August went by quickly, but I completed a fair amount of work. The major items included two outdoors decks, one primary election, and a surround fireplace mantel. As mentioned before in a previous post, it’s all about balance with me.

The Two Decks

My friend moved to North Carolina recently and decided to rent out his duplex rather than selling.… Read more

How many people actually enjoy doing the same thing repeatedly for too long? Brings to mind sweat shots and forced labor environments (apply personally as required). So when I get a chance to do something different and still productive, I’m usually in. Such is the case recently for Birch Hill Woodcrafts and fortunately I have the flexibility to pursue options.… Read more

Summer in Alaska is a short intense season. The flurry of constant activity and events is enough to make someone hibernate through that other season (we are careful about mentioning certain things here). One of the primary focuses revolves around construction projects and it doesn’t matter if they are commercial or personal; everyone swings a hammer in the interior of… Read more

It seems time to post another entry, even if I haven’t been working specifically on any client projects. On occasion, I like to take time to do some recreational woodworking or shop upgrades/maintenance. I also take care of some of the smaller projects too, like a couple more Alaska metal sculpture bases or plaque blanks. After following Matt’s… Read more

THE COMMISSION

Last week, a gentlemen called me about a project he had in mind for his daughter. He brought over a custom, stained-glass panel that he wanted to use for a wall-mounted, spice cabinet door panel.  The client is no stranger to woodworking but doesn’t have time and all his tools on hand or he would have done i… Read moret

Several days ago, I was asked to rebuild a few storm door inserts destroyed by some overzealous dogs.

I hesitated a bit because it seemed liked a boring production item, but I am not one to usually turn down a woodworking project.

So I got some high-grade Douglass Fir and went to work replicating the screened versions.

The mangled model… Read more

In continuation of a previous post, this is the second and final part of the exterior door project.

The Arch

The first part starts with a nervous step in the project – the arch cut. Any and all mistakes would be very noticeable and unrepairable, cosmetically anyhow. The only tool I could turn to for this operation was my jigsaw.… Read more

The Commission

About the beginning of May, I met with a friend of a friend at their new photography studio in Fairbanks, Alaska. Heath and his wife Audrey worked the last several months to establish their business in a new location and they had a need for some specialized woodworking. Between the two, it’s obvious that they have a complimentary… Read more

The Commission

A door doesn’t sound like a significant project, until there are other details added like annual outdoor temperature fluxuations of 150° F, 90-100° F temp difference between in/outdoors, and a sporadic humidity level.

One day I received a phone call from a lady who wanted an arched, solid wood door for her daughter’s upcoming new construction this Ma… Read morey.

A few weeks ago, I conducted a consult with a local client in the neighborhood about their damaged credenza cabinet base. They wanted the top repaired or rebuilt, but upon

inspection, it turned out that the entire cabinet was beyond saving. The amount of weight on it over the years, including a hutch, took it’s toll. After a few days,… Read more

In the early 1900′s, a quirky woman from the Yukon Territory required that her suitor provide her a “dream home” if he had hopes of relocating her to Fairbanks, Alaska. That was all the motivation Author Williams needed to order a catalog kit home for his love, Lucille. He ordered it from the west coast and a sternwheeler delivered it… Read more

Today, 01 May 2010, I am officially, 100% retired from the military. I don’t even know where to begin describing this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Over 21.5 years of straight service, I experienced enough to write an entire book easily. My career took me to over 50 different countries on 4 continents. I am pretty sure I have been to all 50… Read more

A couple of months ago, I started following an eccentric marketing enthusiast on Twitter. I quickly learned that her work on various blogs seemed above and beyond normal  in most any regard. Within days, I was overwhelmed with the amount of good information that she, Alison Heath, offers to her readership. The content she publishes could easily b… Read moree

In an attempt to find a balance to creativity and demand, I frequently do local work along the line of craft items. From end-grain cutting boards to custom novelty items to blank wood patterns, I enjoy providing the little solutions as well as the larger works. It’s always great to listen to people describe this “thing” they need that’s “yea… Read more

It hasn’t taken long to get too much work to keep me busy. Unfortunately, circumstances and administrative distractions took a toll on my time in the shop lately. It became apparent that I needed to hire someone to help me. The last thing I want is to turn away work, if possible. I spent the week looking for an employee… Read more