Willie Wolf
As a boy I was always interested in building things and loved playing with wood blocks, Lincoln Logs and an Erector set. I drove my father crazy when I would go into his workshop and use his tools. Although he passed many years ago, I am sure that he would be very proud of the furniture I now craft.
My first formal experience with woodworking came in 7th grade woodshop. In the 1960’s industrial arts were still part of the public school curriculum and students were afforded the opportunity to learn practical trade skills (it is, in my opinion, a great disservice to our children that such programs are increasingly scarce).
I would also go to the local Boy’s Club and build crafts projects. My first home project was a folding ping pong table made from plans out of Boy’s Life magazine. These early projects taught me the importance of taking your time and doing each task with purpose and determination.
As a young adult I became interested in graphics and photography, which led to a career in advertising, publishing, graphic design, photography and corporate communications. I was a manager at Hewlett-Packard at the beginning of the personal computing era, 1981-1996. This provided me the expertise to manage complex projects.
Living in the San Francisco bay area I was fortunate to have access to the College of the Redwoods School of Fine Woodworking in Fort Bragg, California, a school founded by James Krenov, a world renowned woodworker. It was there that I learned the art of fine woodworking, and it was there that my woodworking career began.
Over the years I have studied with many skilled craftsmen, continuing a never-ending mission honing my craft, my skills, and my vision. I have a fondness for the simple aesthetics of early 20th century furniture designer/builders like Gustav Stickley, Charles Limbert, Frank Lloyd Wright, the Roycrofters and the Greene brothers. Those masters were all heavily influenced by Asian furniture and the furniture of the Shaker communities as, in turn, am I.
I like to use domestic hardwoods, cherry, walnut, maple and white oak, and especially find the combination of cherry and maple complimentary. I am always on the lookout for that special piece of wood, ready to purchase it when I find it, knowing that one day it will be featured in one of my pieces. I like the wood to stand on its own merits—with all its imperfections and natural beauty--and do not use stains or dyes to change its natural color.
My pieces are made to order and I spend a considerable time with my customers to understand their specific needs and desires. The result is a bespoke piece, lovingly hand-crafted with an experienced eye to detail—beautiful and functional details that have been lost to the economies of mass-scale, low cost furniture production.
My first formal experience with woodworking came in 7th grade woodshop. In the 1960’s industrial arts were still part of the public school curriculum and students were afforded the opportunity to learn practical trade skills (it is, in my opinion, a great disservice to our children that such programs are increasingly scarce).
I would also go to the local Boy’s Club and build crafts projects. My first home project was a folding ping pong table made from plans out of Boy’s Life magazine. These early projects taught me the importance of taking your time and doing each task with purpose and determination.
As a young adult I became interested in graphics and photography, which led to a career in advertising, publishing, graphic design, photography and corporate communications. I was a manager at Hewlett-Packard at the beginning of the personal computing era, 1981-1996. This provided me the expertise to manage complex projects.
Living in the San Francisco bay area I was fortunate to have access to the College of the Redwoods School of Fine Woodworking in Fort Bragg, California, a school founded by James Krenov, a world renowned woodworker. It was there that I learned the art of fine woodworking, and it was there that my woodworking career began.
Over the years I have studied with many skilled craftsmen, continuing a never-ending mission honing my craft, my skills, and my vision. I have a fondness for the simple aesthetics of early 20th century furniture designer/builders like Gustav Stickley, Charles Limbert, Frank Lloyd Wright, the Roycrofters and the Greene brothers. Those masters were all heavily influenced by Asian furniture and the furniture of the Shaker communities as, in turn, am I.
I like to use domestic hardwoods, cherry, walnut, maple and white oak, and especially find the combination of cherry and maple complimentary. I am always on the lookout for that special piece of wood, ready to purchase it when I find it, knowing that one day it will be featured in one of my pieces. I like the wood to stand on its own merits—with all its imperfections and natural beauty--and do not use stains or dyes to change its natural color.
My pieces are made to order and I spend a considerable time with my customers to understand their specific needs and desires. The result is a bespoke piece, lovingly hand-crafted with an experienced eye to detail—beautiful and functional details that have been lost to the economies of mass-scale, low cost furniture production.