For as far back as I can remember, my grandfather had a workshop in his garage.  From a young age, I was fascinated by how he turned everything from scraps and off-cuts, live edge, or slabs of wood, into virtually anything you could imagine.  He was able to repurpose wood furniture into tools and vice versa.  As I grew, he started teaching me his techniques and how every tool used in his shop has a purpose and a function  We started out on hand tools like planes and rasps, then onto the drill press, belt sanders, and so on.  This would inspire a lifetime of learning, building, a few Band-Aids, and lots and lots of sawdust. 

This would take many forms over the years; residential construction or renovations, commercial retail, to finally finding my passion for unique hardwood décor.  A professional hobby turned into an obsession for perfection by the unfortunate events of 2020.  The pandemic provided something we normally don’t have enough of nor we can ever get back: Time.  For me, it gave me the time I needed to research, educate myself, and start practicing the time-consuming techniques of creating live-edge furniture.

After the first few house projects or furniture pieces, and after enough neighbors stopping in to see the latest build, someone suggested I should start a blog.  Of course, I smiled, laughed to myself, and asked “what do I have to share?”.  I’m a self-taught woodworker, and certainly not a writer.  But the idea did catch some traction and soon it was more a question of what I should convey rather than if I should.  Besides, the idea of one of them ghostwriting on my behalf, based solely on their interpretation of what I was doing, versus the actual step-by-step was far too persuasive for me.   

For me, there needs to be a reason to write.  Uniqueness to the message or information presented.  You’ll see me refer to those I learned from or those that inspired me to move from a hobbyist to a professional.  I would not be here if it wasn’t for their guidance, whether they are aware of it or not.  These individuals and/or shops are not only perfectionists when it comes to our art form, but incredible communicators and educators.  So where would I fit in?  I’m closer to the “I will never do that again”, learning more from mistakes, rather than successes.

Here you’ll be able to read and see the journey of a slab of wood into a piece of home décor.  And, I’ll be communicating what tools I’m using and why with the hope that I’ll be able to answer your questions along the way.  But the real gems will come from Staci.  I’m looking forward to seeing what she says about the new tools that I “must-have” showing up weekly, or me constantly tracking sawdust into the house.  Seriously though, she’ll be able to convey the non-technical observations versus the nitty-gritty details of this versus that. 

My hope for this endeavor is that you be inspired to start a new project or complete one that’s been on your bench for a while.  Possibly discover some techniques or processes you incorporate into your next projects.  More importantly, I hope you find this information useful, maybe have a few laughs and one or two less frustrating moments in your own shop.  So thank you for joining us on this family adventure and I’d like to welcome you to Lake Wylie Studio.