Many years ago I developed a love for woodworking with the patient hands of my father and grandfather. They always seemed to have a small project going in the garage. My industrial arts teacher in high school was fantastic and fostered a love I still have today for woodworking. After a desk job for twenty years I am fortunate to have a second career as a cabinet maker in a large shop making beautiful kitchen cabinets. It seems I learn a new skill every day. I have two woodworkers I aspire to be like, Norm Abram and Michael Dunbar.

My shop originally started in our two car attached garage. As I acquired more and larger machinery and the cars were spending more time in the driveway than in a heated garage I began to look into a detached building to set up shop. In 2013 I hired a local contractor to build the shell of a 20'x 32' ft wood shop. The building has a removable wood floor built over a 3 ft. crawl space and a 10' x 12' pitched roof to provide a large attic accessible by a pull down stair case for lumber storage.

The wood framed building which houses my current shop has a large dust collector with all its ductwork housed in the crawl space. Heat is provided by a unit heater running on natural gas. Telephone and cable TV are also built in so as to not miss an occasional football or baseball game. A small, old wooden 20" x 36" workbench is the center point of the shop. The bench was my grandfathers and most likely came out of a school shop in the 30's. I love its small size. My machinery list is never complete but currently includes a cabinet saw, jointer, band saw, miter saw, drill press and wood lathe. I hope to some day also own a drum sander.

I love being out in my warm woodshop on a snowy day working on a small project; maybe completing a Windsor chair or small shaker oval boxes.

You can email Rich at rich.breed56@gmail.com.