IV Key Woodworking & Picture Framing
Wood Passion Beginning
My interest in wood working started at a very early age. Probably when I was around 10 years old. I liked to build bird houses, tree houses, airplanes (that actually never flew) and anything wood related. In high school I took wood shop and went on to college majoring in Industrial Arts. I also went to tech school for architectural design. After school my first employment was for a residential contractor. I designed some of the homes his business constructed. My current home was designed by me. I went on to work for a commercial store fixture company whose primary line of fixtures were constructed of wood. It was a perfect fit so I worked there for 42 years. Retirement came next so I converted a storage shed in the back yard into a small wood shop. Here is where I do all my work. I pride myself in the quality of work I do. I've modified furniture and built, furniture, musical instruments, whirly gigs, repaired antiques and most commonly framed pictures.
Custom Frames
Custom picture frames are my specialty. Alot of work goes into making a frame. I design the idea from scratch then build the frame. I try to frame pictures by making the frame the artistry of my work. My goal is to bring out the reality of the photo. I have framed everything from a printed photograph to an artists painting on canvas. I enjoy using techniques you don't find in a store which make my frames one of a kind. You'll never walk into a store and find a frame that looks like the ones I build. I've constructed many frames over the years and pride myself in the fact that no two have been the same. This makes your frame truly one of a kind and unique. My fees are much lower then the big box stores because this is a 'labor of love' for me. I'm solely intent on customer satisfaction. That is more valuable to me than monitary funds.
Custom, Hand Crafted Wood Projects
Hand crafted projects are by far the most fun to work on. Friends tell me they would never have the patience to build the things I take on. The most unique to date were cigar box guitars. I've built two of them, one for a grandson and one for a granddaughter. I had a little help from the internet for this project, but most projects come directly out of my brain. I put my drafting skills to work on the drawing board before starting large projects. However, many projects are created right on the work bench top. Ideas flow through my brain like a river while creating special craft items. Many times taking a different direction along the way just as the river does. Attention to fine detail is one of my strongest points. I like things to look and be perfect.
I subscribe to Woodworking magazine that is full of woodworking tips and ideas. There are always great tips on how to make templates for different woodworking processes. These templates make the task easier and more accurate. There's also stories and pictures of other woodworkers projects and lots of advertisements for tools and materials. You can also view these tips and ideas on their website: www.woodworking.com