Box for Memories

Woodworking · Boxes & cases

When I arrived in Oakland, all I had were my hand tools. Having sold all my big, heavy equipment before I moved, I had no money to buy anything, so I borrowed tools and shop space, and went to work. The first project was remodeling a house in Berkeley. The jobs included sealing a skylight 3 stories up, refinishing a floor, building a cabinet/enclosure with custom shutter in a kitchen, hot tarring a roof, and more. The second project was building a hand cart for a sidewalk flower vendor, including steel bands on wooden wheels. A variety of jobs followed: covering walls and ceiling with redwood, wine racks, custom traveling cases for color consultants, an oak mantle with hand carved calligraphy, a tiled Roman tub bathroom complete with plumbing, electrical, floor and walls, a salad bar shaped like a boat, moldings and glass for the deckhouse of the largest wooden boat built in the Bay Area in recent history. To qualify for a position that was opening up at Laney, I received a certificate to teach woodworking at community colleges