Woodworking

Outside music, I have been involved in art since I was very young. Painting and sculpting were my main artistic outlets until music took over as a focus. But working with wood has been in my family for generations with my grandfather being a part time carpenter and building his own home, as well as my great great grandfather being a famous carpenter in Massachusetts back in the 1800s. I was a part time framing carpenter in my early 20s and have always been a bit of a handyman. Since around 2019 (around when I stopped touring so much), I became more intensely interested in old school woodworking and furniture making using joinery rather than nails and screws, but also an interest in experiencing what is required to create furniture from rough lumber using non-power tools (hand saws, axes & planes). And more recently, my family and I moved to Japan, and I am beginning to learn about the amazing tradition and wisdom of the woodworkers here.

This gallery is simply a journaling of the occasional projects I do for my family, or as gifts for some friends in the community. Enjoy browsing!

Ty’s Workbench

Ty’s workbench - this bench is a beefed up version of Will Myers’ Moravian workbench. A special feature of this bench is that it comes apart and is very easy to move and transport, and yet when put together, is as solid and strong as any workbench out there. Especially using the dimensions and type of lumber Ty chose. The entire bench is made of 30 year old air dried, rough cut timbers. The base is all very old seasoned Zelkova (very hard), and the top is Japanese Sycamore.

(In this first photo, the chop vice is left tall because I’ll make a thicker top in the future.)

Ikumi’s Sewing Table

This table can be taken apart and is a portable style table, with straight legs rather than 15 degree angled legs like on Ty’s workbench. It is a true trestle table design with wedged stretchers and pegged (removable) top. All the timbers for this project is again, local Tono mountain wood, air dried for the last 20 years. The top I got from Mitsunori-san who is a local master carpenter and furniture maker. It is Japanese Elm. The breadboard ends are the Zelkova offcuts from my workbench as well as the tops and bottoms of the base. The legs are the same Elm I used for the top. The finish is my favorite Sam Maloof finish (just one good coat) and it turned out beautifully.

The four corners of the breadboard where it meets the top, I created a small square hole which will get an inlay piece.

Hot Tub Cover

This project came up after renting our place in the mountains in Northern Japan where it gets quite cold in winter. Since we have the older style deep tub that does not re-heat the water, we needed a top to keep the heat in. And wow, it really works well. It is made with no screws or nails and held together with tongue & groove joints, and long, tapered sliding dovetails. Made from local Cypress.

We used them unfinished to see how they faired with tubs pretty much every night for 6 months. Then as I could see evidence of mold, I dried them and did a treatment of SugiBan (burning them with a torch). Then sanded a little just to get the loose char off, and did a nice coat of my favorite Sam Maloof finish which gave them an amazing old and polished look that I love. They will have a nice long life now!

Tsukimoshi Doll Museum Sign

This project was for our friend Sasaki-san who is the elder artist and last remaining crafts person of the Tsukimoshi Clay Doll. She has a beautiful studio and Museum (open to the public) at her home on the outskirts of Tono City. We did a YouTube Episode about her and her craft on our ‘Treasures of Tono’ YouTube Channel.

This sign I made to replace her old sign which was falling apart and hardly readable. I wanted to make a design that would be noticable for passers-by, and easy to read for people searching for her Museum. I also wanted to make it all with joinery and no nails or screws. So this is what we came up with. All locally made lumber, with the sign wood from a local mill, as well as the frame made from local cedar trees.

Shakuhachi Flute Rack

Making the things we want to practice accessible, is what this build was about. I simply don’t make the time to play these flutes if I have to go find them and unpack them etc… but when they are right in front of me, looking awesome, and displayed in a classy way, then I grab them quite often and over time, actually learn to play them.

The wood back board for this I found at a Farmers Market here in Tono Japan for next to nothing. I is a beautiful piece of Cypress and as soon as I saw it, I knew what I was going to use it for. I hand carved all the little Zelkova holders, from the off cuts from my workbench and did a through mortise & tenon joinery for each. The finish is again my favorite Sam Maloof finish and the flutes have never been happier!