Portfolio

While we are proud of everything we build, we believe that some of our best work has been that commissioned by our clients for specific purposes, people, or occasions (and therefore not featured in our catalog). The following is a partial portfolio of some of our most cherished custom projects. If there is something you like of the projects below or if you have an idea or design you would like to discuss, drop us a line through our Contact page or on our Facebook site.

 This was the first full chess set we developed – have done many more since, but always proud of the workmanship on this one – including a full set of dark and light playing pieces created with the help of our lathe duplicator. The playing surface is made of birds-eye maple and walnut, while the case is constructed of Nova Scotia Cherry with black walnut spines at the corners. Commissioned by a colleague, Donna M. this was a gift to her son. 

 This unique design was inspired by a similar item I saw at a B&B many years ago. A muffin butler keeps bread rolls, muffins, croissants and so on warm using a clay warmer heated in the oven and slipped into a cloth pocket at the bottom of the box. The cloth cover can be removed to wash or replace with other designs for special occasions. 

 Over the years I have made a number of wooden models of cars, trucks, planes and so on. These were some of my favorites – from left to right: a flatbed farm truck for my wife, M.E.;  a dump truck, built for my grandson, Zach; and a Chev Suburban commissioned by our good friend, Deborah.

 Traditional pieces are a lot of fun to work on and these three were nice challenges. From left to right: a thumbstick with elk antler thumb saddle for Wade (in traditional regalia); a small sword for my grandson; and a pair of ball-and-claw shillelaghs for Charles’ grandsons. 

Nearly every woodworker will make a cutting or charcuterie board at some point in their career, especially since they are a great way to use up off-cuts. But some are made to specifications like these three: a birthday board for my oldest son; a Christmas board for my youngest son; and a beautiful board with breadboard ends for sale at a local gallery. 

​Winerack Built-ins

It is always a challenge to fill existing spaces with new furnishings and these two created unique problems, in part because of the difficulty to access the space and to close them to appear as part of the original design. From Left to right: Heather’s UK-flag influenced wine rack before staining; Heather’s wine rack stained and installed; Shelly’s wine rack assembled, unfinished; and Shelly’s installed unit.

We expect to turn out a lot more furniture in future with a turn towards fine furniture woodcraft. However, we have also had many opportunities to develop more utilitarian furniture including these interesting works: an artist’s mobile/ lap case: nested stepping stools for Mary; a plant stand (made from a single 2×4 stud); and a seed incubator station for the Deanery.

Sometimes, you just want to make something beautiful and that is the case with these recent projects: a set of music themed bookends for my grandchild, E.J.; Kumiko lanterns on Sashiko mats; shore birds in epoxy pool for Eastern Shores Gallery.