About the Artist

“Your work will be standing long after you die. Leave a good mark.” 
                       ~  Mother Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers in America
I have been woodworking for many years and much of my past effort has been in the area of Colonial reproduction furniture, antique restoration and similar related areas. A few years ago I became interested in Shaker craftsmanship and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve had the good fortune to have visited former Shaker communities at Hancock, MA, Canterbury, NH, and Sabbathday Lake, ME, and in every instance I’ve come away with a tremendous respect for the beauty, functionality and simplicity of design in their craftsmanship. They have proven that something doesn’t have to be fancy to be beautiful and well made.
There are original Shaker boxes still around that are more than 100 years old and that says a lot for the way they were made. My goal is to construct my boxes so that they too may still be around 100 years from now. The finest compliment I could receive would be for my boxes to be looked upon as a true family heirloom passed from one generation to another. For the past two years, I have been selected by Early American Life Magazine as one of the top 200 craftsmen in America based on Shaker reproductions that I have made. 

 

The Process

Each piece I make is individually hand-crafted following the same procedures and techniques as those used by the Shakers over 200 years ago. I personally select my material from the finest North American hardwoods, placing emphasis on beauty and strength. The majority of my boxes are constructed of cherry or hard maple with tops and bottoms of a like wood or a contrasting wood such as birds-eye maple, spalted maple, lacewood, burl walnut and others. I finish the boxes in either a natural wood finish or a milk-painted finish in a wide variety of traditional early American colors. With the natural wood finishes I avoid stains, preferring to let the beauty and texture of the wood speak for itself. 
To create a box in the Shaker tradition, I soak the box bands in hot water and shape them around a wooden form to dry. The fingers of the bands are then secured with small copper tacks. I use copper because it doesn’t rust. When the bands are dry, I cut the tops and bottoms, insert them in place, and secure them by small wooden pegs placed a couple of inches apart. Then, I sand the pieces and apply the final finish. Finally, I sign and date each box with the year of construction.
If you visit some of the larger craft fairs in this part of the country drop by and take a look at what else we have to offer. 

New pieces are occasionally added to my inventory so please visit my site again to see what may be new.