Learn About My Process

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This is how it all begins! I come upon a lot of neat trees down across roads and trails and if I have my chainsaw with me, Ill cut some logs to take home to begin the drying process.

Drying is truly critical and I don't rush this process. Per every inch of slab, I allow drying 1 year. Most of my slabs are about 2 inches - so I dry each piece for 2 years before using! I carefully label each piece with the date, species, specific location and any special person who gave it to me. It dries on racks with stays in between for air flow. 

Once the wood is dry, I also bake the wood additionally in the oven before beginning to work the piece. This where I find out if the wood will snap or crack. Then I use chisels to remove the bark and loose or fragile pieces and clean out the inner ring of hollowed trees without changing the character of the hollow. 

I actually don't have a planer! I prefer my handmade router sled, which planes the wood and makes a massive mess. I use a router with a bottom-cleaning bit to get the wood level and flat. 

Arguably one of the most time-consuming pieces of woodworking! DO NOT skip a grit. I first use my 80-grit bench sander to smooth the surface, then my 180-grit bench sander and then from there its all palm sander: 220-grit, 320 grit and finally 400 grit. I've had lots of small earring woodpieces fly out into the yard during this step. 

I use different sealant depending on the function and placement of the piece. For surfaces with lots of traffic like table tops and furniture, I use a polyurethane finish. But for all of my other pieces, and 99% of what I make, I use Walrus Oil and Odies oil - which are made from beeswax, carnauba wax, and plant oils. For my earrings I only seal with these natural finishes because these will touch your skin, and who needs plastics anyway?!

For mirrors, I router space for the mirror in the back and for irregularly shaped pieces, I also carefully custom cut the glass mirrors to fit.  I secure the mirror then router in multiple slots to install the sawtooth hangers. I take extra care in this process to make sure the piece lays flat and stable against a wall once hung. 

For my architectural pieces, I take my own photos of the buildings, then sketch the drawing and outline the wood on a panel. I create lines, shapes and perspective by utilizing the different color and grain patterns of various wood species. I hand cut these pieces on the scroll saw. 

This part takes a steady hand! When making wood earrings, once sanded and ready I take them into my studio to create different looks with real stones, glass and brass. Each pair is entirely unique.