As our society has evolved and our life styles have changed, I guess it is a little unusual to still find people that work with their hands. We often hear how wonderful it is that we can do what we do. We make, we fix, we create. Since we love what we do, it’s not so much like going to work. I only mention this because we are asked frequently how we started in this business. If you read the very first post on this blog, I answered that question as it relates to furniture refinishing/restoration.
We get the same question about the woodworking part of the business. The younger our clients are, the more amazed they are that people can actually build things.
I’ve been fascinated with the way things were built, or manufactured, for as long as I can remember. I’m sure I drove my parents nuts taking things apart to see how they worked. I remember my mother talking about an alarm clock from when I was about four. Life’s just better with a tool in your hand!
The first memory I have of woodworking was no different than millions of other kids my age — Lincoln Logs. 
I had hundreds of pieces of these little logs and built castles, bridges, and all manner of things. I remember a remodeling project at our home when I was about six or so. The scraps of that project were like a gold mine. After that, I moved on to real pieces of wood and built dog houses, forts, and other assemblies.
As with much of my life, my first furniture project was brought on by necessity. Back then, my sister was older than I was, (we’ve sort of evened out now). Her first child was born when I was about ten or eleven. Naturally she used the small child’s rocker that our grandad built for her new son. Well, it wasn’t long when she found out another one was on the way. This meant there would be two kids with only one rocker. So armed with a handsaw, hammer, glue, and nails, I went to work.
What you see below is the result. As carefully as an eleven year old can, I duplicated the old rocker for my second nephew.
It’s had several non professional paint jobs since then and some might consider it crude. But to us, it’s a family heirloom ready for a new generation.
