selected on an invitation-only basis and I was thrilled to be invited to have some of my work included this year! Here is the link for more information: Artistry 2014
Thank you to everyone who came out to visit my booth at the Guilford Art Center Craft Expo on July 18-20. It was great seeing friends and making new acquaintances and customers: your support is greatly appreciated. This was my first craft show and the overall experience was fantastic; it definitely exceeded all of my expectations in terms of booth traffic, overall […]
To all friends and customers of Alchemy WoodShop, I’m excited to let you know that I will be an exhibitor at the Guilford Craft Expo in Guilford, CT on July 18-20. Selection of exhibitors into this show is based on a competitive jury-review process and I’m honored to have been chosen to participate with a superb group of talented craftspeople. […]
Wood cutting boards can be put together in one of three ways: face-grain, edge-grain, and end-grain orientations. These terms all refer to the grain orientation relative to the cutting surface. Face-grain boards are made up of flat-sawn or plain-sawn lumber. You can identify this cut by looking at the board’s end grain; the growth rings run essentially parallel to […]
A simple wood cutting board really is a thing of beauty. It’s one of the most basic woodworking pieces, yet provides great satisfaction for both the maker and the user. Because of the simplicity in construction, a woodworker is able to experiment with design and experience results in relatively short order. For the gourmet, a wood cutting board not only […]
Here are a few pictures of my basement workshop.