Materials

Primarily, I use solid hardwoods and veneered plywood, for both their durability and their beauty. Often, I am able to utilize wood which was grown locally, here in the Willamette Valley. These include broad -leafed maple, white oak, chinquapin, western cherry, ash, alder, and walnut. But I work with my customers to meet their ideals, and this has resulted in the use of a wide range of materials.

For example:

• Redwood milled from the salvaged barrel staves of huge wine vats was used to make 7 doors and 53 windows for a renovated farmhouse.
• Branches and slabs with highly figured grain and live edges, used for the cookbook shelves and countertop backsplashes, lend an organic, artistic feel to the kitchen of a straw-bale and plaster house.
• In another house, old, sturdy timbers, taken out from the framing during its remodel, were resurfaced and used to build a wrap-around bench in the foyer.
• I hunted for weathered and sea-worn boards on the ocean beaches to build a cabinet for a piece being created by a stained glass artist.
• Sometimes a customer will request that I use certified hardwoods (sustainably harvested).

In short, I am willing to work with recycled and salvaged materials, or new materials. The specific job seems to dictate what it's made of.