Custom Woodworking and Furniture in Aspen, Colorado
I have a problem, a problem that is actually a good problem and one that I hope others have. The problem is this—I love my craft and I love my work. I am incredibly fortunate to be able to say that I truly love my craft and enjoy every day spent in my shop working with one of the world’s most glorious, available, and durable, materials.
My love of woodworking began early in life. I remember taking apart windup toys as a child and my parents saying, “Please, if you will just put that toy back together we’ll buy you another one!” I was often found shadowing the handyman of the brownstone in which my family lived when I was young. With a little coaxing like that I was on my way to what and who I am now; a designer, maker, and fixer of all things wood.
When I am asked ‘What do you do?” my answer sounds simple—I am a Custom Woodworker. In reality, no one title will work, because I will create almost anything with wood that is asked of me. From a Boa Constrictor cage (I’ve built two), to a Wooden Dory ready to float the rapids on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and anything in between or beyond. Give me the challenge and I will problem solve to create what you want and need.
This craft I love has been learned not from a formal education, but through almost 40 years of ‘doing the thing’. There is hardly a day that goes by where I don’t head to my shop and spend time crafting a piece of furniture, cabinetry, or a wooden object. I have spent time with a few masters of the craft; a summer in Mendocino, California at the College of the Redwoods, studying under James Krenov, as well as working with a Danish mentor, Hans Thomson in one of my first shops in the Sierras. My parents also encouraged turning my avocation into a vocation, providing garage space for my first shop in exchange for building cabinets to organize all the clutter. I get my attention to detail and insistence on precise measurements from my father, a machinist for the Naval Shipyard.
My wife Susy and I have built a wonderful home and shop near Carbondale, Colorado that is home to Blue Sky Woodcraft. It is a 2700 square foot building whose electricity comes from the sun. The building is home to a wonderful collection of machinery-many clients walk in and instantly reminisce back to their days in high school shop classes. Much of the machinery is ‘old iron’; machines 50 to 100 years old that I have carefully and lovingly restored and brought back into useful service. These include a 32” Crescent Bandsaw dating back to 1906 and an Oliver Pattern Maker’s Lathe that saw use during WWII. Many of my hand tools and measuring instruments were given to me by my father. There are even some new tools that help me keep up to date with the latest in technology!
Ultimately, my craft is about more than machinery or hand tools. It’s about the process of taking a client’s ideas and dreams and turning them into a wonderful well made piece of work that they can pass on to their children. It begins with a raw piece of wood and ends with a creation with mortise and tenon joinery, dovetail joints, and a fine finish that invites your hand to wander across its surface.
Please get in touch and let’s see what we can create together.
