I've always been handy and love to make "things"... no particular kind of thing. Just whatever pops into my head and seems interesting.

Over the last few years I've become, well, dissatisfied with waste and unsustainability. So, to make my things I use as much salvaged, recycled, and reclaimed materials as possible. There is SO MUCH cool stuff to be found in junk yards, old barns, work sites, basements... just about anywhere you really look, there is some thing that can be used for something!

It kind of pains me to buy new materials, but I confess, sometimes, when I have a specific idea driving me, I'll cave in for just the right screws or bolts or straps.

I've also developed a nasty bit of asthma and avoid solvent-rich petroleum-based high VOC finishes -- the fumes and off gassing are rough. So, as far as finishes go, I use a lot of old school formulations, specifically Old Fashioned Milk Paint's milk paints and Tried & True's vanish oil, danish oil, and their Original Finish (a blend of linseed oil and beeswax).

Another product I've just started to use is PolyWhey. Get this, it's a water based polyurethane made by replacing the usual commercial binders with MILK WHEY discarded from cheese making! It's non-toxic, LOW VOC, and tough as nails. It's pretty cool stuff.