I was born in Michigan in 1948, raised in "the sticks" in Northern California, and attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Following a tour of duty in Asia as a naval officer, I returned to the Pacific Northwest to study physics in graduate school at the University of Washington.
It seems that for the last sixty or so years, most everything I've done has had something to do with fitting, assembling, or finishing things made of wood or metal.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to know how things were made, and tried to make many of them myself. Encouraged by my hands-on parents, I had books on how to recognize edible wild plants (I collected sumac berries for “lemonade.”), how to make Native American items (many pairs of
From boat building on the east coast to cabinet making in Alaska, with time out to do some commercial fishing, I chose the field of woodworking and started my formal training in the craft of furniture making in 1984.
Michael Flaherty specializes in designing and creating items for his customers, with emphasis on the unusual.
"There is always room for a fresh design approach. Why settle for the ordinary?"
Steve Hall trained in Fine Woodworking and Furniture Design at the Primrose Center in Missoula, Montana. He moved here in 1984 and has been both a furniture maker and a house designer and builder from that time until the present.
My hand-crafted furniture is inspired by the American Arts and Crafts movement.
Among all the crafts throughout history, woodworking has been fundamental. With wood one can actualize just about any idea conceived-from bowls to buildings to boats to bridges. Designs range from utilitarian through functional and beyond artistic to abstract. Today, most of our houses are still made of wood, most of our furniture is wooden, and much of our plastic is made to look like wood.
When people speak of fine furniture, they are usually thinking of genuine antiques (most of which were factory mass produced) or pieces in period styles (Chippendale, Queen Anne, Colonial, etc.). This gallery represents a small sampling of what is happening in today's fine woodworking movement. Our pieces are all one of a kind, individually designed and constructed; most are functional, made to touch and use, all are sculptural. The finest quality craftsmanship and pleasing designs are our goal; a satisfied client is one of our rewards.
We consider ourselves artisan woodworkers, designer craftsman and women, and have chosen to be so. Woodworking will always hold a very special place in our hearts. We hope you appreciate the time, skill, material, and perseverance it takes to design, make and finish a careful piece of woodworking. We hope so- we do it for you!
- By Founding Member Lou Almasi, October 1987
