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

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

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

…have enough clamps. Every woodworker in the world knows this. I certainly don’t have enough; not even close.

The Problem
Recently, in an attempt to speed up production in the shop, I’ve noticed the lack of clamps was slowing me down significantly. Even though I was initially adverse to working on more than

A couple days ago, I routed out a couple of 15″ diam. walnut circles for Lazy Susans. During the first circle, the router jammed up and wouldn’t continue

I remember not too long ago experiencing some difficulty with a serious gap in our capabilities towards our goals here at Birch Hill Woodcrafts. We knew we had to be able to design custom wood concepts in furniture and such, but we weren’t prepared to do so in any reliable fashion. I am not a big fan, nor ever slightly… Read more