WoodenExpressions

Important update: On January 14th, I lost my shop cat when he suddenly died in my arms while my son and I were watching a movie. My son was upset over losing our pet, and upset over the impact it had on me. On February 9th, I found him, my only child, on his bedroom floor after he shot himself in the head with a 9mm he had smuggled from his grandfather. He would have been 15 in March. I have not been able to bring myself to work in the woodshop since then, but I hope to regain that passion one day. The following profile was written when I was first accepted as a Maker. One day, when I am ready, I will rewrite it and resume working, but I've no idea how long the wait will be.<<<<

I live in Walker, Louisiana, near Baton Rouge, where the humidity is ridiculous, the food is delicious, and the bugs can get just plain scary. My educational background is in nuclear engineering (seriously), courtesy of the United States Navy, but I was eventually drawn into the family's ironworking business, established by my grandfather in 1947.

I thoroughly enjoy creating things with my hands, and it didn't take me long to learn the tricks of the ironworking trade. I made many driveway gates, New Orleans style columns, balcony railings, and some of my fencework has been featured in Southern Living magazine.

I began my woodworking career with the intention of making Christmas presents for family. What better way to show someone you care than presenting them with an item made with your hands and heart? In doing so, I inadvertently stepped on a path that "wood" (haha) take me from metal shavings and burns to sawdust and cuts. My background with iron fabrication and layout enabled me to pick up on woodworking quickly, and I slowly built my arsenal of woodworking tools a piece at a time.

Now, all of my woodwork is done inside a garage, powered with rockin' music, and supervised by my shop cat, Agilarr, who has become so unmoved by the noise the machines make that he'll just sit there and let sawdust rain on him rather than move from wherever he's basking.

I put a lot of heart into everything I make. Some projects might take longer than others, but it rarely seems like work; imagining how pleased the intended recipient will be with whatever item I am crafting at the time keeps my spirits perpetually high. The only regret I have in sending my products through the mail is that I don't get the privilege of witnessing the reaction when they're viewed for the first time.

My relationship with a customer does not end when the purchase is delivered. I don't send anything out that I'm not proud to put my name behind, and I strive to offer unparalleled customer service.