Despite my training and my interest in architecture, I had not ben involved in furniture design and/or construction until the early 1990s. At that time we had some major storms in Cincinnati, which toppled a number of grand old trees in my neighborhood of North Avondale. I was sorry to see these great old mothers go, but was even more miffed by the fact that they invariably ended up in the city's landfills. I contacted the Cincinnati Park District and received permission to salvage some of these trees. This initial effort evolved over time in the formation of a non-profit called Trees-to-Furniture, which mobilized students and faculty at the University of Cincinnati to salvage fallen or dead trees and put them to use by transforming them into lumber, donating them to schools and non-profits, making them available to the students of cabinet making at the University, or using them for the design and making of innovative furniture.
The initiative produced a worldwide movement, partly thanks to the publicity given it by the Cincinnati Enquirer, and later through its adoption by the Cincinnati-based Popular Woodworking magazine, a well-respected publication with a worldwide circulation. The publicity generated by these media and by a series of articles authored by me and my colleague Sam Sherrill, attracted the interest of Woodmizer, a family-owned company out of Indianapolis specializing in the manufacturing of sawmills. With Woodmizer’s assistance we gave demonstrations and cut lumber for non-profit groups all over the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana tri-state region, and eventually were offered our own portable sawmill as a gift of the company for the public service we were performing. Through them and Popular Woodworking we triggered the interest of individuals and woodworking groups all over the world, and at one time towards the end of the decade of the ‘90s over 1,200 initiatives around the world were calling themselves variations of the "Trees-to-Furniture " motto.
My efforts in wood salvaging gradually expanded into an interest in furniture making. In the late 1990s I began studying cabinet making at the University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science, and a few years later I graduated with a Master Cabinet Maker Certificate. Over these years I also developed a love for the period and the designs of the Arts & Crafts movement, which was responsible for a revolutionary shift in the perceptions of architects, artists and designers about the aesthetics of simplicity, natural forms and truthfulness to the materials and the ways by which items were constructed. I have been designing and building furniture in the tradition of Arts & Crafts for more than fifteen years by now, and continue to learn about wood and to understand the techniques of good furniture design and construction. Since I retired from teaching in 2012, woodworking has become a more significant part of my life, and I hope that it will continue to give me enjoyment for many more years.
Some of my projects are showcased below.
The initiative produced a worldwide movement, partly thanks to the publicity given it by the Cincinnati Enquirer, and later through its adoption by the Cincinnati-based Popular Woodworking magazine, a well-respected publication with a worldwide circulation. The publicity generated by these media and by a series of articles authored by me and my colleague Sam Sherrill, attracted the interest of Woodmizer, a family-owned company out of Indianapolis specializing in the manufacturing of sawmills. With Woodmizer’s assistance we gave demonstrations and cut lumber for non-profit groups all over the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana tri-state region, and eventually were offered our own portable sawmill as a gift of the company for the public service we were performing. Through them and Popular Woodworking we triggered the interest of individuals and woodworking groups all over the world, and at one time towards the end of the decade of the ‘90s over 1,200 initiatives around the world were calling themselves variations of the "Trees-to-Furniture " motto.
My efforts in wood salvaging gradually expanded into an interest in furniture making. In the late 1990s I began studying cabinet making at the University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science, and a few years later I graduated with a Master Cabinet Maker Certificate. Over these years I also developed a love for the period and the designs of the Arts & Crafts movement, which was responsible for a revolutionary shift in the perceptions of architects, artists and designers about the aesthetics of simplicity, natural forms and truthfulness to the materials and the ways by which items were constructed. I have been designing and building furniture in the tradition of Arts & Crafts for more than fifteen years by now, and continue to learn about wood and to understand the techniques of good furniture design and construction. Since I retired from teaching in 2012, woodworking has become a more significant part of my life, and I hope that it will continue to give me enjoyment for many more years.
Some of my projects are showcased below.