"I make custom furniture striving for heirloom quality
that you will want to pass down to your children."
Woodworking, and especially building furniture is a passion for me. I spent my career in the computer industry, but I have always built things as an avocation. After retiring from the high tech field, I moved to Chattanooga, TN, got a contractor 's license and spent five years renovating fine old homes. My specialty was Arts and Crafts era homes from the turn of the 20th century. Now I am fully “retired” but I cannot stop creating, and I spend every hour I can in my wood shop creating furniture.
I use tried-and-true traditional designs and techniques that produce lasting results. I employ a combination of both large power tools and traditional hand tools like planes and chisels. The large tools are a modern, effective way to turn large rough-cut timber into perfectly sized and squared furniture lumber. The hand tools provide a traditional and exacting method to make final surfaces and joints.
My furniture is made entirely from solid hardwoods like walnut, cherry, oak, maple and mahogany; no veneer. (Other hardwoods are available.) I also make traditional furniture from heart pine, which, today, is only available from deconstructed old buildings dating to the late 19th and early 20th century. Fortunately this material is available in the southeast where I live. I focus a lot of effort on the joints; mortise and tenon joints for the legs and dovetail joints for the drawers (and for some tops).
I am ready and anxious to build fine furniture for clients who appreciate the beauty of one-of-a-kind heirloom quality furniture.
Cheers,.
Bill Johnson
Twisted Legs
A signature feature of my tables is the unique twisted legs. The tapered legs execute a distinguished 1/4 twist from the apron to the floor.
Months of effort was required to perfect the tools and techniques to realize this design. These legs are not actually twisted, but are cut into a twist from a square blank. (If you tried to twist the wood you would never twist it that far, and it might untwist over time.)
If you prefer I can deliver regular tapered legs on any piece you order.