feels good to make stuff with my hands.
I had some leftover Birch to finally make my son some spoons (he loves to eat).
They took a while to make, carve, and oil but he's using them now and has no complaints.
My wife requested a stool to assist with bath time for our son, and help her back out! This is what I put together using some White Oak, nothing fancy but it has been in daily use.
A batch of picture frames from the shop — mitered corners that almost meet, and the kind of simple joinery that rewards patience over power tools. One for my cousins wedding.
I followed a 1999 FWW article by Mike Dunbar for a classic 6 Board Chest. Hand-cut rabbets front and back, a till inside for the small things, and a lid hung on hand-set hinges. — I also bought Sea Beckets from Etsy which look great.
It holds my sons toys for now, and will hopefully hold my great grandsons else's in 2124, which is the entire point of building it this way.
A small shaker style stool built for my nephew. Low to the ground, solid enough to be stood on, kicked, and eventually handed down.
I took a week long class with Angela & Kenneth at the Maine Coast Craft School in June 2025! As always was a great time and learned a lot! We started with a red oak log and ended with a chair by the end of the week.
A carved eagle, worked in stages over a weekend class with Al Breed. Seven photos because it earned the slow reveal.Brought it home and my wife painted the lettering for me. Proud of this one.
A bentwood carrier — steam-bent sides and a swivel handle, built to haul whatever the shop or the garden throws at it. Or in my case sitting on the shelf holding books.
more spoons I've made, iirc it's a mix of Birch (painted with milk paint) and Maple. I made the maple ones in a class with Tim Manney with my friend Graham over a weekend in NH, was a great time.
Shaker bench — with through mortise and tenon joints and four dovetail braces. I followed a video by Chris Becksvoort, a master woodworker who specializes in Shaker furniture.
A Shaker oval box — thin sides steam-bent around a form and pinned with copper tacks. Looks simple until you try to make one that closes true! First class at the Boat Shop with Bobby Ives.
A Welsh stick chair, staked and wedged the traditional way, John Brown style. First class at the Maine Coast Craft School, had a great time. This was my first chair!
I chainsaw milled a Maple that had fallen in my yard and ended up with some usable boards. I was able to make a picnic table and one of the outdoor benches using that Maple..still being used years later today! The other bench I used some bug bitten Oak I had bought from facebook market (not knowing there were bugs) but is also holding up so far. One of these days I'll make some new ones as these aren't my finest work.
One of my first larger projects, building a Shaving Horse following Peter Follansbee's video from Lie-Nielsen. It was frustrating with no vises or skill but I still use it today!
