I like the idea of using salvaged/recycled wood to give trees and wood a second or third chance at being something.  Experience in construction appalled me as to how much waste there is in the building and remodeling industry.  Always looking to be frugal, scrap wood from jobsites made their way into my shop to be crafted into various things and I gravitated towards the wood from old growth trees that was so plentiful during the building of early Portland.  This wood is of superior quality to what is available from today’s second and third growth trees.  By using this salvaged wood, still standing old growth trees can be left to be enjoyed still standing. 

So as homage to the trees that were so thoughtlessly cut down in the name of progress, I started to build one-of-a-kind custom pieces highlighting this wood from years past.  Nail and bolts holes, cracks, and other “character” are highlighted rather than covered up.  To accompany this wood milled 100+ years ago, my pieces are made using time honored construction methods and have a flavor of the early 20th century.  I love how old iron and old wood go together.

In my free time, the precious little that I have, I enjoy spending time with my son and daughter. We go on bike rides on our old Schwinn bikes, doing this and that to my house, stacking rocks, reading of the sordid past of Portland, and dreaming of woodworking projects I’d like to build for myself but never have the time to build.  I frequently peruse architectural salvage houses seeking for interesting old house parts that I could incorporate into a piece or my own home.  Old stuff intrigues me and I enjoy finding ways to use it in a new way.