Who Is Tim?

Below are my son Ben, wife Mimi, daughter Claire, and myself.

I am a graduate of Middlebury College (Class of 1985), where I earned a B.A. in Spanish Language and Studio Art. I began making furniture professionally in 1986. The building process is deeply enjoyable to me, and hand tools are an essential part of that experience. Spokeshaves and hand planes leave me ankle-deep in shavings as I shape chair parts or plane table tops flat.

Cabinetmaking satisfies my engineering instincts, while chairmaking fulfills my desire to work sculpturally. My family has always been involved with wood—my father does construction as a hobby, my brother is an architect, and my grandfather repaired furniture in a small shop using my great-grandfather’s workbench. I still use that same bench today.

I design and build case pieces such as dressers, cabinets, and tables, as well as Windsor chairs that are comfortable, visually engaging, and made entirely of solid wood. I work alone or occasionally with one assistant, which allows each piece to receive my full attention. My work is strongly influenced by Shaker furniture and traditional building techniques—hand-cut dovetails, hand-planed surfaces, and hand-shaped chair parts among them.

These methods not only make the building process more satisfying, but also result in furniture of greater quality and longevity. I am confident you will be pleased with the results.

Read a blog entry about my career and work written by the Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers