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Snow Woodworks
  • Portfolio
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  • Contact
 

About

Several years ago, a lady called to ask if I would make a desk.  But this was no ordinary desk.  She had inherited a barn full of decades old Missouri black walnut that was felled, milled, stickered, and dried by her Grandfather.  Her siblings weren’t interested in ‘that wood’, but she saw the perfect desk for the home office in her soon-to-be-built Missouri home.

 
 
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A collaboration began.

How big?....what shape?....will my keyboard fit?....about that pencil drawer….how about a credenza?  Back-and-forth (I’m lovin it!).  Drawings, re-drawings, renderings, re-renderings, and before you know it, she’s hauling a trailer full of that Missouri black walnut to Virginia so I can make her desk.

 
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'Would you also...

...make some bookshelves, cabinets, and file drawers for my office?’  Drawings, re-drawings, renderings, back-and-forth (I’m lovin it….sort of), and before you know it, I’m hauling a trailer full of things made from that Missouri black walnut, back to the Ozarks near Lake Stockton to create her home office.

 
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Then, her husband called...

...to ask for a desk.

and THAT's what this website is ABOUT,

making special things

for wonderful customers

  • What is that special piece of furniture you want for your home?
  • What is that hand-crafted gift you want to give next Spring at graduation?
  • What is that heirloom coffee table your kids will fight over after you’re gone

For these things, and more, I can help

If you don’t have a barn full of Missouri black walnut,  I can find most any other kind of wood.  If you know exactly what you want, I’ll draw it to insure I understand, and make it.  If you have no idea, I’ll guide the process.

I like to create original designs, and use unusual woods like burls or crotches.  I often decorate with inlay.  Sometimes I incorporate parquetry and marquetry.  Many of my tabletops incorporate pie-matched grain patterns.  Shaped and curved components are also design elements I employ.

My PORTFOLIO shows things I’ve made so you can imagine what I can make for you. 

My JOURNAL tells stories about people I’ve helped….and some other things.

My CONTACT page makes it easy for you to get in touch.

Enjoy looking around.  Stay a while.  Drop a line.  Let me know what you think, and thanks for taking the time to visit.

Another 2 Trays/4 Tables gift for newlyweds in Watkins Glen, NY. They’re owners of the Lakeside Resort, and the #marquetry work is a scene from the property that overlooks Lake Seneca. #coffeetable #endtable #cherry Recent #marquetry work for a #traytable I call 2TRAYS/4TABLES. A reversible tray is paired with a turnable base that holds the tray at coffee table height, or, end table height. Made as a gift for a newlywed couple who are both #actors, using the #comedytragedy masks icon. Original artist of this image is unknown, but it’s a beautiful image. Before & After pictures of a project for customers in Warrenton, VA. Everything now has a place! #builtin #cabinets Here's a recently delivered #walnut #slab #dining table, shown from delivery day back through construction, leveling, and purchase of 2 rough #slabs at Wall Lumber in Madison, NC. Two years ago, I made & installed built-in #cabinetry for a wonderful customer in Arlington, VA. She wanted open #cabinet space to display art objects, covered space for storage, and an artful way to conceal the TV. She also wanted a clean, minimal look with no hardware or metal showing. The sliding doors open to reveal space adequate for a TV. The sliding doors are decorated with a collage of woods, that include #walnut #cherry #mahogany #satinwood #pear wood and #birdseyemaple. The full #cabinet, pre-assembled in the shop, prior to installation day. It's built in modules, so it disassembles into smaller pieces for moving. This is a hall table I'm in the process of refinishing for a customer. The tabletop was damaged. I removed the old finish, replaced the outer edge with mahogany, and re-stained to match. I'm now rebuilding the finish in order to polish to a mirror surface. I'll post another picture when it's complete. Finishing work on the #slab #walnut #diningtable is complete. Very happy with the results. Refinishing a tabletop I made 16 years ago. Inspired by the amazing work of Lison de Caunes (@lisondecaunes), I have been experimenting with #strawmarquetry. These panels are decorated with straw. It reflects light in an amazing way that looks 3-dimensional. It requires patience, meticulous attention to detail, and a lot of time. I hope to learn more, and incorporate it into some future furniture projects. The walnut #slab #diningtable is now going through the finishing process. It began with a thinned sealer coat on the top and bottom surfaces. This picture is after the first gloss urethane coat. I sand between coats and continue with gloss urethane to build a foundation that smooths over the grain's texture. A final coat or two of satin urethane will produce the soft sheen that's most appropriate for this project. The walnut #slab #diningtable halves are glued together, sanded, and I've applied the initial sealer finishing coat. The color and grain in this walnut is quite nice. Using a grinder to round over the ends of the walnut #slab #diningtable. Today's work on the walnut #slab #diningtable was to inlay bow tie keys to prevent the splits from spreading further, and filling knothole gaps with clear resin. Vacation is over; back to work. My current focus is this tabletop for the walnut #slab #diningtable, and a refinishing project. Susi & I are on vacation this week, so there's nothing new from the shop to show. So here's a rolling screen I made last fall... ...once the old finish was stripped, I found gorgeous #mahogany underneath. I split the turned bedposts in half, and painted them black, and added a laurel Burl center support... ...made with wheels from an old toy wagon, and bed parts from the local #habitatforhumanity #ReStore for $40.

To see more, visit Snow Woodworks on Instagram

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