About

I’ve loved to make things for as long as I can remember, and I still feel the same sense of excitement and vitality when I’m carving as I did when I was a boy building with sticks or Legos. But now I get to swing an axe.

I live and create right in the same small town in western Pennsylvania where I was born, and where I have taught history for over 25 years. My wife, Kristin, and our two children have put up with a lot of wood chips.

My father first taught me about tools and Drew Langsner, Roy Underhill, Jennie Alexander, Wille Sundqvist, Peter Follansbee, Jogge Sundqvist, Robin Wood, and Bengt Lidstrom, to name a few, opened my eyes to the world of working with green wood — logs and branches right from the tree.  

In addition to my bowl, spoon and letter carving, I write articles for Fine Woodworking Magazine, teach carving, and share work and techniques through my blog and website.

Thanks to Jon Binzen for producing the video above. Check out the videos of many other craftsmen in Jon’s Masters of the Craft series on Youtube or at Fine Woodworking online.