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Mountain Wood Design

Biography

I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and first discovered my love for wood from my brother who had a small woodworking business. My own woodworking career began in Madison, Wisconsin, where I apprenticed with a woodworker who specialized in building rolltop desks. After a year, I started my own business making custom furniture. My techniques were simple back in those days, but I tried to always maintain a high level of quality. After six years in Madison, I moved to North Carolina where I started Mountain Wood Design. Now I market my furniture at fine art and craft shows and continue to make custom furniture. Although I am always trying to improve my methods, more of my focus these days is on design. I now have about 25 years of professional experience but continue to make new discoveries with every new project. If my hands and eyes remain steady, I hope to work with wood for many years to come.

Materials

For me, it’s all about the wood. It was what drew me to woodworking originally and continues to be what inspires me the most. The beauty, character, and variety of wood seem endless. Without a doubt, Mother Nature is the best designer there is. Choosing the right type of wood for each project is always the first decision. Selecting individual pieces for each part of a piece is the most fun and most important step in the whole process. I use a variety of fine hardwoods, some domestic and some exotic. A few of my favorites are figured maple, curly cherry, burled walnut, and quarter-sawn oak. Each type of wood has its own character, which more than any other factor determines the feel of a piece.

Process

Custom work begins with conversation. It begins with listening to the customer and allowing the customer to reveal what he or she is looking for. This includes function and style and mood. As I said before, the choice of wood is often the first decision. Function and style both inform decisions for various design features. Often drawings are made to work out both aesthetics and methods. After the design is finalized, wood is selected. Construction begins, using time-tested joinery techniques such as mortise and tenon, tongue and groove, and dovetailing. An arduous finishing process brings out the beauty of the wood. The finish itself varies, depending upon the type of piece. Flatter finishes look more natural but lack protection, and more lustrous finishes impart more depth to the wood and offer more protection. Hopefully, the function and style and wood will all come together in harmony so that the customer’s vision results in a piece of furniture which will grace his or her home for many years.