Inca Blocks : Build an Empire

Ancient Inca stonework comes home with you in this precisely fit set of wood blocks. Inspired by the true master stonemasons of South America. This set allows you to build temple ruins, walls, and fortresses with the power of the Inca emperor himself.  Find them on Etsy.

Includes approx. 40 blocks of varying sizes. Lintels, small blocks, medium, large, and notched.

Hand finished with Food grade mineral oil. For ages 5 and up.

Enjoy precision from the ancient engineers of South America!

Reclaimed Shelving and Coat Rack

Reclaimed wood coat hanger and shelf for the entryway.   Featuring Ash, Poplar, Cherry, Walnut, and 100 Year old Pine.

Modern Kitchen

Stainless Steel Appliances, , Reclaimed Soapstone countertops, Ikea base cabinets, Custom floating Walnut shelves with inmounted LED lights, 100 Year old barnboard T&G ceiling, Ikea and reclaimed wood shelves (on right, we like to call it the great 2010 Ikea hack), and Bamboo floor.

Yogablok on Etsy

Yogablok supports your connection to the floor while you practice. Use it in the classroom or at your home studio.  This is the lightest wood yoga block on the market and is designed to perform for generations.

All bloks are hollow and made of reclaimed wood from construction projects. This limited edition of bloks also uses locally harvested woods: Poplar, Cherry, Walnut, Pine, Cedar, Fir, Cypruss, and (not local) Bamboo. Finished with organic linseed oil and beeswax.  Dimensions: 9"X5"X3.5"

Guitar Cabinet - Les Paul and the gang get a place to hang.

We are getting ready to launch this Guitar Cabinet to the general public. It features three sides of tempered glass, adjustable Top-mounted hangers, air channels for future climate control systems, full 9" drawer system and storage area for all of the essential accessories. It puts the part of the guitar you want to see at eye level.

sculpture update

Completed in 2003, these three figures originated from the same Oak tree that fell near our house in Charlottesville.

Bath Vanity

We just finished the new Walnut Vanity for the Rectory Renovation. The walnut is from the property along with the Locust that makes the drawers.

Sewing Loft and Office

Miriam took this great photo of inside HQ not too long ago. It shows her sewing loft with polycarbonate (polygal) modern balustrade and railing.

Pergola and Wood Ben Bear Robot

Finished up this pergola and deck project in Charlottesville earlier this autumn.

Hey. Thought I'd post this shot of a wooden Ben Bear completed not too long ago. Its made of Cherry, Walnut, and Oak.

Renovation complete

The stair case looks great without the unnecessary wall in the way.

One of two bedrooms. Gotta love those 100 year heart pine floors.

Shop doors

i finally built these doors and finished winterizing the shop. I installed a little Jotul wood stove in the corner for a touch of the warmth, although today was 60F. One day i plan to actually make things in the shop and not just make the shop.

Play With Me Robots

I made these two robots from Black Walnut. They have movable limbs and elastic ligaments. I'll have to put some extra time into their artificial intelligence as they cannot answer any questions yet. These are just like the robot from the LoopyDoll print on etsy.

Loopy Dolls Blogged

Miriam rocked it by making a butterfly and a cute bunny loopy. She is using a Husqvarna Viking Designer 1 sewing/embroidery machine to stitch together these fun little guys. Miriam and I got a very nice nod from two sweet little blogs joeysdreamgarden.blogspot.com
and theweereview.com (thanks to both of you). We used a vector illustration of the Ben Bear face and digitized it into an embroidery design to effectively reproduce the faces without having to make each one individually.

new toys

Miriam and I are working on a new set of softies called Loopy Dolls. They have little looped hands and are super sweet. Ben Bear has made his cameo along with a shark and some sly ninjas. They are mostly made from upcycled wool and cotton.
You can check 'em out at our new Etsy store Loopydolls.etsy.com

Design Lab with Polygal

I just installed the first sheets of polygal on the shop. Slowly it's getting closed in. I'm working on some designs for the doors. I think they'll be pocket doors. In the meantime I'll be over at the house renovation project.

BuilderBeast frames a floor!

Today Mo took photos of me looking through the plans. We also framed the floor of the new bathroom in this old house. The carpenter's of the future came back safely from the past.

design lab

i have completed the 2x6 stick framing on the workshop. I am working on the door hangers. The galvanized metal roof went on smoothly and rain water is draining as it is supposed to. I would like to put rain barrels on the back side for a little water catchment, but the doors and polygal glazing comes first.
The space has limited functionality, but i am making a few small projects come to life.

These are rapid prototypes made from blueboard insulation. They will most likely work as the armatures for slip casted porcelin/ceramic sculptures.

This is a prototype of a small doll house for children. it is made from birch plywood and measures 36"x12"x12". I've had some successful play testing with some local kids. it's a pleasure to see them climbing on it, playing in it, and engaging in imaginative play.

Work Shop...Design Lab

For the past 6 months or more I have worked on the simple design of my work shop. I kept simplifying and complicating the design. I knew i wanted to pour a cement slab after I dug out the sloped terrain.




I also knew i wanted to install a radiantly heated floor with PEX tubing.


I designed a very simple roof line using TJI engineered beams and a cool cantilevered floating corner. Here is the first wall going up. All of the verticals in the stud walls are reclaimed 2x6's. They were saved from the ceiling of an old house in town. I had enough to frame all entire wall system.

still here. designing

just wanted to let everyone who reads this occasionally i'm still here. I've been busy designing and building a deck for a client here in town.



Moriah and I built this one out of a pressure treated alternative. that means no copper and/or arsenic in the wood. They use borate to keep it from rotting. It's a great "green" option for new decks.

walnut woman

I've just started another sculpture. This woman will be both carved and assembled. using this beautiful Black Walnut wood given to me by a friend i'll make an articulated female figure. I'm hoping to find some type of ball joint to stand in for actual joints. i'm not sure exactly how that problem will be solved, but if anyone has a suggestion i'd be happy to entertain it. i'm looking for hardwared that is both strong and positionable. for example, if i raise the arm i would like to stay in place, either by friction or by tightening. Below is a picture of her legs. I have the pelvis, feet, and right arm/shoulder ready for rough out.