Our woodworker, R. Thomas Christensen, learned carpentry from his father, who built three of the family's homes. Tom worked for many years out of of an apartment in Brooklyn where he once used two bar stools to create a lathe in the tiny kitchen and would refinish furniture on the balcony.

Tom now works in upstate New York out of a small shop in Walden and on property he maintains in Ulster County near New Paltz.

Tom's methods are primarily manual. He uses an Alaskan (chain saw) mill to slab wood on site. He prefers beat up, gnarly wood that has had time to absorb minerals and fungi, both of which create color and pattern in the wood. Each piece is uniquely designed based on the size, shape, condition and pattern of the wood.

He uses clear epoxy to strengthen the wood and follows with many rounds of sanding until the final product is "baby butt" smooth and looks as natural as possible.