Beginner to Advanced

My enjoyment in life is teaching. For most of my career, I’ve been teaching in one form or another. I’ve taught children about nature and nature crafts. I’ve taught adults how to carve a Chesapeake Bay shorebird. I’ve taught families how to start a campfire by rubbing two sticks together. Now, I hope to teach you about my style of woodworking.

I prefer to use hand tools for woodworking. I use a few power tools such as a bandsaw, lathe, and a power drill. But I use the power tools less and less each year. My choice for wood is greenwood, fresh from a newly cut tree. I learned about working green wood from the classic book, Make a Chair From a Tree by Jenny Alexander (JA). I’ve made a number of chairs and stools using the JA technique. I can think of nothing more relaxing than making chair parts while sitting on a shaving horse with a drawknife and a piece of green red oak.