Carving – I work primarily with hardwoods and use a rotary tool to carve with. I will use knives and chisels from time to time for fine detail work. On lighter woods, (maple, etc.) I will sometimes incorporate my technique of staining the woods grain pattern to add color & detail.

Boat Building – I have built a cedar kayaks and incorporated both carvings and drawings into their designs.    I built a cedar strip canoe that was complete in May 2006. Most of my boats are cedar strip construction and are built to be used and displayed.

Carving – I use a variety of hardwoods and softwoods when I carve ranging from maple to basswood. I use “Prismacolor” pens to color the lighter pieces.

Boat Building – The cedar strips I have used on the two boats are western red and Alaskan yellow. I also use hardwoods for the carvings and a variety of veneers for the drawings.

Carving – After I have selected a subject I will search for a piece of wood that will accommodate the subject. If I can’t locate an appropriate piece of wood I will glue several pieces together to get the basic form I want to start with. If I combine several pieces I will glue the pieces together to line up the grains to compliment the piece. Once I have the base piece I will reduce its size using saws, drills, etc. to get as close to the final form as possible. When I am as close to the final form as possible I switch to the smaller bits for my rotary tool. If needed after the rotary tool I will do additional detailing using a variety of carving knives. Prior to final finishing I may color the piece by staining the grain lines. I will finish colored pieces with a marine varnish to protect them from UV and water damage. I will oil pieces if a matt finish is desired.

Boat Building – The method I use to build my boats is strip over form. There are several forms cut and spaced across a “strong-back” that are used to create the boats shape. The strips are either temporarily stapled or clamped to the forms while being glued to each other. After completing the cedar strip construction the boat will require some planning and sanding to smooth out its surface. At this point I will add veneers, inlays and various details. I cover all my boats with fiberglass and epoxy to both add strength and protect my artwork. If I plan to incorporate carving I will add them after the first coat of epoxy is applied. I then will add three more coats of epoxy and four coats of marine varnish to fully protect the boat. Finally I will add any stainless steel, brass etc. fixtures and deck trim that will complete the boat.