Although I built a lot of balsa models as a kid, I didn't really get into woodworking until I got out of college. Being a poor grad student, I couldn't afford furniture but I had access to my father's garage for the summer and was able to borrow a table saw and router. I built a bunch of pine bookcases, end tables, and a coffee table that summer and got hooked on woodworking. When Sandy and I moved into our first house in 1983 I began acquiring my own woodworking equipment. I have slowly built up my tool collection over the years and when we built our current house in 1997 I finally got my own separate 22 ft x 32 ft wood shop. I suspect Sandy agreed to it so she could finally park her car in the garage out of the rain after all these years. I currently have a cabinet saw, planer, joiner, shaper, chop saw, band saw, drill press, 6x9 sander, and a couple of grinders, along with a large collection of portable power tools, hand tools, and assorted clamps and jigs.

My wood shop	Raising door panels on the shaper

 

Assembling a platform bed	Staining a platform bed

                                                  

Most of my woodworking has been making furniture for the house although I did make all the cabinets in the shop and the garage and few in the house. Over twenty years I have managed to build most of the furniture in the house. I work primarily in oak, maple, and walnut but occasionally in something more exotic. Every so often I work on fun smaller projects but they don't usually excite me as much as furniture. Once I finish the last few pieces of furniture I am going to go back and start making new versions of everything out of more exotic woods.

Pine bookshelves - my first furniture project 1981	Oak table & chairs

 

Six piece oak & mahogany entertainment center	Seven piece platform bed

 

Birdseye maple & walnut jewelry case	Maple & walnut desk set	Walnut door harp

 

All images on this page are © Michael Stoy

 

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