Useful things. Honest joints.

There is no grand workshop here. My bench sits in the dry half of a Milwaukee basement, beside a shelf of paint tins and a very ordinary washing machine. The light is good in the early evening, the floor tolerates a few shavings, and the door is narrow enough to discourage projects that are too ambitious.

I am Owen, and I make small useful things from wood. A tray for the keys. A low stand that brings the kitchen herbs closer to the window. A box that finally gives spare screws a better home than a chipped cereal bowl. I enjoy the point where a carefully measured drawing becomes an object somebody can use.

The notes here cover the decisions that disappear inside a finished piece. Which face becomes the reference face? How much material can I remove before checking the fit? When is a small wobble a design problem, and when have I simply left a shaving under the work? Those questions occupy a surprising amount of bench time.

The projects page describes a little oak tray and the lessons tucked into its corners. The maker page explains my slow approach to tools and materials. I am an amateur, still learning to read the grain before it tells me quite firmly which direction I should have planed.