Engineering / Carpentry

Structural Carpentry

I began doing woodwork with my dad at a very young age, working on weekend projects or basic repairs around the house. In junior high, I took carpentry classes and developed confidence working with a much wider range of woodworking equipment. Starting in high school I began to market my small business towards carpentry, welding, and other skilled labor. I performed several deck renovations and one complete deck rebuild (shown below on the top left). In these projects, I became familiar with stress/strain analysis that I would not fully understand the mechanics of until my senior year of college. This prior experience with the mechanical properties of structures gave me a serious advantage in intuitively understanding the relationships derived in my solid mechanics and machine design courses.

Decorative Carpentry

My fascination for longboarding is what initially drove my interest in decorative carpentry. During my carpentry class in the 8th grade, one of our assignments was to make a box. I requested that my teacher allow me to try something more challenging and he supported me in my quest to make a longboard I could ride around my neighborhood. The first board was a huge success and I became an immediate hobbyist, I have since made close to a dozen skateboards or longboards for both personal and professional use. The skills I gained with homemade plywood also opened up whole new avenues for artistic and decorative woodworking pieces where I really learned to express myself through my artistic carpentry.