Padouk, jatoba, cocobolo, birch, maple, cherry.

I make furniture out of wood. Sometimes luxurious, exotic, tropical hardwood, sometimes beautiful domestic varieties. I get wood from reputable dealers who sell from renewable sources. .

I love wood. I love the texture and the way it feels in my hands. I love the grain and surprises that show up during the sawing, planing and sanding. I never stain or dye wood. Wood comes in many colors. If I want to make a orange chair, I find orange wood (some varieties of cocobolo are orange). If I want to make a blue chair, I make a brown one instead. I choose the type of wood which has the right characteristics of color, strength and texture for the individual piece of furniture.

I don't use nails or screws on my chairs. I use joinery to hold wood together. Sometimes I let the joinery show, other times the joinery is hidden. My chairs are sturdy and strong and lightweight. They are comfortable to sit in and feel good to the touch.

I finish furniture with the appropriate materials for the wood. Sometimes I use a mixture of tung oil, linseed oil and urethane as a finish. This combination brings out the depth and brilliance of the wood and leaves a tough, lasting finish. Some oily exotic woods reject an oil finish so those are sanded to a very high surface and finished with wax. Sometimes I apply thin coats of polyurethane and burnish with 4,000-12,000 grit sandpaper.