Our Shop
Our Shop
Our shop is a 1931 timber frame barn, mostly chestnut, that we saved from destruction in 1987, extensively rebuilding and converting it into a shop and temporary residence. We insulated it-- working from the outside out, put on new exterior siding, new roof, put in wiring and plumbing, reframed a staggered two story interior division, and generally prepared the 56 year old building for its next 100 years, housing people at work instead of cows and chickens. It's 30' x 40', and we added a shed on one side for lumber storage, in back for cordwood, and a greenhouse on the south for vegetable starts and to help with winter heating. Marilyn uses the upstairs we lived in for several years as her weaving and dying studio. The commute to the house we built in 1991-2 is about 100 feet, with consistently light traffic.
We borrowed no money for the entire project, financing out of pocket as we built, in a sense dropping out of the American economy, seizing control of our work lives.
My Jointer
This is a 17" Atlantic Works jointer that goes back over 100 years. I bought it on Ebay in 2008, and had Byrd Cutter make me a carbide spiral insert head to fit the jointers original babbit bearings. So the jointer is a nifty combination of 19th and 21st century technology, skipping the 20th altogether. It's a bit underpowered for wide work with its 2 hp single phase motor, but it can joint wide pieces when asked, and I don't have to constantly start a big motor to joint the small pieces I usually work with. It's a joy to use. The spiral head is virtually tear free. This jointer was likely used to build battleships when it was new, and so its transition to its current use is a bit of beating our swords into plowshares.
Bridgewood 24" planer
This is a huge Bridgewood 24" planer from the early 80's. It weighs over a ton. It also was bought on Ebay. I had it fit with a Byrd head, and swapped out the big 3 phase motor for a 3 HP single phase, a little underpowered for wide work, but light cuts will do the job when I work with wider pieces, and I kept things simple with the single phase power available to me. I run the planers original three phase feed motor off a high tech frequency inverter that allows an infinite direct dial variable speed on the feed. I also fitted an inexpensive digital read out that reads in 1/1000 th of an inch increments. I replaced the segmented infeed with a polyurethane roller to avoid smoosh marks on lighter cuts. This planer also has powered bed rollers along with the feed rollers. This planer does a terrific job of dampening vibration, especially nice for planing end grain cutting boards, and when I do the occasional countertop it's a tremendous timesaver.
CNC Router joinery machine
This contraption is a CNC router/joinery machine I built in 2008. Here spindle is horizontal, for cutting dovetails or mortise and tenon work. I built it with linear motion bearings and ball screws bought used with a frame built of aluminum extrusions bolted together, all on a wooden cabinet stand. I spent about $2,000 for initial set up not including software. This machine has required an immense investment of time, and lots of frustration in the early months and in building it.
There aren't many woodworkers who have both the advanced woodworking skills that my 25 years of preCNC experience provided me with, and the self-taught mastery that building my own CNC for commercial use has given me.
The router allows me to do custom inlays, custom engraving, and custom carved work that I couldn't have contemplated before.
One of my favorite jokes for many years has been "what's time to a pig". Now I get to ask myself, "what's time to a CNC router?" as I work on other tasks as it grinds away.
Hawaiian Bouquet Jewelry Box
Here is a corner detail, of an open lid, showing the mango butterfly spline that secures each corner. These are driven into the miter joints at assembly from the bottom, forming a joint that needs no glue (I glue them anyway). Another extraordinary detail on an extraordinary jewelry box.
$975.00-incl. shipping
Silverware Chests
Since koa has such bold and variable figure, it's especially important to match grain, and select wood carefully. My koa boxes are often made by re-sawing a piece long enough for one short side and one long side, and so I get a perfect grain match all the way around, with two book-matched corners, and two simple continuations of the grain. Pictured is a book-matched corner.
$975.00-incl. shipping
Hawaiian Bouquet Jewelry Box
Since koa has such bold and variable figure, it's especially important to match grain, and select wood carefully. My koa boxes are often made by re-sawing a piece long enough for one short side and one long side, and so I get a perfect grain match all the way around, with two book-matched corners, and two simple continuations of the grain. Pictured is a book-matched corner.
$975.00-incl. shipping
Hawaiian Bouquet Jewelry Box
Since koa has such bold and variable figure, it's especially important to match grain, and select wood carefully. My koa boxes are often made by re-sawing a piece long enough for one short side and one long side, and so I get a perfect grain match all the way around, with two book-matched corners, and two simple continuations of the grain. Pictured is a book-matched corner.
$975.00-incl. shipping
