As much as possible I use only wood in my boxes, including the fasteners, hinges, and drawer slides. These give the lids, drawers and doors of my boxes a wonderfully smooth action. I am fascinated by wooden mechanisms and the intersections of various geometric shapes. I use a wide range of hand and power tools, some of which I designed and built myself.

I am also intrigued by the tremendous variety of woods that exist in the world. I try to use sustainably harvested, plantation grown, salvaged, or otherwise “environmentally friendly” woods whenever possible. The plywood in my turned boxes is made by hand in my own shop from selected veneers.

I use no stains or dyes, but finish my boxes with multiple coats of a mixture of linseed oil, polyurethane, and mineral spirits. This protects the wood while bringing out its natural colors, texture, and wonderful “feel.”