Wood, Metal, and the Geometry of Nature

• I’ve spent most of my life working with wood and tools, and somewhere along the way I realized my work is really about bringing two worlds together. Wood has its own life. It moves, shifts, and changes with the seasons. Metal is the opposite. It holds its shape. It stays steady. When I combine the two, I’m trying to catch that meeting point between something living and something lasting.

• The way I work comes from old techniques. People were carving patterns and laying metal into wood long before power tools or modern shops existed. I’ve always felt close to that hands-on way of doing things. I’m not copying the past, but I’m learning from it. I take those old methods and use them in a way that fits the world we live in now.

• Many of my designs grow out of simple geometric shapes. These patterns show up everywhere in nature, in the growth of plants, in crystals, in the way water organizes itself. When I carve them, it feels like I’m following a map that’s already there, not inventing something new. They’re shapes that make sense on a deep level.

• The metal inlays often feel like memory to me. Wood records its life in the rings it carries. Metal records it in its marks and scratches. When the two meet, they tell a story together—a bit like a scar and a healing line at the same time. Each material brings its own history, and once they’re joined, they become one piece that will last far longer than either would on its own.

• I know we live in a world full of things built to be thrown away. My work pushes against that. I want to make pieces that someone will keep, use, pass on, and remember. Not because they’re perfect, but because they’re made with attention and care.

• A lot of this starts with something simple: sharp tools. My carvings and inlays only work if my tools are sharp enough to respect the wood. Over the years I got very serious about sharpening. I learned how different steels respond, how a small change in angle can change the entire feel of a cut, and how a clean edge can turn a tough job into a smooth one.

• Eventually friends started asking me to sharpen their knives, chisels, and other tools. One thing led to another, and sharpening became part of my daily work. I treat everyone’s tools the same way I treat my own—with patience and the intention to make them cut the way they should.

• Now Fusion Craftworks offers sharpening to anyone who needs it. Whether it’s a chef’s knife, a carving tool, or something you use every day, my goal is simple: bring the edge back so it works properly. Good work always starts with sharp tools, and it’s a pleasure to help people feel the difference that a proper edge can make.