I have been working with wood for several years. Mostly this involved building sheds, picnic tables, or helping a friend with a fence. In October 2005 my wife made what she now calls a serious mistake, she bought me a scroll saw as an early Christmas present. My wife made a condition for the early gift, "Since I bought you the saw, you need to make the family Christmas gifts!". I agreed (Hey. I got a saw out of the deal!). There was a slight misunderstanding when it came to the word "family". I thought she was referring to the entire family (our children, nieces, nephews, grandparents, parents, etc...). So, from October through December 2005, I cut, sanded, glued and applied finish to more than 30 projects. After I had finished the Christmas gifts, my wife explained, by "family", she was only referring to our parents.

While making the Christmas gifts, I was introduced to intarsia. I like the idea of taking a pattern, selecting the right shade and grain of woods, and watching the piece come to life as I cut, contour and sand the wood. I haven’t stopped yet. I have completed well over 100 intarsia projects since October 2005. Depending on the number of pieces and size of the project, it takes from one day to three months to complete. I utilize different species of wood, but for the most part use almost exclusively Western Red Cedar. Western Red Cedar is a soft wood with many shades and grains available. The shade ranges from almost white to as dark as walnut. It is most commonly used for house siding and decking due to its water resistant nature. I normally do not use stain on any of the pieces. I just spray the piece with a clear coat finish so the colors you see are natural.

I hope you enjoy my work.

God Bless

Tim